Hrm... feeling the solidarity... seems we're all at about the same place.
Is there ANYONE that is genuinely happy though, that could share some insights into how to become more happy? Need to be a better person, in general. Any tips and wisdom would be appreciated.
I don't think anyone is really going to be able to answer that for you. There are plenty of generic, fail proof things you can do. Simply taking care of yourself health wise is the general idea. But it's really up to you to find something that will raise you up from the ashes of another shitty day at work.
As a single adult with nearly zero friends, what works for me is creating plans of what to do on my days off. My work week becomes a lot more bearable when I have something to look forward too. And giving myself a reason to get out of bed, is the easiest way to recharge my mood, so my new work week has a good start. Lucky for me, I always have the same days off, so it makes it easier to plan around. (
if possible, it's worth trying to adjust your availability for that if you think you would benefit) So I'll plan "single person" friendly activities. If I have money, I may go see a movie or go to the mall. Even if I don't have much money, I'll go to the mall anyway and browse. I'll drive to one further away just to enjoy the ride, and see a new place. My local mall is pretty standard so I shop at that one, but if I don't plan on shopping, I like to drive to a really fancy upscale mall that's further away. It's a nice place to walk around with cool stores, and the drive to it is full of lush trees and fancy homes and businesses. I love getting to drive around in my car. Since it's a fancy mall, I'll sort of "dress up" for it too. Like I said previously, spending extra time on my appearance just makes me feel good. I look good, I feel good. It's nice to not wear red for once, which helps me forget about Target for a little bit.
I mean, really, in my opinion, it's all about getting creative in finding ways to trick yourself into distraction. I have plenty of weekends where I sleep well into the afternoon, eat and be up for a few hours, before falling back into another nap. Depression is a motherfucker, and I don't consider it bad to have mental sick days. But really what helps get me out of it, is anything to just get my mind moving. Even if all I do for the weekend is go grocery shopping, it helps. Hobbies are good too. I've sort of lost my passion for many of my hobbies, and that's had a huge negative impact on my depression. Whenever I manage to actually do something I used to love, it always helps. And when I don't, it always hurts.
My point? I don't know. Just try to stay motivated to working towards better days. Many times it fails for me, but then are many times it doesn't. I just sort of roll with the punches at this point.