If you are depressed for 2 weeks or longer, you should contact your doctor, who can offer treatment options. Regardless of whether you have mild or major depression, the following self-care steps can help:

• Get enough sleep.
• Follow a healthy, nutritious diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Avoid alcohol, marijuana, and other recreational drugs.
• Get involved in activities that make you happy, even if you don't feel like it.
• Spend time with family and friends.
• Try talking to clergy or spiritual advisors who may help give meaning to painful experiences.
• Consider prayer, meditation, tai chi, or biofeedback as ways to relax or draw on your inner strengths.
• Add omega-3 fatty acids to your diet, which you can get from cold-water fish like tuna, salmon, or mackerel.
• Take folate (vitamin B9) in the form of a multivitamin (400 to 800 micrograms).