Depression. We've all heard this word, maybe even experienced it, probably have had at least one friend who's come up to us saying, "I'm depressed." We've all been there. We've been there to say, "Why are you sad? I'm here for you, know I love you. You just have to be happy." It'll be okay. Just do what makes you happy.

When you're not actually depressed, it is so easy to go towards this social "protocol." It's completely acceptable and needed to be there for support and make sure the person you love is loved. Often, the social protocol is used to avoid prying into people's lives, or commonly used because people don't know what to do or say.

One thing to know for sure is that--many, many times, there is no quick fix. May I say, many people who have been depressed have heard: it's all in your head.

I then add, that's the worst part. We know, every person who's ever been depressed, knows. Aside from the chemical imbalance in the brain when an individual is depressed--we know that our mind is our greatest enemy.

Aside from your own mind being your own enemy, understand that you have the choice to also make it your greatest ally.

No, this is not easy. And yes, the "protocol" is very much easier said than done.

Quick note,there is a very strong difference between being sad and being depressed. Being sad is an emotion, a feeling very natural in the human experience. Being depressed, is a whole other ball park.

When hearing about depression, just understand, someone who is depressed, does not feel sad.

It is a mental state that is not easily controlled.

I can defend both ends of the party, personally, of whether there's a quick fix-- some way to quit your depression cold turkey, or whether it is something that needs to be treated accordingly and understood.

I will share what it's like to suffer from chronic depression and anxiety, all while being a person who absolutely loves life.

Understand the many stigmas of depression do not define the mental illness as a whole. Understand that it is a mental illness--not a lack or moral. Understand that these are not catered to every individual, like every other stigma or stereotype, are not always true.

I'll start with saying that I love life. I love living. I love traveling, I adore the wonderful people in my life. I love laughing. I very much love living in the moment and taking in as much as I can. Many of my friends actually know me to be the one to make people smile, to be the first one who wants to make everyone laugh.

Many people who cope with depression and anxiety can say the same thing. In actuality, having to deal with it made me cherish these moments even more.

I've had my fair share of lows, things that people would have never thought I'd ever experience, trauma and bad relationships throughout my life that have lead me to dealing with depression and anxiety as an adult. But as I said, these experiences that lead to my mindset also made me who I am--someone who adores life.

Being depressed is mind numbing. Being depressed is knowing the weather is amazing but not having the energy to get out of bed to even run an errand or get a breath of fresh air. It's pushing away the people who love you the most because you don't want them to know you're drained and exhausted.

It's like drowning in a sea of people while everyone else can swim just fine. All while no one knows you're drowning.

I've lost interest in talking to friends, going out to eat, or even taking the time to take care of myself. It's like looking in the mirror and seeing someone you don't even know.

It's holding your tongue from telling someone you need help because you feel helpless. It's hiding from your family and your parents because you know they've had it harder. A part of the problem is that many people feel as though depression is not valid--this stems from many reasons I won't even get in to.

Depression can affect anyone, it does not discriminate, it does not have a population of choice. Depression isn't the person looking for something wrong--all the time. It's when the lows in your life findyou, without warning, with no control.

It isall in my head, and it is my greatest enemy. Depression isn't me. It is not who I am.

I do not write this to say, let the depressed people be, they are depressed and that's just how they choose to see the world. I write this to share that, in spite of the crying, the days in bed, the isolation, the lack of energy, the lack of appetite, or even the over eating, (plus the countless symptoms of depression)--I write this to say that friends, family members, loved ones, can help those suffering from depression by understanding.

You do not know everyone's story. Understand that there is no invisible timeline of healing or coping.

You can help by pulling away from the stigma of depression by knowing that many people who suffer from depression may very well love life. I personally, as a young adult, struggle to find my place in society.

The battle is not only to see the light in life, but to actual live again, to feel alive.

The battle is waking up feeling like there is no purpose, but knowing that there's so much more to life than the four walls I confined myself in. I'm not a porcelain doll who needs to hear the protocol, words cannot break me more than the mental illness itself.

I always tell myself, in the midst of a panic attack or a depressive episode, that in this moment, this is not the end. Tomorrow is another day to push myself, that in the next year, decades, lifetimes, that I will always understand that there's a difference between being alive, and actually living. I will always choose to live.