I vividly remember how itchy and lonely I was during my first bout of depression. Nothing appealed to me. I didn't want to be awake but I didn't want to go to bed. I felt isolated but I didn't want to talk to anyone. Work both distracted and frustrated me. It was a struggle to remember things I liked, and for the life of me, I couldn't think of anyone who would be willing to spend time with me. Feeling good seemed like a distant, unattainable memory. Emotional emergencies lik

In recent months I've been very present to a loved one's suffering and my heart has been aching. While I was driving the other afternoon, I found myself thoroughly distressed by the grief and fear. As tears welled in my eyes, something came to mind. Beneath the heaviness of this very human experience, there was an opportunity to simply observe. I looked at the objective truth. My body was tense. My face was crumpled and my jaw was clenched. These were natural reactions to s