[AlphaSquared]

As someone who struggles with this on and off, probably more on than off but I dont like to admit that, I find gratitude to be the one thing that makes a huge difference in my life. It fits in nicely and deeply with my religion as well so there's that.

Externally though people think I'm a very happy person. Internally I know its just easy for me to forget or push away the dark thoughts for periods of time, but when I let them surface, they can cause a lot of sadness.

The thing about me is that I am a very logical person. I recognize and find it very easy to deal with the fact that depression is by and large a chemical imbalance. So I often find it very easy to label my current sadness as something caused by lack or excess of chemicals in my brain and that helps me cope a lot with things as well.

I've found depressed people tend to be told a lot to excercise and dont consider it as a solution, but again for me I find it fairly easy to co-relate the low points in my life with a lack of excercise and fresh air. So this tends to again help me push myself out of my low moods.

[alexilliamson]

As a non-religious person, all this resonates very much with me. The gratidtude bit is something that is relatively easy, and surprisingly effective at making you feel more connected with the world. Try writing down the thing you're thankful for, or even actually thinking people. I bet you'll be surprised at mood the lift you get.

[AlphaSquared]

Agreed. I've noticed that sometimes I get a huge boost of happiness by simply smiling and giving a greeting to strangers passing by who seem to be having a tough time...

Seeing the huge smile on their face when they see a random stranger greet them brings me to the verge of tears.

The life of this world can be tough on people. Every little bit helps.