After a draining workweek, maybe the thing you need is not time vegetating, but time recharging your batteries by doing something active and energizing. Often, the last thing I need when I'm depressed is an activity that will relax me. Veging out can send me spiraling deeper into the void. I typically don't need relaxation as much as I need focus -- if I can occupy my mind with something external to itself, I feel brief respite from the onslaught of emotion. This is why socializing with other people sometimes helps to relieve D and A. It distracts us from ourselves. It worries me that you don't have many outlets that involves other human beings.

I suggest (if you'll allow me the hubris of making suggestions) that you find some interest or hobby that you can immerse yourself in during those long weekends. Carpentry? Fishing? Knitting? Online chess? Gardening? Reading historical fiction? Jogging? Anything that takes effort and skill and that you find enjoyable. Versus. dreadful errands or veging out in front of the television.

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