When I'm fairly depressed, my goal is just to get to neutral. Trying to skip strait to happy is counter-productive. In that state of mind, happiness doesn't see

When I'm fairly depressed, my goal is just to get to neutral. Trying to skip strait to happy is counter-productive. In that state of mind, happiness doesn't seem attainable or even real, it is a lie and a facade. Trying to talk myself into being happy is at best empty hype, as I can't genuinely embrace or believe the words I am saying. Happy music, or happy environments are likewise unembracable. When surrounded by them when depressed, I inevitably just retract into my head. This is a waste of time at best - being around people or participating in an activity but not present or enjoying it. At worst it can lead to spiraling negative thoughts that drag me deeper down. Listening to "sad" music on the other hand can be very theraputic. Sometimes, it intensifies the feelings, confronting them, pushing through them, burning them inside of me. Othertimes, I melt into the music, letting go of my thoughts and feelings, letting them seep calmly out of me. I think it partly depends on exactly how I'm feeling: self-hatred or hopelessness or numb. Either way I come out the other end with a sense of relief, and evened out. At this point I can move onto activities that are enjoyable, but not ones that are taxing (eg socializing) or which require lots of decisions to second-guess (eg coding), or can be frustrating (eg video games). For example, reading or whittling are good stepping-stone activities for me. Listening to upbeat music at this point can also help to continue the progression to a happier state, but I have to be careful not to overshoot with music that is too happy or driving.