You've likely heard that you can “act as if....” to overcome some negative belief or feeling. Act as if you are not shy at the party, or afraid at your first skiing lessons, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. You will have fooled yourself into not being socially awkward or terrified and gained the confidence you need to step up your game.

Acting depressed can reinforce your belief that you have no control over depression. Acting depressed can add to your guilt, make you feel even more worthless. It can make it impossible to notice any natural improvement in your mood.

Acting "as if" will not cure your depression, but it will allow you to notice the occasional feelings of almost-good. It can prevent you from adding to the bad feelings.

Over the last half a century, we have shaved off an average of two (precious) hours of sleep a night. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, 60 percent of adults say they get less than seven hours of sleep on a weeknight, compared with the seven to nine hours that are recommended.

We burn the midnight oil, we get up way before the kids just to get things done. Our days are go, go, go! And it’s often hard to stay asleep once we get there. Why make sleep a priority when there's so much else to do?

For everyone who swears they get by on five or six hours a night, here are some annoying facts:

A major depressive disorder affects one out of ten of people, yet garners less respect, empathy, and funding than cancer or AIDS or coronary disease which affect many fewer. I'd love for you to be able to empathize with the gravity of the illness, to understand that neither self-pity nor lack of character drives it any more than they do cancer.