• exercise vigorously (swim, hike, bicycle, dance, run...)
• watch a comedy, go to an improv/standup night
• listen to music. Blast it. Go hear live music.
• be with nature. Go to a park. Go out into your backyard. Buy a plant and put in on your window sill.
• think before you do this, but you may want to buy a pet. Get one from a shelter.
• aromatherapy. Certain scents will calm you or make you feel better. Buy essential oils, scented candles, potpourri, or boil herbs. Some scents I enjoy include lavender, jasmine, and apple.
• organize and clean your surroundings. A disordered environment increases depression.
• take care of your body. Eat well, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and keep yourself groomed. Letting yourself go increases depression.
• do something brave. Be proud of yourself for doing it, nevermind the result.
• help someone else. Clean up litter in your neighborhood. Visit some residents at a nursing home. Buy a homeless person a meal.
• do something, anything, out of the ordinary. Change your daily routine.
• write down your feelings in a journal.
• write your feelings towards someone in a letter, whether you intend to send it or not.
• talk with a therapist.
• talk with a friend.
• get lost in a good book.
• buy yourself a set of paints and some paper, or some modeling clay, and play.
• allow yourself to be depressed. Make a rule that you must conitinue to be depressed and explore the feeling fully.
• write down a list of all your positive qualities and accomplishments.
• write down a list of all the people you know and have known and cherish.
• remember something from your childhood that you used to love to do but haven't done in years. Do it.
• be around children. Go to a playground and watch the children play. Volunteer to babysit a friend's kids. Become a big brother or big sister.
• cook something from scratch, using natural foods.
• forgive yourself for something you've done wrong.
• forgive someone else for a way they've wronged you.
• count your blessings. Appreciate things you usually take for granted, like the fact that you can read this.
• remember a time when you felt this depressed before, and remember that it did get better. Note what if anything helped you to feel better.
• reminisce about good things that happened in the past (and remember that good things *have* happened), fantasize about the future (and realize that good things will happen to you again).
• make fun of your negative thoughts. Talk back to the voice in your head. Ask the voice who it is or where it came from.
• visit a buddhist temple or retreat. Practise meditation of whatever form feels comfortable
• see the good in your problems. You wouldn't have the capacity to be so sad about something unless you were a sensitive, caring person in the first place.
• if there is something you can do about things you are depressed over, start doing it. Start with one thing. Concentrate. Let everything else fall away. If need be, make a list of everything else bothering you so you won't forget it, then put it away and start on one thing.
• ask a friend to tell you all the things they love about you.
• do the same for them.
• hug someone.
• look someone up whom you've lost touch with.
• pretend to be a happy person. Maybe you'll convince yourself.
• if you usually pretend to be a happy person and that's part of the problem, tell someone how you really feel.
• Try taking St. John's Wort, an over-the-counter herbal that elevates mood in some people.
• If you get particularly depressed in winter, you may have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), in which case you might benefit from seeing a doctor. They can, among other things, prescribe a "light box" that may help. Or you could try getting up early and getting more sunlight. Another hallmark of SAD is craving carbohydrates (sweets, breads, pastas, etc.).

According to my research, these are some fragrances which are supposed to make you feel better if you are depressed:

• basil: calms the nerves
• clary sage: restores confidence
• geranium: helps balance hormones (especially good for PMS)
• lavender: calms anxiety and helps you sleep; also may function as a painkiller
• Roman chamomile: functions as an antidepressant; said to work especially well for bad dreams
• sweet orange: lifts your spirits

If you want to try any of the above aromatherapies, purchase the essential oil (make sure it's a pure plant extract and not chemically altered), then mix it with a carrier (neutral) oil such as grapeseed oil, and rub the mixture onto your skin. Or, you can add the essential oil to your bath, place a drop on your pillow at night, or place a few drops into a glass dish or warmer in an enclosed room.

The only one of these I can attest to from personal experience is the lavender. It's important that the lavender you use be Lavandula angustifolia.

If there's something else that makes you feel better when you are depressed, let me know and I'll add it.