In my youth I met a psychologist who helped me with advice I practice to this day. I had graduated from college in December and moved to a small southern city for my first job. It was always dark, my college girlfriend broke up. You know the story.

So he said what made me happy in college. Well I hiked in the mountains with my friends. Had u done that since I moved to small town? No. What else do you like he said . He made me keep going until I named 20 things

And then he said. So before we meet next week I want you to do five of these 20. And I did. I learned that we are happy when we do things that make us happy. I still practice this . I walk 5 miles a week four times. I find two new musical acts I like. I garden. I read a book. I try a new wine. I joined agnostic.com. I just got back from Alaska.

Most of it is small and doesnt cost anything. Live what you like.

I feel alive all the time, although I’m in a lot of pain for most of it. If you mean happy/ecstatic/in awe relatively little of it. Maybe 5% if I’m lucky. Herb, nature, music, comedy, star gazing, yoga/martial arts/the moment manual labor is done and human connection are what make me feel most alive. I can usually be making a concerted effort to put more of those things in my life but sometimes when you’re already depressed it’s hard to make yourself get up to bother. I get it, I’m there myself most days. Try to do it anyways though.

I just noticed a significant increase in my energy today by resisting carbs and eating two massive salads for dinner. It’s little things like that that you’ve gotta identify and make habits of. I love carbs but damn I’m starting to confirm for myself that refined sugar and simple carbs are poison to the mind/motivation/gut flora all over. If you want to feel better about yourself finish the things you start and make improvements in your habits. Don’t try to change everything at once, pick something relatively big you wanna do like give up smoking, sugar or carbs, or start exercising and start one thing at a time, hold yourself to it for a couple weeks and notice how much better you feel. Relish in each new bit of energy or strength you build and channel it into a new hobby. Keep up each new habit for a couple weeks to a month before trying to change something else big about your life and your willpower will build momentum.

I know it’s easier said than done but by no means impossible. I’ve lost 100 lbs twice and regained it 2 1/2 times, working on getting rid of that extra half again now. I’m no personal trainer but looking back on what I learned during my quickest weight loss and getting myself out of a rut, that’s mostly what did it for me. Free your mind and your ass will follow works both ways. Free your ass and your mind will follow.

Learning to play drums and doing hot yoga for the hips was really mentally liberating as well as physically. Look up psoas release yoga on YouTube; sounds crazy but that’s where most of our emotional tension gets stored: your hips. Dance or roll around on tennis balls or go get a massage, anything to loosen up your hips and your mental state will change I guarantee it. Take any form of creative exercise that gets you in touch with your body and/or nature and throw yourself into it little by little while changing your habits one at a time. Productive sweat and self discipline are the way to a satisfied mind from what I can tell so far. It’s more fun than it sounds once you start feeling the benefits, let’s do it. Go go go do the thing!

Maybe I don't understand the question, but I feel alive 100% of the time. I'm not always happy, but I'm alive and I'm happy that I am alive...

I guess I'm not a person that suffers with depression some days are better than others and some resemble a bowl of f*** but I feel alive all the time I interact with people daily I also take my quiet time in the park generally on the way home from work. I like to wander around in my own little world for a bit. (I put up mirrors to make it look bigger) my dog's Dudley and Fenwick give me great satisfaction and if I am down I think of Eric Idle hanging on the cross singing always look at the bright side of life.

Wow I can totally relate.
For me feeling truly alive, throughout my life, was me dealing with my anxiety/depression. As you stated that leaves very little room for pretty much anything else, including shifting the focus from dealing with the anxiety to something more fulfilling.
Very recently, I decided that I am going to move my 'feeling truly alive' in another direction and focus on making sure that I have things in my life that will provide me with hope, happiness, peace ie: something to look forward to. That something could be an event, a song, a person, a smelling of the roses moment......I don't know how it will work out but just deciding to go in that direction has already given me hope. I think that is a sign of a good start.

5% maybe. I'm annoying everyone around me with my extreme depression. All my family knows how to do is yell, which makes it so much worse. I receive zero support.

If you mean happy or excited a few hours a days most days so 20%. The rest is sleep or survival.

