How can I maintain the will to live in the face of existential depression?

The will to live is built in to us; we need to discover ways ways of freeing or unencumbering it, I think. That's important to remember because life wants us to succeed. Existential thought, although compelling and inarguable, is just that, thought. It is another product of life extending itself in as many creative directions as it can. It is not the end of thought nor even a dead-end of thought; it is one line of thinking amongst many that can coexist within any of us. I guess I believe that we can give our attention to only one creative product of our minds or develop an appreciation of many. I think that the latter gives us the ability to delight in existentialism and its many complementary and contradictory sibling thoughts. That ability to delight in many possibilities frees up our natural will to live, removes the saddle of one the thought for the freedom of the human creative potential.

life is too short..if you have been in depression for too long i think you need to see the other side of life ..happiness..its only fair if all the things are experienced...

Keep pushing. It's okay if you have to take things day by day right now--wake up each morning and focus only on making it through this day and making something good happen over the course of it. Figure out your reasons for staying alive--write them down. You are so incredible strong and brave to keep fighting this every single day and I can't tell you how much I admire you for it!

I know existential depression is very difficult to face. Life can seem inherently meaningless and lacking of purpose and it's very pointless to live through the tremendous amount of pain only to have to die one day. Even though living may seem the harder or pointless option, dying isn't any more the better one. We're all doomed and destined to die, that much is certain. And somebody said that life is only about as meaningful as we make it. An existential thought can be very powerful, even negatively so when we are depressed. But we have to remember that the answers to these question are not subjective ones and it's up to us to find them, or much rather, create them. So remember your dreams and the various possibilities in which life can prove to be beautiful. It's not easy, I know, but life needs a chance to really unravel before you. Take care. :))

By talking to somebody. It is a good thing that you are on this page! People will listen to you. And after a long talk the depression might have deprived.

Motivate yourself.Choose a goal in mind,something you really want to go towards too.Work to achieve that goal,look forward,seek help,talk with someone,speak your mind!

Know that your family and friends care for you. They care about your well being and health. There is a beautiful future ahead of you to look forward to.

No matter how badly you feel, think of your friends and family. Think of the people you love, and how much they love you. Think of the activities you love doing and want to do one day. Think of the places you want to visit. Think of all the wonderful adventures you can have! These are the things you live for.

We must not think about the problem and just being a viewer you must judge your situation correctly

Do nice things for yourself and make yourself a priority every single day. Write down all of your good points and look at those things you have listed (maybe stick them on your fridge) on a bad day.