I’m not an advocate for coffee or caffeine. Not by a long shot.

I think the parade of lines that flow out of chain coffee shops like Starbucks is ridiculous; paying as much as $3.50 for a cup of coffee that you can make for less than a dollar at home.

I think that frequently putting caffeine, artificial sweetners, and straight sugar in your body is more harmful than good.

I think coffee is a culturally accepted drug.

I think that caffeine is a culturally accepted addiction for children and teens (soda) and adults (coffee and espresso drinks).

All that being said, I had to point some attention to this article I found from some Harvard folks who did an “observatory” study and found that there might be a relationship between caffeine consumption and fighting depression. While the researchers are not yet ready to make a recommendation, for the 1 in 5 women who will be diagnosed with depression in their lifetime, this could be some interesting news for them to consider. I write that with a cup of coffee next to me. I average 1 cup/2 weeks or so. And I must say, I like how it feels.

Caffeinated coffee is a mood elevator and, coming off a hard week of work, and it being Friday, I let myself have a nice cuppa Joe with a swig of Silk Hazelnut to keep it vegan. Delicious for my tongue and my brain which is propelling my thoughts forward.

However, depression is a whole big animal that cannot be solved by one cup of caffeinated coffee (wouldn’t that be great, though, if it could be?) and good habits of diet and exercise should be evaluated and practiced before women reach for a pot of happy liquid. And it’s essential for my readers, mostly women in the age bracket of 22- 44, to know that women are twice as likely to develop (major) depression and that is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s also critical to know the difference between clinical depression (as described in previous link) and the general forms of depression that nearly everyone experiences with the everyday cycle of life which exposes us to trauma, suffering, and loss. Again, this is nothing to be ashamed of.

So, I would answer Winston Chung’s question in combatting depression as an inflammatory (link in his article), “Could it be as simple as taking the time to smell the aroma or savor the flavor?” No. There are too many conditional factors that contribute to one’s depression.

But, even knowing all that complexity, if the question was, “As a working writer and mother of a toddler, trying to make ends meet and support your spouse through his graduate program which eats up ungodly hours of your life and spits you both out every day and night on your couches, does that cup of coffee help stimulate your energy, thoughts, and productivity and, in turn, make you feel better about yourself and work?” The answer, then, is quite simple: YES.