I go to my favorite pub on a night when they have a good band, which they do every night, because their booking agent is very good, and I drink three pints of beer with three shots of Benedictine chaser.

Then I step out and smoke a joint.

Then I step back in, park in front of the band, and jam to the band in my head, making the musical parts which I add to the tunes I am hearing vent the grief I am feeling that is causing the slide into depression, until I've vented it all.

I don't try to forget about it... I vent it.

If the thing causing me the slip into a depression is so miserable that I can't keep the jamming quiet, then I go to my favorite karaoke lounge, where I drink three pints of beer with three shots of Benedictine chasers.

I put in three songs expressing the way I am feeling, and when called I get up on stage and vent my emotions through that mike until I've blown out the blues.

That's how I deal with it.

Just one? Er...

Find something funny to watch (search YouTube, go to the movies, rent a DVD, whatever) and laugh like no one's listening.

When I'm feeling down I think of the all things in my life I have to be grateful for: a roof over my head, enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, people who love me, a God who loves me, too. So many people in the world are starving, living in hovels or boxes, don't have enough clothes to keep them warm, lost and lonely, and it makes me realize how blessed I am and how little I really have to be depressed about.

Music. I always turn to music.

I ask everyone around me to give me some privacy, I head to my computer desk with a set of headphones and turn off all the lights. In the dark I sit there and listen to a very special playlist of songs--ones I love and know by heart. The playlist starts with a somber, depressing mood, but then gradually becomes happy and hopeful. It gives me time to wallow in my depressive feelings harmlessly, and then helps pull me right out of the funk.

I enjoy some good snacks, sketching time, etc. while I'm listening to the music. But I NEVER do anything productive. This is just head-clearing time.

Next time you're feeling "good", create a playlist ahead of time for the next time it "rains" so that you'll be ready.

Never underestimate the power of music.

Lots of sunlight! Vitamin D has been linked to depression. Get some real sunlight on your skin! Not just those bright lamps, although those help a lot too.