How to overcome depression for beginners

I don’t know if this post will be of any use by SP community. It’s not meant for people with personality disorders, poor relationships or traumas from youth. Its kind of thing I would write to myself 10 years into the past or as my parent. It will mostly help for first episode people. Hope it helps for any of you or people you know. I know there are many kinds of depression and different people may have different ways to overcome it, take it as an inspiration.

1. There are people who will never develop true depression, no matter what they do. However there are people who may develop depression. Never try to be like “everyone else” just because its normal, it will only hurt you.
2. Depression is not a separate illness, its more a symptom. Symptom telling us we cannot continue the way we live now. Even if we like it. It just sucks too much energy from us and the lack of energy in the brain causes depression.
3. You cannot beat depression with force. Forcing yourself will certainly help with improving your mood for few hours and doing something useful, but cannot outcompete the whole process.
4. Depression is cured by rest, calm, safe and positive environment. You have to stop throwing yourself into whatever you or society thinks you should do, step back and take your energy back. Or you will never step out of this vicious circle.
5. Find out what causes you downswings. Most of people tend to have some sensitive place from where the whole depression starts. Avoid that thing at any cost. No matter if its partner, job, school or whatever. If it causes you to feel depressed, it will crash anyway. As you will have more energy and more will, you may solve that later.
6. Pills work, they work like magic, but they are dangerous in other way. They can make you feel like you solved the problem and now you can do what you want again. But the truth is, antidepressants don’t and can’t cure depression. Its super sad, but you have to give that fucking illness a credit even when you take pills. Pills certainly help to get out of depression faster, but never let them to take you of your path. You will still have to be careful and do things differently than others.
7. The true brutality of depression isn’t the depth of misery, but its recurring nature. If you don’t behave “appropriatly”, it will return, always. You need to do changes for a lifetime or until you heal it to a degree when you can do what you want.
8. There is no middle ground, either you get better and can do what you want in your life or you will fall deeper into your own void and trauma.

Sadly, I didn’t know this 10 years ago. Maybe it may help someone.