Hi Angel,

OK, here is one of my coping strategies.

I work on the principle that depression is an emotional illness. I know that lots of people have a different view (serotonin deficiency) but I take the emotional view. I believe that the dominant emotion in depression is fear, which drives the other negativities and overwhelms us. We just 'shut down'. This has been observed in animals in certain adverse circumstances.

I believe that the suicide ideation comes at the extremes of this 'shutting down' process, and it's a dangerous time. I had a work colleague who succumbed to this. It was a wake up call for me.

As the problem, in my view, is emotional, I do not look for an emotional fix (at least in the short term). I think that we need to be careful not to feed the depression when we are deep in it, and relationships are complicated when we are in the middle of a depression.

I make at least a small part of my life a purely practical process. I don't choose something too demanding, and definitely not success/fail type stuff. It may sound a little lame, but I just do something with a gentle rhythm and a final outcome. I don't expect this to make me feel better, I just do it anyway, and stick with it.

In the last depression, when I was isolating myself pretty hard, I put together a collection of rare books, learned how to restore them and look after them, and catalogued them into a software programme. When I'm feeling stronger I might be able to set up a business, who knows? But I don't have to. Some days I was too tired to even get up, but I would take a few books by the bed and log them into the computer, little and often.

So I am recommending an activity which is not related to getting better, or a therapy, or anything like that. It's just something that you do - packhorse style. If there is a little financial incentive, or some other good outcome, all the better, as long as it takes the focus of your mind off the depressive loop for just a while. That's the secret. The activity needs to have some importance to you, be unconnected with any triggers or issues you have, and be something that you can manage. Then one day comes along and you suddenly realise that you are enjoying it. That's a great day.

Cheers, Myzen.

PS - Gosh, I just noticed jmo's reply. I mean - I 've written all that stuff and jmo expresses the same idea in two lines!

Now that's funny! LOL