I read a post recently that made reference to the idea that mental health is not just something for the mentally ill to worry about, any more than physical health is only for the sick. It’s health and something that everyone has to manage for their own well-being. This is important to consider because there’s no line in the sand between the mentally well and the mentally ill; it’s a gradient in millions of colors, and your place in it can change from moment to moment.

Like many people, I first came to terms with my depression in my late teens. But there was no moment of revelation, no incident; no day that I woke up depressed, having been cheerful and happy the night before. Rather, I remember a gradual fading of interest, a sense of boredom and ennui, and a graying of the world that took place over the…