Are you happy with your job? Lots of people would answer no but stay for the benefits. Sometimes a job is too much of a downer and maybe your boss is a toxic person for you to deal with. Change is hard. You hate to leave a job because you are used to it. But if you are being made miserable there, you have to make an effort to get another job.

Are you happy with how you look? If not, why not? Maybe there are changes you know you should be making. It may be time to follow through with that diet you have always talked about. Maybe you need a new look, a new hairstyle, a new you.

If you think you are hanging around with the wrong people you probably are. If you are drinking heavily or using party drugs, that has to change. If you are cheating and feeling bad about it then stop. If you are ignoring your children and not giving them the support and guidance they need, change this right now. If you think your marriage is not going to work, prepare for divorce. If you feel you are living in the wrong place, change residence.

You may say, 'Well, it's not that simple.' Yes it is. You can either change and do better or revert back to your old patterns and find yourself severely depressed yet again. Life is very short and each of us has the obligation to be as happy as possible. No other thing or person can make us happy. Money can make our lives easier, but not better. A bad marriage may give us security, but it may kill our souls. Alcohol and drugs may give us a temporary high but the downside is just around the corner.

You don't get depressed in a vacuum. Circumstances are happening, some of which you can control. Others you will have no control over and you are going to have to adapt. Life is not fair. You may lose someone you love and think that it was rotten that this happened. You maybe fired from a job you love and feel bitter resentment and fury.

You may have had a very sad childhood and still don't get any love or support from your parents but that cannot be changed. Only you can change. Only you can do the hard things that will make it possible for you to keep living. You can't depend on someone else to be your life source, to feed your heart and your soul.

Depression is a terrible illness. It does, however, provide so much pain for us that we are forced to look at what is going wrong in our lives. It is very important to get the right medication, to get your exercise, and always try to think positively. It is essential that you consider your relationships, are they good or bad for you. Are you being the best person you can be, feeling proud of your actions, and knowing you are acting in a decent way?

Depression can be treated. Anti depressants are wonderful ways of changing and fixing the chemical imbalances in our brains. Remember also that you then have to fix yourself, your life, and your future.