Reading DEFINITELY helps. I'm personally addicted to anything by Jodi Picoult. I recently finished her latest, House Rules, and I couldn't put it down. I wouldn't necessarily call it "feel good" writing, just GOOD writing that gets me out of my own head for a little while. Off the top of my head my latest favourites have been:

- The Fifth Life of the Cat Woman by Kathleen Dexter
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Sunbathing in the Rain: A Cheerful Book About Depression by Gwyneth Lewis (autobiographical and written in small chunks meant for people with depression who might not be able to focus for long stretches of time ... I've read this one so many times I've almost got it memorized!)

I also second the Time Traveler's Wife and Bell Jar. Two of my all-time favourites. Reading is such a simple pleasure, it's amazing what good it can do us.