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Mostly this has been about how I deal with fairly direct emotional states (grief, loss, sadness etc) but depression is more complicated than that, so when that strikes there's other stuff to take account of. What takes an hour in grief, might take much longer in depression. It's more subtle, less easily recognised and more insidious in its effects. I'm going to mull over my methods for dealing with that a little more before I try to explain them.
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Dealing with myself has always been quite the task. When I am feeling good, and remembering how well things are going right now, I think "FINALLY, I've beat it." But I haven't beat it. Sure enough, the depression will resurface, despite having been on some kind of SSRI for about 14 years. My doc told me some years ago, after yet another effort on my part to just stop taking the meds, that I am chronic. It's my brain. I am unable to try to stop the meds with the current stuff I am on: the withdrawal is pure hell. Maybe that's a good thing.
When I am feeling badly none of the good stuff seems to matter. It still feels all wrong. In those times, I am getting better at stepping back and counting each blessing, one by one, piece by piece if necessary.
Sometimes I come here, and bitch it out. Then I feel guilty for having done so. There is always "what right do you have to feel badly, when there is so much worse in the world." Sometimes I feel guilty for feeling really good. I think it's just a condition of the depression, not symptom but an aspect that IS the depression, to make yourself feel worse for not feeling worse, or for feeling like hell. I am trying to recognize that and deal with that. Reminding myself that I am human, and certainly not the worst one who ever lived, helps.
Traumatic events, such as the recent death of my cousin, throw me into a tailspin, makes me think the world is a terrible place to be.
But, as I said before, it's one foot in front of the other. Sometimes getting that first foot to move is an almost impossible task, but it starts the momentum. Sometimes getting out of bed, getting ready, getting into my car, walking from my car to my job, is almost more than I can bear: but the momentum has started and with each small thing I am closer to getting through it.