Hello Theo, welcome to the forum. Thank you very much for sharing this, that's really kind of you.
I'm impressed and pleased that your friend has such effective ways of dealing with her depression, she sounds like she self-manages her condition very well. And she is fortunate to have a friend like you who has taken the time and care to try and understand what she goes through. You're a good friend!
Everyone's experience is different and the severity with which we experience it also differs. For some it is more severe and just getting out of bed is almost impossible, For some too it comes and goes, as it seems to with your friend, for others it is an ongoing day to day battle.
Your friend seems very self-aware and knows what coping strategies work for her, that is so good to hear! Having a creative outlet is very important and I agree that expressing yourself when you're down is very helpful - a lot of people really struggle with that because depression can be all-consuming leaving it difficult to even want to talk about it.
Theo if you or your friend want to learn more about depression, we have a lot of good resources on the website, and there are many people here who share their stories on the forum.
And we would love to hear more from you, and perhaps your friend might like to join us too.
Thank you again, I really appreciate your post.
Kaz
