Depression...

Finally, many of us will say, spring is here, with its bright colours, fresh scents and a sense of new life all around us.

However, not everybody can enjoy the beauty of this season, feel the joy and enthusiasm for the days getting longer, the warming rays of the sun.

Au contraire: A frighteningly high number of fellow-humans, and you may be one of them, might wonder "what is the matter with me? Why do I feel as if paralysed, without any drive and totally down?“ A feeling beyond physical tiredness. Especially in spring, with the awakening of nature, the good mood of people all around us, we can feel our own sadness even more and be made painfully aware of. Depression is the number-one-disease of modern civilisation in the 21^st century. One in five Europeans suffer from depression at some stage in their lives. And 20 per cent of the sufferers commit suicide. Some experts see the cause in the tremendous pressure on the modern human being. With an overload of information and lack of time and personal space. They just can‘t keep up anymore. "Married couples talk to each other for an average of eight minutes daily, 40 per cent of employees working in upper management suffer from stress. The speed with which we race through our daily life has doubled during the last 200 years…“ as was recently published in the German magazine DIE ZEIT.

But, what can we do? Of course, depression requires adequate therapy and treatment. Suitable medication can literally be a life-saver. However, emotional support to overcome the feeling of desolation and to heal the soul is required too. Whatever the reason – it is important for the sufferer to realise, and to admit to themselves: "I accept my sadness. I do not have to deny it or to hide it. Depression is nothing to be ashamed of“.

"I can do something myself to make me feel better. I must allow myself to take more time for a person who is there for me, who listens. It doesn‘t matter who: a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a friend who I can confide my problems to. I am also allowed to take time to read a good book which can help me."

We all need some "time out“ – and if it is just a few minutes every day – to charge our batteries and gain new strength.

"Every day on which you can laugh, think and feel, on which you can see, hear, taste and run, on which you are loved, each of these days can be a special day, if you choose to be grateful for these riches.“