I think I know what she is asking. It is that are you actively taking steps to better your depression or that you have just come to accept it and let it be part of your everyday life. I don't think anyone chooses to have depression. It is a mental illness. Saying you choose to be depressed is like saying a person with schizophrenia chooses to hear voices that aren't there.

However people do sometimes stick with what they know and not really realize how it is affecting them. I think back to last year and I was taking on way too much. 5 classes, full time job, trying to keep my spouse happy. I had goals I wanted to accomplish, but at the same time all of the overworking and stress was taking an emmotional toll on me. It got to a point where I felt like a zombie. I would sort of cycle between feeling depressed and feeling nothing.

I think there are some other examples like a spouse staying with an abusive partner because abuse is all they know. It just feels normal to them. Not that it is good or anything like that, but a person in that situation would be very depressed, but not really doing anything to solve their main issues for one reason or another.

The hard part is figuring out what those problems are. What makes you feel sad if anything. I think anyone at a given time has a list of things they don't like, or problems. Some of those may be the ones making you feel thatt way. Then for some people there doesn't have to be a cause or even a good excuse. Be it the theory of a chemical imbalance or a genetic suceptibilty to feeling depressed. Could also be diet, not recieving proper nutrients, sleep depravation, stress, past tramautic events, self esteem, illnesses.