Reading Time: 10 minutes It’s your special day today or coming up soon! Birthdays are largely synonymous with loud parties, cakes, presents, cards, colorful balloons, and warm wishes. However, sometimes, birthdays can actually feel unhappy. For many people, turning a year older can be a bittersweet period that evokes complex emotions and feelings. It can be a day of sadness and introspection. If you find yourself feeling down, depressed,…

Reading Time: 5 minutes There’s a common myth that childbirth, while painful, is a magical, transformative experience full of bliss and female power. And there’s truth to that. Having a baby can be one of the happiest and most meaningful times of a person’s life. But what happens when that’s not your reality? You might be feeling just the opposite: sad, hopeless, and inadequate. You wonder if you have…

Reading Time: 5 minutes Not everyone living with depression looks sad or “depressed.” Some can hide their feelings well, making them appear perfectly fine and happy to others. Yet, despite their positive outward appearance, they are suffering on the inside. This condition is known as smiling depression, and it’s just as dangerous as other forms of depression. Because it is hard to recognize, it’s often left untreated, which can…

Reading Time: 15 minutes “That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.” — Elizabeth Wurtzel. When we talk about depression, we refer to more than just sadness or feeling low.…

Reading Time: 7 minutes We all have our preferred times of the year; it could be autumn when the leaves change color, summer when it’s great for the beach, or winter when it snows. But for some, they might prefer certain seasons because others can bring about unwanted and distressing feelings that make life more difficult. I’m talking about people who experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as…

Reading Time: 9 minutes If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. If you’re on social media, you can access support on different platforms. If it’s a life-threatening emergency, dial 911 or your local emergency number. In many cases, suicide can…

Reading Time: 5 minutes The World Health Organization defines depression as a “persistent sadness and lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities”. It can also lead to disturbed sleep and appetite, as well as poor concentration and tiredness. Over 264 million people are affected worldwide. Psychological therapies, such as online counseling, and pharmacological treatments can be beneficial in helping to ease the symptoms of depression.…

Reading Time: 7 minutes If a friend or family member is living with depression, it can be difficult to know how best to support them. In this article we will look at how to help someone with depression, while taking care of your own wellbeing, too. Depression is Common Depression is a mental health condition characterized by low mood, loss of pleasure in life and feeling empty or numb.…

Reading Time: 5 minutes There is a common treatment for depression that we all tend to think of: going to the office, sitting in the comfy chair and… having the nerve cells in your brain stimulated with repetitive magnetic pulses. Actually, that’s probably not what you were thinking of! Unlike talk therapy, which often involves weekly visits to the therapist’s office to sit in the chair and talk through…

Reading Time: 4 minutes Everyone changes interest in things over time. You might’ve loved soccer as a kid, but grew bored of it and quitted in your teens. Unlike the typical loss of interest, anhedonia makes every day uninteresting and results in many or all activities you enjoyed not eliciting excitement anymore. What Is Anhedonia? People with anhedonia feel like they’re just going through the motions of life. Its…