Part 2 of 4 in a Short Series of Living with Anxiety & Depression “C’mon, Weinand, smile! It’s Friday - what’s there to be so serious about?!” “Can’t you just be more positive?” “Ummm….are you okay?” “What’s got you down? It can’t be that bad.” These questions from well-intentioned friends, colleagues, and family members ring in my brain like an interrogation. In my heart, I know they are trying to just make me smile, to encourage me to have a good day, to really just relax.

Part 1 of 4 in a Short Series on Living with Depression & Anxiety “Rebecca, I think you’re depressed.” I’ll never forget when getting this text from a good friend the summer before I left for college. He knew I needed more than just a good friend - I needed real help. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to accept this truth. I couldn’t accept depression as a reason for what I was feeling. After all, I had a good home, I was well-fed, I was getting ready to go to college on an athle