Sometimes I have those days that pop out of nowhere. You know, suddenly you start thinking about the next test you have to do really well on. In the meantime you’re fighting with your printer because it’s giving you the finger and you have your GRE test coming up in a few months.

Or maybe that’s just what it’s like when I’m having “one of those days.” That experience can vary from person to person, but generally you should feel anxiety and stress and feel like throwing in the towel.

So, I’ve been having a pretty stressful day and suddenly the topic of depression popped into my head.

A quick walk back to my room and I pulled some statistics. In the United States there are 11 suicides for every 100,000 people, according to National Institute of Mental Health. Almost 35,000 people killed themselves in 2007. This is actually quite low compared to other countries like South Korea and Japan, countries both facing a crisis because of their high suicide rates. However, I feel that no matter the suicide ranking, one life wasted is one too many.

The worst part about it is that it is completely preventable. I myself am a success story, if you can call it that.

It’s amazing to see my mindset five years ago. In my suicidal state I never would have even dreamt of going to college, and doing the things I like and want to do in life.

When you’re depressed, at least from my experience, it’s like a gloomy cloud hanging over your head. It’s like the weather in Ames as I type this article.

It’s cold with overcast skies and rain that seemingly looks like it will never end. You’re walking alone and everyone’s out on their own business. All you hear is the rain hitting your umbrella and your shoes splashing in the wet sidewalk.

Then, as you start to feel tired, you look up. You’re looking for something but you don’t know what. Then you realize that you will never be happy ever in your life again.

Woah, way to be totally emo, but it really was like that. It really feels like you’ll never be happy ever again.

I know what it’s like to lose all of your supporting friends. To have problems at home. To have school administration breathe down your neck. To overdose on medications. To try and stab yourself twice. To refuse taking anti-depressants abruptly — I learned the hard way on why it’s a bad idea. It takes a lot to bring someone down to that mental state.

If you could do anything to get rid of your depression, and if you were willing to, would you do it — and no, replying with, “Sure, I’ll kill myself,” doesn’t count.

I reluctantly went back to school in Korea. I was considering taking a year off from school. I made awesome new friends who were quick to embrace me. I got to go to a regional Model United Nations conference in South Korea as well as a once in a lifetime international Model United Nations conference in Beijing. This, my friends, is also where I had my first taste of the field of Psychology and fell deeply interested in it.

You have all of these awesome experiences and your thought begins to change. Well life isn’t so bad; look at all these great things happening to me. And that’s when the changing of the mindset begins to take place. That, in spite of all of life’s problems, there are the positives.

Remember that in the face of life’s problems, there is always hope; there is always something in store for you in the future. You can’t just sit idly in the backseat waiting for things to happen. You have to meet halfway on this to by doing things as well to make things happen.