I find that when I get depressed I feel the urge to sleep a lot. The thing that helps me fight that is a good letter from my friends--not that I'm asking anyone to write--'cos that would be kind of desperate, don't you think.

I did however speak to my sister today and she told me to write to her whenever I feel like it, so let's see how that goes.

I read. Of course this is also what I do when I'm not depressed, so... whatever. But, yeah, I also sleep much more than usual. I fail to water the plants. If the plants are withering, you know I'm not doing very well. I also hide away.

I read books about my faith and that uplifts me. I don't think it matters what your faith is.

I eat. Junk food and carbs.

I try to do exercise and I try to hang out with some kids.
The ability to get out of the house and do those things, of course, is dependent on just how depressed I am.
But those things always make me feel better about myself and the world.

oh, ha! I guess I kind of missed the part about un-depressing. eep... no, I don't kill the plants to feel better - that makes me feel much worse. Also, the hiding away? Not so good.

If I can make myself do some good cleaning, that never fails to make me feel better. If I buy flowers for the house and everything's very tidy, that's a big, big help, and something I can achieve in a few hours, generally. If I can make myself do some awful, dreaded, but non-negotiable must-do thing that I've procrastinated about forever, this is beyond good.

I usually can't, though... so, other than that, comfort food, good tea, rambling walks, relatively wholesome fantasy film... Princess Bride, Neverending Story, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, anything of that ilk. And also, of course, the reading, which is something that just transports me, whatever mood I'm in. I try to go for very involving "different worlds" with complex, defined characters and especially good writing so that I'm not distracted by bad prose or illogical actions.

Damn the illogical actions! *knocks head against desk in despair*

Listen to depressing old country and blues music, the older the better. Knowing that people fifty or seventy years ago were going through the same stuff you are puts things in perspective. However bad you have it, Hank Williams probably had it worse.

I whistle a happy tune.

I meditate and try to notice the beautiful things I come across. I remind myself that I'm awesome in many ways. I get my meds changed.

I am firm believer of the "things could be a LOT worse" school of thought, so when I get depressed I try to take a few moments to focus on all of the incredibly great things in my life. Some of those are big like my loving wife and strong friendships, while others are of-the-moment pick-me-ups like a favorite album I just enjoyed or a good book I'm reading.

It's easier to try to sleep through depression, but really all you're doing is hiding and quite often perpetuating your depression. I found that when I had that urge to "just sleep and not think about anything" that I benefited from doing something productive. Even if it was something as simple as straightening up the house or running an errand. Sometimes even that can be a daunting thing, but even if you do it for just 15 minutes it can give a sense of accomplishment. And then build on that. It sounds silly that something like straightening up for fifteen minutes can make a difference, but it did feel better than just doing nothing.

Oh, and I go to the doctor. That's key.

I play with my pets. The infectious joy of a dog playing fetch or a cat chasing a laser dot is impossible for me to resist.

I do the Slack-a-gogo thing which as resulted in me being quite the workaholic at times. ;9 Tomorrow I'm going to try the "Go to front 242 concert and pretend that you're 18 again" plan B. (It's their first concert in Sweden in 18 years!) Music is a strong anti-depressant, alternative a channel to pour aggressive energy out with, and can med even broken hearts.

Hmmmmm...

I play with my bun. I cuddle my honey. But most importantly, I tell people how I feel.

It's important to me to start a conversation which answers a few key questions.

Am I depressed as a reaction, or is it general malaise?

Is stress on my body (lack of sleep, sitting too long, sickness, etc.) causing me to feel emotionally ill?

Did I take my pills today?

I like to approach my depression analytically. Giving your depressed brain a solid problem to work on can be very therapeutic. It eliminates the feeling of helplessness.

I also keep a mental list of things I enjoy doing when not depressed. I sometimes force myself to pick one and do it, even if I don't want to, in order to improve my mood. If I'm really depressed, I do things that take 5 minutes and provide a sense of accomplishment.

REALLY IMPORTANT
I prepare for situations which may cause me to feel depressed.

I couldn't stand to be alone after my last relationship ended. So I would plan out my alone time before it occurred. Now, I have no trouble being by myself, as long as I know it's going to happen.

Crank the amp to 11 and play classic punk songs. If that doesn't work, I buy a bunch of magazines and a couple books and live in a hotel for a couple days, preferably next door to a Chinese buffet.

I make myself call someone or visit with a friend. I try to figure out if I'm sad or angry about something and burying it.

I do some fun activity with the kids.

And oh, yeah. Play Weird Al music. I've got a two hour mix.

Fuck it.

Let's go bowling.

(would that life were that simple!)

I think a lot of people confuse depression with sadness or just feeling blue. It's really great that all you can do such fun things as play your guitar or sleep to get over your "depression." Woe is you. I honestly don't think one of you has a fucking clue what depression is. Might as well say "when I get cancer I think of a happy tune, or if that doesn't work, I just try to sleep through it."

psst, eek, sometimes people use words in the vernacular with a different meaning than they might carry in a technical or clinical situation. You know that.

"Hey, man, I've been a little depressed lately. Give me something to cheer me up."

A1: OH, YOU THINK THAT'S DEPRESSION DO YOU? YOU IMBECILE!
A2: Only serious medical intervention can save you.
A3: Here, go shout along with this song for a while. It's called "Fuck You". It usually makes me feel better.

And there are also different levels of clinical depression. Mild depression is still depression.

I sleep a lot. And then when I wake up I leave the house and try to either go to the pool and swim more than I want to or go snowshoeing or do something outdoorsy. I try to eat better-than-usual and sit under a bright lightbulb. I never get it terribly bad, but I can sleep half the day away in wintertime.

Depression for me usually means that I don't want to do anything but hide in my bedroom. I find that forcing myself to do other things -- especially the kinds of things I feel a lot of resistance to (going out into nature, going to a party, hanging out with other people, etc, yes I know those are things that are supposed to be fun, but they just sound like a lot of fucking pointless work when I'm depressed) -- definitely helps. In other words, I do a lot better if I actively resist what my depressed self feels most comfortable doing.