First off thank you for visiting my site, and adding some real meat to the
discussion. Thank you for sharing some information about yourself, and
raising what i think is a very interesting question

I am continually learning, but I have not specifically researched the
connection between depleted will power and depression. Depression is a
very, very complex process and I am concerned that making broad
generalizations here may be dangerous. With that disclaimer, there is some
interesting information I can think of.

Because we know that both striving towards rewards and depression share some
similar pathways in the brain, in particular with regard to dopamine
receptors, that would be a good place to start. I suspect there are
definitely connections between depression and will power, for example,
consider what happens if we flip the question. Is it possible that being
depressed depletes willpower? I know that some of the symptoms associated
with depression include decreased drive and motivation, which certainly
would be tied to staying with long term tasks.

I suspect rather than having a direct effect on each other, there are
complex processes at work in our brain that affect both (willpower and state
of mind/mood), rather than willpower and depression having direct effects on
each other.

I would definitely be interested in hearing if you learn more as well!

Thanks so much for your comment and kind words. I really appreciate the
time you took to leave me a message. I hope my articles do help you find
answers to your questions. I similarly remember times when I felt I was
wasting days and hours not accomplishing anything, and I'm sure you'll find
the answers you seek – even if I don't know all of them, I do hope that my
writing helps you find them.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

Thanks for your comment – and the link, it was a great read =)

Along the same lines as the quote you mentioned, my soccer coach in high
school (or was it basketball?) used to remind us that “he is out there – and
he is training.” It was a reminder whenever we started getting lazy in our
drills or felt to tired to practice, or were just plain sloppy – that during
this same time we were wasting, our competition was out there: and he was
training