Depression is defined as a state of sadness that affects a person’s thoughts and feelings and even their behavior. Behavior such as withdrawing from situations that have provoked issues in the past. However, would you be surprised to learn that a depressed mood can be a normal reaction to traumatic events of life? Still, two major things make depression much more likely, first; a traumatic negative event (like the loss of a loved one), and second; having to deal with a long-term source of stress about your future. For example, a dead-end job or constant financial insecurity. When both things are added together, the chances of developing depression increases exponentially! Since there is little use in trying to stop traumatic events, the bulk of our discussion will be about identifying and managing long-term sources of stress.