Well, coming here was a good start! I've just joined recently too and I find this place to be a wonderful resource and support area.

Depression really stinks. (Understatement of the year yeah?!) What I found helped me keep going when I was just coming to terms with things... was to reflect on the fact that I HAVE felt happy and relaxed before (sad to say I experienced that while high...) and I made it my goal to try to find my way to feeling like that without anything else helping me.

And you know what? I've made it there a few times. So I know my brain is capable of it, and whenever I'm really depressed I remind myself of that. "You're capable of it! Keep on going and you'll get there again sometime!" Sometimes I just want to give up and quit... but I remind myself that it's the wires in my brain getting crossed.

I find setting myself goals helps a lot. Short-term and long-term. Short term goals usually involve cleaning and hygiene, or social things. Long-term goals are things like eating healthier, drinking more water, travel, etc.