Life is hard! You really don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you that life in general is hard. But that’s what makes life awesome. I love that life is hard because it builds character and really makes the person that you that you are now! If life were easy, then what’s there to accomplish left in life????

Everybody at some point experiences depression in their lives. Depression is so common that you’re not alone. With an estimated 7.5 billion souls on this planet, more than an estimated 20 million (and many more!) people are currently living with this disease and I’m one of them. That’s a lot of people!

Let me give you some examples of events that cause a person to become depressed: a new job (so exciting and so terrifying at the same time), a new baby (so wonderful and so scary), losing a job, losing a loved one, losing a pet, deadlines at work (been there!), problems in your relationships with friends/co-workers/significant others and etc. All of these events in life can be very stressful and can cause you to become unhappy for a short or long term period.

If you feel you’re depressed, take this quiz that I’ve compiled myself. Also Google “depression quizzes” and take those quizzes and you’ll be amazed at the results! Those tests just may steer you in the right direction!

Am I depressed?

• Do you feel sad for long periods of time?
• Are you irritable and grumpy????
• Do you have trouble concentrating or staying focused at work or on this week’s puzzle in the paper?
• Are you sleeping too little or too much or not at all?
• Are you hungrier than usual or have no interest in food whatsoever?
• Do you have the energy to get out of bed or doing anything at all?

The list goes on and on. But if you answer, yes to several or all of these then you may have depression.

Am I anxious?

• Are you in a constant state of fear and panic?
• Do you fear that something bad is going to happen at any moment?
• Do you experience physical symptoms such as numbness, heart palpitations, chest pains, hot/cold sweats, your mind constantly running all six cylinders, do you fear that you’re dying and etc?

This list again is not all inclusive. But if you answer, yes to several or all of these than you may have anxiety.