Some days you're up, some days you're down.
Normally, hopefully, you spend more days up than down or perhaps somewhere in the middle.
A person who's in a normal and balanced state acts a little bit like a spirit level running along a length of wood.
Assuming the wood's been nicely planned, then the bubble won't move very much.
Just a little bit to the right and the left as it allows for the inevitable imperfections.
That's how we should be.
Sometimes, though, we're unhappy for no apparent reason.
Not necessarily miserable, just a feeling of nebulous unhappiness.
So we think okay, tomorrow I'll be fine.
Then tomorrow dawns, and the feeling's still with you.
You can't explain it.
Work's going well.
Your family's happy.
No-one's died.
Then why am I suddenly depressed, you wonder.
Well, you think, tomorrow will be different.
And it isn't.
By this time, you're beginning to become a little bit nervous.
What the heck's the matter with me? Somewhere at the back of your mind, you remember reading something about depression.
So you nip onto your computer and find a site about depression.
From this, you learn that it's a biological disease that could be caused by chemical imbalances or genetics.
Holy cow, you think.
I'm diseased! Wait a minute.
Didn't old Frank go through depression some time ago? I'll ask him.
So you do just that, and he points you to a site that really tells it as it is.
"Read it," says Frank.
"That man just about saved my life.
" It turns out that all this business of 'genetics' and 'biological disease' is absolute rubbish.
This is what you learned from the site Frank recommended.
There are certain needs and necessities that every human being has, some of which we never think about, but we need them just the same.
1.
Do you feel secure? Are you in an atmosphere of safety where your independence isn't threatened? 2.
Do you have the freedom to make choices? Are you in control of your life? 3.
Do you live with someone, or at least know someone, who cares about you unconditionally? 4.
Do you feel part of a community? Are you accepted by other people? 5.
Do you have the opportunity to be private when you feel like it? A chance to think, relax and not be overwhelmed? 6.
Do you feel firmly at the bottom rung of the ladder, with people walking all over you, or do you have a sense of status? 7.
Do you think that you've achieved things in life through your own competence? 8.
Does your life have meaning? Do you feel as though you're constantly moving forward? Now have a look at this list and give it careful consideration.
If you do feel there's something lacking in your life, look on it as an opportunity, not as something about which to be depressed.
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of us don't even realize we require these needs