I’ve had such a fun past week, but I’m paying for it right now being stuck with another summer cold. WTF?! I’m trying every remedy possible to beat it — just took a shot of ACV and a garlic supplement, wanna make out?

Some fun stuff that’s happened over the past week:

I took an awesome outdoor ride with Cyc Fitness on 6th Ave — one of those moments that made me feel lucky to live in this city where I can do these cool things.

I followed it up with a little run around the reservoir in Central Park because, marathon training, and it was a gorgeous night. Serious endorphin hangover the next day…

Thursday night, Meg and I went out to Coney Island to see New Kids on the Block (and saw Jen there, obviously.) Oh, and we may or may not have ended up backstage because we got “lost.” It was my first concert 27 years ago, and it was so fun to see them as an adult. Blasts from the past who appeared with them: Tiffany, Naughty by Nature.

The week before, I got to tape a workout with DOMINIQUE FREAKING DAWES for work that aired last Friday. So, yes, the past week or so has been a huge blast to my past.

Friday night, I went on the NYHRC yacht with some of my friends. 10/10, would yacht again.

Saturday, I got to watch my dear friend Emily marry the love of her life in a gorgeous wedding. (Casual NYT wedding announcement.) Emily runs events for IAC, which owns Daily Burn, and the wedding was at the IAC Building on the West Side Highway. It was gorgeous, and as usual, Emily transformed the space into something magical. I had some Rent the Runway (<– we both get $30 credit if you use this link) drama, but ended up finding a dress I loved.

Even after wedding celebrating, i woke up and headed out for my long run, trying out these Hoka One One Infinites for work. (First-time verdict: felt good out of the box, but I’m not yet sure they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, like everyone else thinks, but I need more time with them.) Alex and I ran from the West Side over the Brooklyn Bridge (and I reminisced about living downtown and running over the BK Bridge ALL THE TIME) into Brooklyn Bridge Park before grabbing breakfast at Clark’s, a cute little diner near where we ended.

Outside of work, I’m planning on hunkering down in my apartment this week, because I’m going to Vancouver this weekend for Seawheeze, something I’ve been looking forward to for almost a year!

And, of course, I’m watching the Olympics! So proud of one our Daily Burn coaches, Chris Mosier — he was the first transgender athlete to make a U.S. national team, and now this badass athlete is in Nike’s latest spot, which debuted during Olympic coverage tonight.

Fave Olympic sport? 

When you meet Theodora, she’s the smiliest person ever who seems to have a secret energy source within her. She kept me laughing during Reach the Beach. But even when someone seems super happy, there can be a lot going on under the surface. – Christine

When I wrote about depression last year, Christine wrote that, and if you saw/met me in real life, you probably wouldn’t guess I struggle/have struggled with depression. I have a silly sense of humor and laugh easily. Often, I laugh until I cry (it’s kind of awkward for my makeup, but whatever.)

But sometimes, I go through life feeling apathetic — not wanting to see friends and family, not wanting to work out, having a hard time concentrating at work, having a hard time sleeping — and just feeling like I’m carrying around a shroud of sadness on my back.

Last year, when I wrote that post, I’d felt like that for too long, continuously. Major depressive disorder is defined as feeling like that for two weeks or more, but I’d felt like that, to varying degrees, for several months…for no external reason. There was nothing going on in my life that indicated I should feel depressed which sometimes made it more frustrating. But after I hurt my back last summer, I realized exercise was what was keeping me hanging on. Without that, I really couldn’t take things any more. I cried for no reason, I withdrew so I didn’t lash out, and I listened to my therapist and saw a psychiatrist about meds, just like I’d see a doctor for an inhaler if I had asthma.

I was so afraid to take psychiatric meds. What that meant. What that said about me. But I finally caved in when I felt talking to friends, family, a therapist, healthy habits — none of that helped. She prescribed me Wellbutrin, which I’ve now been on for about a year. A reader recently asked me how it had affected me, being on it for almost a year. I was afraid it would numb me out, but it really did the opposite, as I was feeling pretty numb when I started it. I’ve felt more stable, and the lows haven’t been quite as low, and I can feel and appreciate the highs better. I don’t want to be on meds for the rest of my life (and actually would like to try going off them sooner than later), so I’ve also been making lifestyle changes and drinking less wine and eating less crap. This is the book I read, and while I take some of what it says with a grain of salt, there’s also some good lifestyle/nutrition advice in there.

In a way, I’m glad that if this had to happen, it was before my mom got sick. I knew I had a solid support team medically and in my personal life, and I had the tools to handle something major like that. In no way did any of this make it easy to deal with, but I feel like I handled and dealt with the situation truly the best way I could have. (And now she’s better!!!)

photo: Uplift

I tell you this because I attended a beautiful event at Uplift last night — a discussion about mental health as part of their Strong Women Uplift Each Other series.

There was a therapist as guest, but so many beautiful, strong women spoke up about their own struggles with anxiety, depression and mental health issues. I’m partially writing this post because this is what I wanted to speak up to say last night. I’m sort of shy in those situations, but it felt like a really safe space…but they began wrapping things up just as I worked up the nerve to raise my hand.

We talked a lot about the stigma in our society and among other women about mental health. We all like to think we all have it together — or at least appear as such, especially in a competitive city like NYC. But whether it’s chemical or situational, we’re all going to feel like this at some point in life. It’s healthy to some degree. It’s what gets us through tough situations — if we were just chill after a breakup or a job loss, that would be concerning.

It’s obviously not easy to write these posts, but if they help even one person, it’s worth it, truly.