Dear Miss A --

I am going to make some suggestions, but I want to you to know that I know from personal experience that sometimes it is hard just to breathe when we are very depressed. Still, even in my darkest depression, I wanted to live, I wanted to have a better life, so even in the darkest depths there was always a few minutes in the day when I could do something to help myself.

Here are some things that I have done, and I recommend.

1. Take a shower every day.

2. Set the alarm for the time you would like to get up. Even if I turn it off and go back to sleep, I usually don't sleep as late as I might have if it hadn't gone off at all. Plus, it reminds me of my goal to have a more productive, structured life. It doesn't have to be an early, early alarm. Although I would suggest that it be in the morning so we are awake during the hours when most of the world is functional.

3. Read the Psych Central archives. There's lots of good material there.

4. Go to http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/ where there is a free book called "Psychological Self-Help." One of the suggestions is to keep a little journal of our moods every couple of hours, noticing when we feel slightly better and what plunges us into despair. It helps us to identify the triggers.

Even though we think there are no triggers, there are.

There are many, many other helpful suggestions that are small enough to be doable.

Remember not to beat yourself up if you don't follow through perfectly. Every little tiny step you take is a good step.

I hope this helps. Peace and blessings.