Am I 'depressed' or 'deeply sad'?

Sujata Ponappa, PhD., MFT

Marriage/ Family Therapist, Relationships LLC

The word 'depression' is often used instead of 'deep sorrow', but they are not the same. When we allow ourselves to experience deep sorrow, there may be no room for depression (lack of feeling, numbness etc.). We all experience loss through the death of loved ones, ending of relationships, and other life events such as retirement, aging, moving away to college etc. 
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I believe that : 
Facing these losses + feeling them + sharing our pain with others = Healing + the Ability to come out stronger.
Here is another equation:
Avoiding/internalizing the feelings of loss = creating internal distress = emotional or physical ​Disease