As someone who has suffered depression and anxiety most of their adult life. What I can say is it never truly goes away it's always there ready to bit but as the years go by you get better at dealing with it.
The best way I've found to deal with it is when you feel the negative thoughts are low mood coming to not feed into it. Do not do what I always did and re affirm to myself how crap the world is, how crap my life is and how bad I feel. Do not try to help it grow by getting dragged in. Also do not try to pretend it isn't there and force yourself to smile etc, denying it's there and trying to fake being happy doesn't work.
Now what has worked for me is a meditation technique where you become the watcher. It takes a while to get any good at and at first you won't be able to do it, but as the thoughts and feeling occur just be calm and watch them as though you are a third party and not the one feeling the sensations . Just look and observe and think ok these negative thoughts and low mood are coming but don't feed into them. It's almost as if you step out of your body and become an observer.
You can do this with any situation in life btw. Imagine a heated argument, you are literally wrapped up in the storm of your thoughts, Feelings etc and that argument and anger in the moment is the only thing that matters in the world. It's the same with depression it takes over everything and consumes you. Try to be present, take a breath and watch as though the argument or the thing whatever it maybe you are an observer, it's happening but you feel nothing because you don't allow it to take over you.
Anyway lol, the other thing that really helps me is regular exercise. If I don't exercise I can few the tension and negative energy increase in my body.
Remember the opposite of depression is expression.
To depress you go inwards, energy goes internal and is bottled up.
When you express energy goes outwards, is realised, just like hard exercise or even screaming or shouting, or crying...of anyone has ever been so bad they scream or cry until they have nothing left then they will afterwards fell better...that because of expression.
Try it chaps, meditate, be present become the watcher and express in whatever form you choose.
If you've never been afflicted with depression you will now be thinking what an absolute loon.
If you know what it's like to cry like a baby as a grown man for no apparent reason you might understand.
Mick or anyone else who is suffering, please look into meditation.
This is one of my favourite explanations
https://youtu.be/sT-VLNrk-F8If you've never heard of Alan Watts look it up on your tube, his thoughts and theorys on the world were genius.