How do you cope?

In these days of hard economic times too many people are loosing everything that they have worked their lives for. Whether it be their house, vehicle or job it is something that they have worked hard for. It is hard for people to not fall into a depression. How can this have happened? No matter how hard you work it still gets taken away from you, no matter how hard you try to hold on to it.

Battling depression is something that millions of people do every day. Some people suffer from depression that is so deep seeded that they have no choice but to resort to outside help, including medication. For some of them, the social stigma that goes along with medication that they become even more depressed. Others are fortunate enough that have the coping skills to deal with life's ups and downs that do not have to resort to medication.

We have all been depressed about something in our lives before. It could have been the loss of a loved one, a relationship that ended, or the loss of a job. How we deal with it is what is important. Two sayings that come to mind are "There is always a light at the end of the tunnel" and "God will not give us more than we can handle." Sometimes even I doubt that this is the case but I have always been proven wrong.

Some people cope by spending time outdoors. It could be camping, hiking, bird watching or just enjoying the fresh air. Others enjoy reading a book or spending time with family. Maybe you vent your frustrations by going into the kitchen and and whipping something up just for the hell of it!

For me, I love to cook and spend time with my family. You can take everything away from me but as long as I have my family, I am the richest man on Earth.

I want to hear from you. What kind of coping mechanisms do you have?