Had a great time seeing my family yesterday. Sometimes there is tension or stress, but everything was relaxed and there were good vibes! Got to see the niece/nephews who always bring me so much joy! We even had a cozy fire in the fireplace.

The conversation did turn to mental health with my aunt and brother, specifically how they both suffer from depression. It made me sad to see my brother is struggling and he confessed over the years his depression is getting progressively worse. I encouraged him to be proactive to seek help and warned him of my mixed episode med reaction in case he has the same. Fortunately SSRIs helped numerous others in my family--aunt, grandma, sister--with depression so I am hoping he has a type of depression that can be treated relatively easily.