What's the best way to cope when you feel like you'd rather just drown in the depression because it's all you know?

Occupy yourself with a hobby or something fun. Try to push away the negative thoughts you have with something positive, something that makes you happy.

There are many different things you can do. Talk to someone, or some fun activities. Walking, singing, dancing, coloring, sports anything to help you get your mind off of it.

I find that thinking about the really little things that make me happy, really help. Talking to a friend makes it seem easier to cope with and doing little things you love can brighten your darkest times.

Seeking help is a great way to feel better. Let someone know so they can help. Even just talking to a friend or family member. Although the best way would be to seek proffecional help.

Think about literally anything else. Ruminating on our depression is not always a great way to cope with it, and we start to feel like we are in depression quicksand. Anything else can be a life-line, something to hold on to. Think about what space travel will be like if one day we all get to live on mars. Think about three funny things that happened today. Think about something you would say if you knew there would be no consequences. Think about one thing you'd like to do if you knew nothing would get in your way, and really daydream out the details. Healthy distractions like thinking of future dreams are a good immediate way to try to tear our thoughts off of our own depression. It's healthy to be aware of our depression but when thinking about it starts to interfere with our day-to-day life, it's okay to seek professional help too.

Honesty, when I went through my depression, I had to find something to hold on to. As hard as that was, it was what got me through it. Even if it's just waiting to finish reading that story you had gotten into however long ago, or waiting till the end of a show you've been following. Sometimes I had to go, ok this is over what can I hold onto now? Yeah it got tiring, but it worked. I also talked to friends when I was feeling the lowest. They were the one's who made all the difference, if I had known about this, I probably would've been on here too.

I do the precise opposite thing I want to do. I go for a walk, I connect with people, I make some step towards some goal I want to accomplish that I think will make me feel better about my circumstances.

For me, I used to stay in depression because it was comfortable to stay in a situation that hurt me because it was familiar instead of freeing myself and facing the unknown... I'm not exactly sure what has gotten me to the point where I no longer drown in the constant thoughts of depression. I think medication has helped me very much, and at the same time, it has been a matter of changing the way I think about things. For example, I reminded myself constantly that the 'happy' me is still me. I won't be any less of myself without depression, and my life will still be my life. My life won't be any different without depression. It's good to remember that you will still be you, just a happier version of yourself. And it's not good to push yourself... you are getting better in your own time. Best of luck! You are strong!

Thinking about the future I can have when I try just a little bit every day. Also remembering how happy I was back when I did not have depression and looking forward to feeling this way again without this illness dictating my life.

Depression is the condition that makes you lose every bit of hope that you had, your motivation, it just snatches everything from you. It's also like a bubble that keeps you from asking for help and it just isolates you. The best way to cope with it is to get back everything it took from you slowly and steadily. Take your hope back first, believe that it's not a permanent feeling and you can feel something other than depression in your life. Hope makes it better.