As a born optimist, I find the wonder and joy in life. The infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand, the joy of tasting a juicy, ripe peach. Intense, playful, passionate and determined, I have fun every day.

I love hiking to alpine lakes surrounded by white glaciers and jagged mountain peaks. After dark, I look up and feel awed by the glowing Milky Way and billions of sparkling stars. We all need more low-level ecstasy in our lives.

i get what your saying 4 yrs spent almost totally in bed seeing no one thought it was over then last sunday it reappeared and with it the idea that suicide isnt that bad anyway maybe 10%

I suffer from Schizoaffective disorder. A good part of that is major depression, so I know what you mean.

I have two things that I do in life that make me feel not only alive, but good about myself.
One is my writing and recording music. I feel creative, and it takes my mind off of what ever down feelings I may have at the time.

The other is I volunteer at a homeless shelter most of the week.
That has many things that help me feel alive and good about myself.
I love helping others, I've needed help before so I know what kindness can do for a person.
Plus it's a form of therapy, I have a tremendous fear of being around people.
My work there helps me over come that a lot.

This is your LIFE, not a rehearsal.

3 years ago, I would have perhaps replied 70%. That has all been taken away and now I would answer maybe 2-3%, but that is still probably too high. Realistically, fractions of a percent.

Depression is a beast.

100%

Since my deportation from my family in the UK, I'm not sure If I'm alI've at all.
I'm an avid gamer with a new playstation pro and smart TV only feet in front of me and at least a 100 gaming friends.
I have pretty high school girls texting me that I work with with this and that and what not.
Lovely adult ladies making forbidden promises of a good time.
Friends that go back to the forth grade reminding me of good times but all I can feel is how empty my life is.

If there's a solution I'd like to know.

I've had seasons of depression, but they were temporary - triggered by circumstances. I feel for you.

Otherwise life goes on mostly pleasantly enough, punctuated by highs that I know I can create, but often am too busy hiding from

I try to maintain my attitude of gratitude, as I know I'm so much better off than so many.

100%. I feel for you. I am fortunate in that even though I have experienced great sadness in my life-monster father, loss of a child-I do not get depressed. Ever. Sad, yes. Good luck finding a path that works for you.

About 2%, maybe 3%. If I'm underwater with all my critter relatives, then I'm up in the 80% to 90%.

I have had some extremely sad and tragic episodes in my life, but I have never suffered from depression. I can't even conceive of what it must be like to go through life like that. I am very sorry. I feel alive 100% of the time, even when I have been in the depths of despair. I wish I had some words of wisdom for you, that would help, but I know they would ring hollow. All I can offer is that, although I don't know what it is like, I feel compassion for a person that lives in such sadness.

I am living in terms of existing. That’s all really. I empathize with your feelings about being robbed of actual living. My situation is weird. Monday to Friday, 9-5 I appear vivacious and cheerful (what people annoyingly call a “people person&rdquo I have a senior position at work and would be classed as a “high performer” blah blah.
The truth is that outside work I manage my inner pain with prescription drugs, which is turning into an issue. I come home from work and eat a microwave meal and go to bed. People drain my energy and I don’t really feel like I like human beings very much, and every weekend I just sleep because I am so depressed. I came to the USA 4 years ago, to Chicago, and I haven’t even seen around the city. I know this isn’t actually living. I guess what I am trying to say in a long winded way is you will never know how many people are suffering from mental health issues. At all socio-economic levels, all genders, all races people have overt or secret struggles and are not actually living life. You are not alone. Everyone has terrible moments of depression in their lives and for 1 in 3 of us, it’s a permanent condition. I think many many people will empathize about the way you feel. You can message me if you feel really low and want a kind word.

I feel very alive but sometimes the constant struggle seems like too much and I wish I wasn't alive. I guess that makes me depressed but it just feels like common sense to me.

point something

How do you define "truly alive"?

In good times I am fully alive pretty much all the time, bad times are when I am just going through the motions of daily life and feel alive 0-15% of the time/

Maybe 10% if I'm trying to be optimistic. But there are moments that are 80-100%. Just so few...

For me the more stark question is the percentage of time feeling burdened. 60%