I always considered myself a happy person, so it never sat well with me to think, "could I be depressed?" That was a tough bias to unlearn and I still wrestle with it. How could I possibly be discontent, lonely, or empty, when everything in my life is objectively fine?

 

Growing up, I was a pretty dramatic kid. I had big feelings. On the outside I was visibly happy. If I'm being honest, I was borderline manic with joy most of the time. But I always had an itching sense that a secret part of me was sad. It wasn't until I finished college that I was diagnosed with dysthymia, the kind of depression that lasts day to day and doesn't really fade. Not that I didn't have it before, but now I knew what it was. 

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Chronic Blue is a precious reminder that a rainy day here or there, or for a month straight, is okay. I shouldn't be ashamed that I happen to have a heavier heart. I have plenty of people in my life who lift me up despite it.

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​For anyone who has felt alone, confused, or empty, I see you. A portion of profits collected by Chronic Blue sales will go to Hope for Depression Research Foundation, a foundation that funds neuroscience research for the treatment and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders.