Is it dysthymia?

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tango-mind-and-emotion/2011/dec/10/it-growing-pains-or-it-dysthymia/

After reading the above article, I can't help but wonder if I have dysthymia.

Afraid that I'm just looking for an excuse for laziness, I asked a friend of mine to read the article and tell me what they thought. My friend skimmed the article and said that some of the symptoms sound like much of what I go through.

This is by no means a diagnosis. But simply knowing that there might be a reason for my daily struggle... it's hard to describe. Going from, "I'm defective and always will be" to "this probably has a name and treatment options" is not only freeing, it also gives me hope.

I feel heavy today - physically, emotionally, etc. - but not as heavy as I felt yesterday. I have to struggle and fight to get things done but today I am getting some things done.

Thinking that this is a problem as opposed to a defect allows me to celebrate the good days instead of loathing myself for the bad days.

I still have to work hard. Now I am working against something instead of working against myself.

The answers are out there somewhere.

There is hope.