WARNING: This book is a lighthearted practical health guide. Laughter may be a side effect.

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"Depression is melancholy minus its charm."
Susan Sontag

• Depression lowers your spirits and drowns your eyes in sorrow, though tears aren't the only reason why when you're depressed you sometimes can't see straight. It also caves in your chest, slumps you shoulders, and inhibits full breathing, usually forcing you to try to catch your breath by frequent sighing. You might say depression cuts you down to sighs. (My apologies)
• But depression is certainly more than physical. Its real ravages are psychological. It creates blah-itis, an inflamed state of the blahs. You lose interest in the things you normally love and begin really hating the things you weren't too sure about in the first place. You tend to doubt yourself and others; in fact, you doubt just about everything--except your own doubts. In more serious cases, you may wonder if life is meaningful or even worthwhile, and in the most extreme cases, you stop reading self-help books that try to make them laugh. Hopefully, you haven't yet reached this terminal phase.
• A major trauma can certainly be the cause that breaks you down, or you may get pushed over the edge by the accumulation of small stresses. You may feel depressed during what are usually thought of as "good times," such as during the holidays. Some women experience the "baby blues" shortly after giving birth. Every phase of life has its own potential for stress and depression.

But depression can also be precipitated by viral or bacterial infection, organic disease, or hormonal disorders. It can be drug-induced, especially from barbituates, amphetamines, birth control pills, or alcohol. It can stem from exposure to certain environmental poisons. It seems that sometimes depression can even be contagious; one person's low-life condition can begin to bring you down with him.

With all these possible triggers floating around, it is no wonder that virtually everybody experiences some period of depression at least once in his life. There is no reason to feel guilty about an occasional bout of depression, unless, of course, you're trying hard to meet your annual guilt quota.

• In every dark period in your life, there is also some light somewhere. Getting in touch with that light is important; in fact, it's just about the only way out. Of course, it's not always easy; it seems as though everyone has his own ideas about moving out of the depressed state of mind. Understanding the various theories about depression may be helpful in treating it, but as the psychiatrist Carl Jung once said, "Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch the miracle of a living soul."

Whether you fully understand the reasons for your depression or not, here are some sensible strategies for reconnecting with and spreading your light.

Strategy #1: Exercise those demons out of you! Exercise is not only helpful for building a fit body, but it also helps to create a sound mind. Getting your body moving seems to help keep your mind out of the depths of depression. Exercise that involve the long muscles, such as jogging, swimming, bicycling, and playing basketball, football, or tennis, are the most beneficial.