I’ve struggled with depression my whole strange existence and my therapist says my life is like a V.C. Andrews novel, but I digress.

As I’ve been working through all this shit I’ve found a lot of things helpful, especially during the down times, it’s just important to keep it up even if you don’t feel like you need it because you’re doing well. That’s how the cycle goes. Anyway...

-Find something mindful. It can be yoga or running or CF or poker or whatever. Knitting or drawing. Just something that helps you live in the moment for an hour a day. Focus on shit while you do it.
-Therapy. Just talking to someone who is obligated to help you is nice. Find someone who doesn’t go easy on you. Mine is a hot milf who lives in a mansion and challenges all my bullshit with humor and skill.
-Don’t drink. Drinking just makes everything worse. Sorry Russians.
-Do smoke weed. Get medical if you can. Don’t listen to the squares.
-Get a tattoo. That shit is mad mindful.
-Exercise. Cardio is great for your brain. Run outside. Forget treadmills. Lift weights. Ask one of the jacked dudes here for advice on a program.

You may also want to consider:
-Medication. It makes some people worse. It makes some people better. Worth exploring because they won’t prescribe without a diagnosis and getting diagnosed is a good thing, even if you disagree with the assessment it’s nice to know what others perceive as being wrong with you.
-Hallucinogens. If you’re really craving ego death check it out with the caveat that it may ruin your life.

Good Luck.