I have come to realize how deeply depression runs in myfamily and a lot of us deal with "inherited" depression and anxiety. I have a chronically depressed Mom. My brother has some depression - he's addressed it in front of us. As my Mom gets older, her health is declining for various reasons and the depression is more pronounced.

I'm in therapy and just starting to really unravel all the ways this has affected me throughout my life, understanding my own depression and anxiety. Learning self-care and reparenting. Overall I give myself- and my Mom - a lot credit. She did her best and was a loving parent, even if at times emotionally distant or absent because of her illness. She still has a whip smart sense of humor and creativity.

I've coped well enough but here it is at Holiday time and I get hooked into worrying about her and things I can not control. I get out of the house every morning to get some 'me time' and recharge. I try to focus on the positive and practice some form of radical acceptance.

But at times it's so clear how down she is and it's difficult not to get depressed myself. I just wondered if anyone else has family members with depression and how they cope with it while not getting sucked in. How do you find the equanimity?