I have started a program of walking and meditation for 6 weeks. I read that in a trial walking/meditation program people reduced depression by 40%. So I decided to try it. I have been doing it for 5 days. I started out meditating twice a day for 30 minutes, and walking a minimum of 50 minutes. I have doubled my walking time (and more) and am up to 2 hours. The meditations I am keeping at 30 minutes twice a day. I have meditated for years so meditation is not new to me.

I have been fighting depression and anxiety, and the last thing I have wanted to do is to go out and walk in the sunshine. I have become more the Goth type...I like dark rooms with the shades drawn, silence, a bit of incense.

But I am curious to see if this could really reduce depression by 40% which seems like a pretty outrageous claim.

After about a week I have felt a teeny tiny bit better. Like little waves of feeling better for a few seconds. Even a few minutes!

You could try getting out and walking or doing something outside. If it is night and you can't you could practice meditation. Meditation is really good for reducing internal pressure. For you I think something structured would be best. Here is a Zen meditation to get grounded. Get in a comfortable position, half or full close your eyelids. Count your breaths until 18 then start over. You will lose your focus a lot. When you do just start over. At some point you should feel little waves of relief, like letting go of tension. I would suggest that every time you feel like self-harming either go for a walk or meditate. Keep a little notebook, track your moods, how many times you meditated, and for how long you walked.