Depression was my best friend until recently. We used to meet quite often although our affection was not mutual. It loved me madly whereas I could hardly bear it. There were times when I did not eat and stayed at home, listened non-stop to Mozart’s Requiem, reread King Lear and Khosrov and Shirin, and wore exceptionally black garments. If I picked up Kafka, it meant that I was on the road to recovery and would feel better soon. Depression is the plague of the XXI century to which women are more susceptible than men. Or rather men can easily overcome despondency by dumping it along with their liver in alcohol. I am neither a psychologist nor a psychotherapist but I learned to fight the blues by myself. Without resorting to any antidepressants or sedatives. On my own.

What I do first is indulge myself. For example, I eat whatever I would not normally consume because it is delicious and unhealthy. When I am a captive of depression, I may allow myself to have French fries, followed by an éclair and washed down by Sprite. It is ok in moments like that.

The hairdresser is the cozy islet where I am always welcome. A new hairstyle, manicure-pedicure, tanning session, and skin care – all are mediators with high spirits. After all, a glance at yourself in the mirror will make you smile, and your reflection will wink back.

Next comes a shopping spree! Although a little care is needed here - otherwise you end up wondering what was the purpose of buying a pink bag from Miu Miu’s last year collection, what you are going to do with and where to find the shoes that go with it. Therefore, shops where you can relieve your stress without a significant detriment to your budget are the best option.

But sports are the most effective cure for depression. Fitness, aerobics, yoga, swimming – everything that makes you move. Sport is a garbage can where you can discard all your negative energy - the actual source nurturing depression.

Besides, read books by Ilf and Petrov, Dumbadze and Woodhouse who inspire through their sunny and funny writing which give hope that tomorrow will surely be bright. Also, watch "The Simpsons” and "Ну, погоди!” again.

Switch to a different environment - if you reside in a megacity, then going to countryside to get some fresh air may be just right. On the contrary, if you see a forest when you look out the window, then it is the most appropriate time to change to a city jungle. City life will expose you to so many challenges that you will hardly have any time to ponder over your mood, least of all a bad one.

However hard it may be, go out and appear in public, do not seclude yourself in your cocoon. We usually fall prey to depression because familiar people push us to it. No matter how tough it is to force yourself to communicate with others, don’t take off your armor, pull down your visor, tilt your spear forward, but stay among people. In times of depression, solitude serves as a favorable pretext to pity your miserable self.

Finally, you have to stay away from the origin of your depression. Work? Then quit it or at least take a vacation. A friend who disclosed your secret? You can give her yellow tulips to bid farewell. A young man? The real love of your life? Come on…You can confess at least to yourself that every time you were smitten with somebody you thought it was him, the one!

The tools that I mentioned above are supposed to help fight the evil that depression is. As long as we do not delve into ourselves in order to figure out the root of the ill, it is unlikely that we will be able to tackle the problem of depression.

Let’s keep in mind that the sin of low spirits is not only the gravest but also the most useless one. It’s like football: when a game is lost, there is the second one ahead; when this one is also lost, there is still an opportunity to bounce back. It didn’t work out? Try again next year. Life awaits you. Everything can change a thousand times over as long as you live and smile.