I've been dealing with depression for seven years of my life, after the first two I finally got help and went to therapy. I then spent the next five years going to therapy to get the tools I needed to not fall into the deep darkness that can consume me for days on end. Mayo Clinic defines depression as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.

For the past five years, I have felt better and have been able to fight my mental illness without letting it eat me alive. That doesn't mean I am cured and I never will be--mental illness of any kind is a constant fight to find the balance between who you are and who your mental illness turns you into.

So for the past two weeks, I have been depressed. I have found myself back in the deep dark hole fighting to keep my head above water, but it isn't easy. I haven't been this depressed in a very long time but it can be so easy to fall back into those patterns.

I'm writing this through my depression at the last minute, while ignoring a million other things I need to do and avoiding conversation with everyone. So here are five things that I do to help me get out of the darkness that is my depression.

1. Take Care Of Yourself

Now I'm sure you've heard this one before, or heard your mom saying "you need to eat something." To a degree, this can be very helpful but you need to find what works for you. It can be a shower or a soak in the bath but for me, the kind of self-care that makes me feel better is a skin care routine.

Nothing makes me feel cleaner and ready to face the day then washing my face with my favorite cleanser. I feel prettier and brighter and ready for just about anything. Also, don't just do it once, force yourself to do it every morning and night, that way you are at least leaving your bed twice a day.

The next thing you need to do is eat. I'm horrible at this one because when I get really depressed I don't want to eat and sometimes food doesn't even look good or appealing.

So my compromise is to eat at least once a day. Try your best to eat it all because you need the nutrients and some foods can actually help in fighting depression. Look, you're now getting out of bed three times! Yay us!

2. Take A Few Days

When you're depressed you have nothing to give anyone or anything. Watching a show is boring and can't make you laugh, talking to a friend is boring because you can only muster a few word answers and going outside is sad because you can't feel the beauty of the world around you.

So indulge yourself, take a few days to lie in bed, give yourself time to be sad but make sure you give it a deadline. Say to yourself "I'll stay in bed all day doing nothing productive today, but tomorrow I'll wake up take a shower and face the responsibilities of life."

Now you're probably thinking, "that won't work, depression doesn't listen to me!" And you're right, it won't work at first, but sometimes you have to fake it for a bit until eventually you're in a routine and you start to feel things again. It will take time so don't give up on the first try.

I have been in my depression now for about two weeks which is way too long. I've only left the house for work and have barely been able to communicate with others. But I told myself this will be the last day of it and tomorrow I will force myself out of bed and work on some things I have been procrastinating on.

3. Consider Your Options

Despite what many people may think, mental illness is just as serious as cancer. If you are one of those people that disagree, I suggest you check out NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness--they have a full page of statistics that will prove to you how serious this really is.

So when you're feeling severe depression you need to consider your options because there are many ways to deal with it.

I started out with therapy because the thought of taking medication scared me. Although it took a while for me to warm up to telling a complete stranger all the thoughts in my head, I eventually got into it and I have found it to be beyond helpful in understanding my illness.

For a while, I hated myself and the way I felt because I thought I was weird and messed up--all I wanted was to be like "normal" people. Going to therapy taught me so much about myself and the way my brain works. I would recommend it to anyone who is just now being diagnosed or is having feelings of depression or any other mental illness.

Another option is medication which I don't know much about right now. However. that is about to change because now that I understand my illness, I want to try more things to help the way I feel. I'm going to start taking medication very soon.

If you feel like you need to take the next step, or that your depression has become too much to handle with just weekly meetings, then you might also want to think about taking medication. Just remember it effects everyone differently. You should have a loved one monitor you and make sure the meds are helping not hurting.

And if none of those work for you, then maybe try natural ways with vitamins or changing your diet or exercise. If you have depression the first thing people usually say is "have you tried to exercise" as if you can run or yoga your way out of it. However, these things do create natural endorphins which can aide you in your battle against your depression.

4. Get Your Feelings Out

Depression can hit at the most random times, even when your life is going well. But no matter what, there are thoughts filling up your mind and stopping you from getting out of bed...so get them out.

Write, draw, take pictures, talk to a camera, talk to a friend, make music, dance whatever works for you. Pour your soul into it. Do it every day to get those things out of your mind and into something else.

Art comes from tortured places sometimes and can help you, as well as other people. So find something that you're passionate about and face your depression through it.

Personally, I write as well as make videos. The writing helps me put my thoughts into words and the videos help me feel less alone. I talk to a camera and put it on YouTube to connect with others feeling the same way--it also helps me say things I wouldn't normally say.

5. Remember You're Not Alone

It may sound incredibly cheesy and basic but it's true. Millions of people are dealing with the same thing, and although you may be alone in your home or even in your town you aren't alone in the world. Go online and find a group, watch videos of people talking about depression or listen to songs that talk about it; just find something you can connect with.

You're not alone and, despite what the monster in your brain says, the world wouldn't be a better place without you. Please stay alive because we need more people who are willing to power on and be a voice for mental illness. So one day we can hopefully stop the stigma and teach others about this disease.

If you want to talk I am here for you. I may not be able to say much because well, depression, but we can sit in silence making awkward conversation. Again I'm no expert, I'm just a person dealing with depression, wanting to help others.

I am by no means a doctor or therapist so if you feel that you are severely depressed you should talk to someone and see what your options are.

If you need immediate help call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255. I've called before it isn't as scary as it may seem, the people are nice and it can be helpful.