Some factors affecting mood and energy

While depression and joy, fatigue and energy, do come and go to a certain extent without cause, there are some external factors that make a difference, so I can try to do my best to optimize conditions to increase the likelihood of joy and energy rather than depression and fatigue.  Some things that I do know are:

• My moods are very much affected by my physical state.  When I have fatigue, I feel hopeless.  When I have energy, I feel optimistic.   Usually when I get depressed, I also get a sore throat, so it's clear there is a physical connection.
• There are times when I've had enough, when I need some relaxation.  If I push myself to do things that I'm too tired to do, I may become unhappy.  If I allow myself to live at my own pace, to do restful things, I may find great happiness in what I'm doing.
• Having someone be consistently there for me helps keep me even-keeled.  Sometimes I've had that in my life, other times I haven't.  I have that now, someone I talk to on the phone daily.  It means that when I get tired, sometimes it can be just that, just tired, without spiraling into despair.