I have had many periods in my own life when I have been downright miserable and unhappy. The stress of everyday life has taken its toll and I have struggled to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Before I continue on with this article I would like to point out that I am not involved within the depression industry or sector, I personally work within DVD authoring, as well as offering pet insurance and on a part basis helping people to obtain cheap mobile calls.

I have now worked and studied hard to learn ways in which to combat this depression and stress. I am now much more able to cope with these type of situations. I still do find myself becoming down but now have various techniques and methods to help me to quickly return to happiness.

The first thing I do when I start to feel a bit down or unhappy is to write a list of all the things that are making me feel this way. Instead of doing what I used to do, which was to stress so much about each of them, which only makes each problem even bigger, I now look at each item on the list and try to find a solution.

To say that this is hard to do would be an understatement. After living one way for so long it is far from easy to suddenly change. But change I must and change I have - I have realised that there is only one way to think in life and that it to think positively. There are a number of items on the list where it is actually quite difficult to find a solution. It is then a case of talking to myself; to my inner voices if you like. I remind myself that worrying does not help any given situation and that all I can do in life is to try my best. At the end of the day what is the worst thing that can happen?

I have realised that I seem to get down and depressed when I am over tired. Now when I feel over-tired, I ensure that I go to bed a lot earlier than normal over the next few days and try to avoid drinks like coffee, late at night, which can keep me awake. To help me to sleep I always read a book which not only tires my eyes but also helps to take my mind off the things that I am worried about. I have also been known to have a small snooze in the afternoons to help me to catch up on any lost sleep.

I feel fortunate to have two young children. They seem to be full of life and do not seem to have a care in the world. Both children have totally changed my life in a positive way and are a bundle of fun and joy. When starting to feel a bit down and depressed, I spend as much time as I can with my children as they are what makes me happy and smile. I can soon forget my troubles and it also makes me appreciate what I have in life.