The first thing is to see your Doctor and get assessed. The doc might recommend a counselor

Do your own reading . I found books on Cognitive Behavior therapy quite good.
I think writing down exactly what is depressing you and then holding it up to the light of reason is a good idea. Writing it down makes you think logically.
You need to keep active. Motion heals emotion. A walk for at least 40 minutes will make you feel better. Im not being simplistic-its a proven fact
Ask yourself if a friend was depressed for the same reasons I was depressed what would I say to the friend.
I have no idea exactly what is the nature of your depression or what caused it. What I have written above is a general approach.
Avoid just dealing with the issue with pills. Depression needs more than that.

My doctor took me off my pills a few years ago saying they were doing more harm than good. I;m just trying to stop fighting myself. I know I need to get out.. As soon as I get home I rush to my bed and cuddle my puppies. I watch tv or read a book. I always bail on going out because I cant do large crowds. I'm getting set up with my old life coach again to see if that can help me re route my thinking. Right now I just feel like a stress case, with pent up anxiety and a lot of depression crashing down on me

I go to support groups as often as possible. It really helps a lot. Plus, you make a few friends there and that helps with your depression and you don't feel so alone. Also, try going to the library at least once a wk and getting a bunch of books to keep yourself busy. Borrow CD's and DVD's from the library. They've got a great selection! The main thing is to stay busy and to keep doing things that give you pleasure! Happy hunting.

I am 48 years old and I have severe depression and anxiety. I use self positive talk. I say things to myself like "I am ok. I am a strong person." I try to ground myself. I imagine my feet are roots of a tree. I keep myself in the present as much as possible, I do nice things for myself like buying myself some flowers or going for a quiet walk, I tell myself that I deserve it. I hope that helped.

where would I be able to find local support groups?? The hospital hasn't ever even pointed me in that direction before.

LuckyDucky- Thank you so much. Sometimes I just like to see all the negative in myself and it frustrates me that I'm being that way. Last night I laid there and tried to just empty my mind and it would work for short times and then all the negative thoughts would come back

I am soon to be 72. Diagnosed with Depression and PTSD.

Between proper prescription medication and staying VERY busy, I don't have any depression to speak of.

Hi RC. Do some research and find out about: CBT, DBT, ACT and Mindfulness. Between each of these, there are plenty of tools you can use to manage your thoughts, behaviors, emotions and moods. Feel free to PM me if needed. Take care. TR

Hi first i would say don't be to hard on yourself, sounds like when you get home your doing things you enjoy, tv reading and having puppies, if you don't like large crowds do you have a park near by where councils go alone and read, if old enough to go out take the puppies, if I'm having a bad depressive day I compare it to previous , have i felt worse, the usual answer is yes so I tell myself although I feel depressed I'm in a better place than I have been before,

Thank you for sharing. Meditation can be very helpful, especially when listening to some favorite music. The relaxation helps to wash away some of the worst stuff. That does take some alone time. Focusing on a good memory or remembering some positive encouragement from others can also be helpful. Finding a source of hope or a purpose to work towards are both major helps. It is about understanding yourself and what works for you. I hope this helped at all. Thank you and God Bless.

I take meds for depression and they can make me sluggish some days. I try to combat this by keeping busy, I find doing things with a focus that's not on me helps a great deal. Also a short walk in daylight as the sunshine helps too 20 minutes of sunshine releases Vitim D with helps a bit..

@rcurtis1010 im still finding out how to cope with my depression and anxiety in the best way possible... some days it feels like it will never happen, but then there will be that one good day- the diamond in the rough- that gives you all the hope you need back again!

Im in the same boat at you in regards to how I will try to empty my mind of all the negative and worse case scenarios and it'll work for a little bit but then all the negative thoughts and scenarios coming rush back in. I found that meditation does help, depending on the level of anxiety you have at the moment... but also, i started listening to these positive- self talk audios. and the days i do listen to those audios, I tend to have a much easier day!

Good Luck to you @rcurtis1010! Remember, we are all in this together! Im here whenever you need someone to talk to!

I get massages. Going to dance clubs.

One thing I found useful and it might seem counter intuititve is to try stoic mediation. This means imagining you lost what you have-focus on any particular area-be it health or relationships. After really really imagining this you wake up very glad for what you have. Its important for you to imagine yourself fine in these situations. Coping.A lot of anxiety is driven by people imagining themselves upset with an asshole and then lo and behold they get upset when they meet x! Try re imagining it another way.
Stoics -also expect things to go wrong. They spend time focusing on how wrong things could go. They dont expect people to be nice because lets face it the world is full of grumpy gits
Stoicism is not about being non emotional-its about letting the rational part of your brain take a more prominent role. It doesnt value the things modern society values-IE wealth,power ,looks as its sees those things as ephemeral. It values character and doing the right thing

@Flashreturns I will definitely look into that as ive never heard of it before. I think I always expect relationships to go wrong as they always have. Including one I'm dealing with right now.