I get random bouts of depressive episodes and I'm not sure if this is normal

Hello LO, and thank you for your question.

When it comes to emotions and feelings it is hard to say what is and is not normal. Depression is one of the most common mental health diagnoses and having depression would not make you abnormal by any stretch of the imagination. That being said, if you are struggling with depression, having a name for it and seeking treatment can be helpful. 

Some symptoms of Major depression are: Depressed mood (feeling sad), lonely or helpless nearly every day for most of the day), anhedonia (loss of interest or inability to experience pleasure in things you used to enjoy), changes in weight (gain or loss), difficulties with sleep (either too much or insomnia), moving slowly or with difficulty, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or intense guilt, decreased concentration, and thoughts of death. To meet criteria for a diagnosis, you would need to have 5 or more of those symptoms for at least 2 weeks period. 

That being said, depression does not always fit into the neat diagnosis the DSM gives us. If you feel like you are struggling to take care of yourself, seeing a professional is a good idea. With a professional, you can work to see the root cause of your depression (if there is one), and discuss various treatments that can help you improve your mood when you are feeling low. 

If you do not wish to see a professional and feel that it is a blue mood but not a serious concern, there are natural ways to alleviate your mood. Exercise and movement in general help release dopamine into your brain which alleviates sadness. In addition eating healthy, and forcing yourself to do the things you do not want to do (ie. go to work, go to the gym, eat breakfast) can help pull you out of the hole as well. Keeping a good routine is a great defense against occasional blue mood that might sink in. 

Another technique to help alleviate the occasional blue mood is practicing gratitude. A simple exercise I like to use is to answer these three questions every day: 1. What is something good that happened today? 2. What is something you achieved today? 3. What is something you are grateful for.

Typically when I ask these three questions I get a lot of resistance--"Nothing good happened today. I didn't achieve anything". But I encourage you to look past the initial negativity and appreciate even the small things that are good. For example, my favorite part of the day is waking up early to have a cup of coffee before the noise of the day really gets going. 

Yes, it is normal to experience depression or blue mood. However, it does not mean you have to struggle through it alone.