Hi emb7617, I came across your posting and am wondering how you're doing now?

Hi. If you are still reading this, I would recommend hiking. Try it out, and if you like it... join a hiking club. You get to meet down to earth people.

Also, being in mother nature brings one in touch with yourself, and its good excersize which is a cure for depression.

I like quality quanitifiers(AJR/Live with Passion); If I say tomorrow it has to be 75 degrees farenh. Outside in order for me to be happy, I may well be depressed; but if I use a quality quanitifier, I could increase my level of happiness significantly:
1. Determine how good (or bad) you're feeling right now (rate from -5 to +10).
2. Determine where you would like to be (from 0 to + 10)
3. Determine what it would take to get there, using your beliefs /ideas/environment etc.
4. Make sure what it would take to get there are based on conditions that you can control.

e.g. instead of saying "it has to be 75 degrees farenheit tomorrow in order for me to be happy" , using the quality quantifiers, you could instead say" On the hour, for every hour, I'm going to stop/pause for 2-3 minutes and think of what I'm really grateful for right now."


I'm in search for a new hobby/pasttime too! My other current pastime is having /writing down a list of stuff that I'd like to trade or barter(an inventory of stuff on a piece of paper). Then , going to owners in mom & pop stores (such as flea markets or approaching owners from thrift stores who I can meet face to face contact), I would show them my list and see if they were interested in anything I had, because I would like to trade for such and such. By writing a list, it prevents me from having to lug everything around from store to store, or w/in the flea markets.etc. Of course, I would advise knowing what you want before hand, i.e. see if you see something you like first, before offering your list of stuff.

Hope this helps!
Regards.
Good luck,
Robert C.

Volunteer in a local organization that needs help with something. Something where you can interact with other people. There is nothing better for the soul than to volunteer. It's kind of hard to get motivated to do it but once your doing it and complete your task, you feel great that you did something to help others. Remember to keep the focus on others and just enjoy others company.

According to a survey people with hobbies feel healthier and happier than the rest of us and obviously less likely to feel depressed. Research has shown that engaging in activities that you enjoy, or are naturally good at, can boost mental health.
There are all sorts of things on offer in the community that don’t have to cost money, so talk to friends and family and start a hobby to ease the burden of depression.www.NewHobbyIdea.com

New hobbies can provide many hours of relief from stress. A hobby can boost creativity, self esteem, passion, pleasure, relaxation, and accomplishments. One of the simplest means to reduce the effects of depression is to do something fun and enjoyable. Most importantly, keep your grades up for Gods sake, whatever hobby you take up don`t let it overrun your desire to study. To get a list of hobbies go to New Hobby Idea .com.GW