I find that actually embrassing the depression and be that music or a sad film and letting those negative emotions have focus in a form of distraction. The ups

I find that actually embrassing the depression and be that music or a sad film and letting those negative emotions have focus in a form of distraction. The upside is that after such exposure, the contrast of reality helps raise the mood. Obviously it's not a golden solution and the level of improvement varies as long-standing life issues are still there. But instead of fighting the depression and feeling more down as you end up failing your own standards - fueling the depression. I find embracing it, have a dam good cry, have no shame in expressing such emotions and with that cut of much of the fuel that whilst does not soley instigate the depression but more prolongs it. Just helps. Nothing worse than feeling down, and then feeling even more down because your expectation is that you should not feel down. It's a vicious circle of fueling and depressive period. That and worry about how others percieve it and the whole social stigma's of it being a weakness. So being mindful of such a mood and embracing the mood with a good solid cry, whilst not intuitively what you feel will help, actually does. Real key part is that you take control of the depression more than letting the depression take control of you, and by embracing and accepting it you take that step back into a driving seat. But music is really useful for fixing moods, equally in todays noise poluted enviroments that cause micro-stress (stress you hardly notice but all add up), headphones work wonders. As I have found that stress can and does impact and induce depression. It is identifying those area's of micro-stress and dealing with them that help keep stress in check and with that, depression. But everybody is an individual, so no solution will work for everybody. Though the side-effects of music are far less than any pharmaceutical offering. I'd also suggest, try an old album from better times, For me Blondie Parallel Lines does the trick. Equally some emotionally cold electronic music like some John Foxx renditions help to focus the mood, for me at least. Not what I'd call sad music (though some could), more what I'd class as totally emotionless in many ways.