We're really sorry it took so long for us to respond! We had some sort of glitch and didn't get our emails for a few days.

Good idea to reach out about this. People will get "the blues" sometimes for absolutely no reason, so it can be hard to tell if this is a case of the blues or if it's something worse. The fact that your family and boyfriend are noticing indicates that it's certainly disruptive at least.

Here's some options that might help. Look them over and see if any look promising:

- Try to remember if anything happened a while ago to trigger this depression. It could be that you got a lot of assignments at once and the stress overwhelmed you. Maybe it got really cloudy and you're one of those people who's affected by sunshine (or lack thereof.) If you find out the reason for your sadness, you might be able to tackle it better.

- Don't give yourself a lot of time to think about the sadness. You definitely DO want to think and reflect over your feelings and thoughts, especially when it comes to this weird bout of depression you're experiencing. However, make sure you don't spend any extra time just thinking. Nighttime seems like a rough time for you, for instance. Ask yourself if you've got too much time to think and get sad. If so, come up with a plan for nighttime. What are some simple, low-key activities you can do before bed to keep your mind off of things? Reading? Listening to music? Praying/meditating? Think about things like that.

- Write about this stuff. Based on your email, you're a good writer! You could use this email you've sent us as the beginning of a journal and just keep adding your thoughts and feelings about this sadness every time you think of something. For example, if you notice one day that you CAN smile without crying at your reflection, that should go in your journal.

- Talk to your parents. You said you're reluctant to tell them because you don't want to hurt them. That's very noble of you. However, we can tell you from experience that it's probably more stressful for your parents and boyfriend to worry about you because you won't tell them what's going on. Definitely give in and tell your parents. All you have to say is something like, "For some reason, I've been depressed and crying, and I don't know why. Any ideas on what I should do?" Show them your email to us, too; it will help you explain everything.

Keep your chin up and keep an eye on this sadness. If it keeps going and you can't shake it, it might be time to talk to your doctor. Whichever way it goes, your strength and good heart will keep you afloat!

Kate, Counselor