Let's Talk About It with Jenny White/Is Depression a Side Effect of Stress?

I was diagnosed with clinical depression at 17. The doctor prescribed Prozac, but I was hesitant to take it. I managed without medication in college, but anxiety plagued me once I started my career as a newspaper photojournalist. My depression settled in like a virus that wouldn't go away. Day after day , I still did all the things normal people did, but I didn't heal. I even fell in love but it seemed as if I was trudging through every day with lead-fill boots and a rock on my chest.

When I got married at I could no longer hide how depressed I was. My husband urged me to seek outside help. My healing came about with me downloading the Headspace app on my phone and setting aside time to try it out. My mind felt jumbled for the first few 10 minute sessions with Andy Puddicombe, the former Buddhist monk who guides listeners step by step through meditation. Puddicombe told me not to stop my negative thoughts, but to pause and notice them, then return my focus to my breathing. This helped me distance myself from the ideas running aroung in my head.