I have a beautiful friend. He has dedicated his life to working in developing nations. He goes to all those places that we read about in the news while we are safely snuggled up on our sofas. He gets evacuated from war zones, forced to leave behind locals with whom he has forged deep bonds. He contracts illnesses that we will never be exposed to at our cushy desk jobs.

And he suffers from depression. It is nothing like my case of the blues. It is nothing that yoga, meditation and a hot bath will cure. It is terrifyingly debilitating. It robs you of all your hopes and dreams and leaves you feeling like a depleted, hollowed out version of yourself. With nothing to refill that gaping vacuum. With no end in sight. Read more…