Some of the following suggestions can seem almost impossible to follow, when you are depressed.

We can only try, and when we don’t have strength to go on, just have to hope on God’s help.

1. When you are stressed, go for a walk.  Simply being in the fresh air already helps. (May issue of CSS Newsletter has more self-help strategies.) Exercise is a must, best not to use it as "think time" - get a MP3 player and listen to music or a talk instead. Some people find yoga is very helpful.                                                                                                                                                                                                 
2. Keep in touch with people. Talking to people who experienced depression was one of the most helpful things for me. Keeping in touch with people who didn’t have that experience, can be painful, but it still helps. If you're feeling depressed, don't bottle it up. Find someone to talk to or write a diary. (If possible find projects where you can help others. You might be surprised how much it helps you to reach out to others in need.)                                                                                                                           
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Depression is a serious illness and requires treatment. Talk to your GP, ask him for a referral to see a psychologist. If you are not happy with one psychologist (or service you are using), do not despair, look for somebody who’s more satisfactory, it may take time.                                                                                                                                                        
4. Catch and stop negative thinking. Strive to be positive. It can help if you try to stop negative thoughts as though they are sinful thoughts (I don’t say they are sinful). Because when one thinks something sinful, he should stop it straight away, otherwise it will get worse. If every attempt to be positive crashes into negative thoughts about the past or the future events, try to stop thinking about serious things, just be, do things, distract yourself (e.g. have a cuppa, read, listen to music, sing, watch a movie, have a shower, a bath or go to sleep).                                                                                                                                                  
5. Try your best not to compare yourself to others. Do what you can in your own pace. Set little goals, praise yourself when you succeed. When things don’t go right, it is a learning experience. God has reasons for everything, however annoying and devastating things seem to us. It is natural for a depressed person to be muddle headed and not to function as well as other people. So try not to feel guilty for your sickness.  That’s just what is given you.  We can’t argue with God, just have to live with it and try our best. You will get better with time.                                                                                                                                                  
6. When you think that others criticize you, remember most people have no idea what depression is. You can share your thoughts and feelings with somebody else or you can write them down. Then try to concentrate on positive thinking. Or find some positive activity, which will distract you from negative thoughts.                                                                                                                                            
7. Try to read about depression. There are some great books on the subject, self-help books, or stories of overcoming depression, which you can get from your local library. Search for ways to get better.                                                                                                                                                                        
8. Find things which you like doing or something you always wanted to do. Make a list of them. Plan them into your week. They are your reward for every little bit of work you are doing. Reading books with humour was extremely helpful for me. Creative activities help a lot. At first you might not find them as enjoyable as you normally would, but if you persist, the enjoyment will eventually return.                                                                                                                     
9. Look after your appearance.                                                                                                                 
10. Reduce stress when possible.                                                                                                                  
11. Be patient. Good days, enjoyment of life will come back. Fight for your happiness. You’ll get stronger and stronger, but it takes time.