a couple suggestions ... look into seeing a therapist or your doctor regarding someone you can talk to. Getting enough sleep and/or not sleep all day. Try to eat better and cut out junk food. Trying to manage stress and I've also hear that the herb St. John's wort helps. You might want to look into depression support groups in your area.

Hope this helps!

Social networks are huge. Even if you don't feel like it, touch base with your friends, catch up, and make an effort to get out of the house on a regular basis. You might consider taking up anything at all you're interested in that gets you out of the house and talking to people - volunteering, art classes, nature hikes, team sports, whatever.

Agree with everything meldster said as well. If you try St John's wort, be sure to use your sunscreen - it can make you more sensitive to the sun. It can also change how your body processes other medications, so be sure to let your doctor know if you're taking it.

If a doctor has recommended medication, you might really consider it. Depression is a physical disorder involving chemicals in your brain. IMHO, there's no reason to be more afraid or embarrassed of taking antidepressants than taking medicine for your thyroid or your heart or anything else. Speaking of which, has your doctor tested your thyroid? If not, you might ask about it.

Also wear sunglasses when outside if you use St John's Wort since it makes you more sensitive to the sun.

My MIL had a 20 min drive to work that faced into the sun going and coming from work. She developed Melanoma in her eye and had to have laser surgery. She was not on St. John's Wort but if it makes you burn easier it stands to reason it could make your eyes more susceptible to damage also.

You might also want to google inositol. It is related to the B vitamins and seems to help some with depression.

Unfortunately when I was on an anti-depressant it really helped (menopausal mood swings and hot flashes & sleep disruption), but I gained a lot of weight which made things worse in other ways---High BP & cholesterol elevated.

As soon as I went off the meds, I started losing weight, stopped sleeping 10-12 hours a day,  and it seemed like I had a lot more energy (this is opposite effect than expected).  This made me try harder to watch what I ate, exercise, and minimize other meds which could be adding to the weight gain.

So even though I'm a Mental Health professional who supports medication use,  it isn't the right treatment for everybody.

Exercising and eating right helps.  It releases natural endorphins and adrenaline.  If you're physically healthy enough for exercise, that is.  If your body feels good, it helps your mood.

I've long suffered with depression and have noted that I'm much better since starting a nutritional supplementation program.   A good b-complex vitamin is important, also 3000 mg. of a high quality fish oil like Carlson super omega 3 fish oil concentrate.  The hands-down best supplement, however, for depression accompanied by anxiety is l-theanine.  It's a non-protein amino acid extract from green tea.    I take 100 mg in the am and 300 mg at bedtime.  Relaxes you, but doesn't necessarily make you sleepy.   Completely safe & non addictive.  It's like taking a natural xanax.   Also lowers blood pressure (but only if its high to begin with).  No need to worry that it will interfere with high blood pressure meds.

The BEST recommendation for depresssion, however, is daily exercise of at least an hour.  Any kind of cardio exercise helps.  Even something as simple as walking, biking, yoga, etc.   I can't stress the exercise enough.  It's helped me stay free of depression meds for years.