Article August 27, 2001 Issue

How I got my happiness back

By Jenny Sawyer

Midwinter during my freshman year at Bryn Mawr, I found myself in a funk. Normally a cheerful person, I woke up one morning dreading the coming day and feeling generally down. For the next few days, I felt overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and it took a great effort even to attend classes, an activity I normally loved.

My wake-up call came when a close friend commented that she'd never seen me so mellow. She offered a few conjectures as to the nature of my problem—the dull, gray weather, stress at school, etc. I was tempted to agree. But I was at the point where I felt as though even a perfect spring day couldn't lift my spirits.

Toward the end of our conversation, the word depression was mentioned. Initially, I was startled; then, I felt scared. During high school and college, I'd come into contact with a number of people who had been diagnosed as clinically depressed, but it was never a problem I'd had to confront personally.

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