Managing depression and holding down a full time job don’t need to be contradictions in terms. You might be surprised how many of your colleagues or even your supervisors either struggle with depression now or have at some point in their lives. Some good habits can go a long way towards making work manageable and keeping your depression under control.

There are two key questions you need to know the answers to in order to successfully manage depression at work. The first is: What kinds of events tend to make you feel depressed? The second is: When those events happen, how do you tend to immediately react? You may know the answers to these questions already, or they may be ones you need to explore with your therapist or even a close friend or family member. The reason these questions are important is because they indicate both what your hardest moments at work are likely to be, and what kind of trouble, if any, you are at risk of getting into over them.

For example, you might get depressed when people in power appear dismissive of your ideas, and you might tend to respond by getting very angry. That’s a defense mechanism, and it makes sense, but imagine it at work. You pitch an idea to the boss, he ignores it, and you blow your stack – not good. In another scenario, maybe you feel depressed when you’re left out of the group, and you respond by isolating yourself. A bunch of folks from the office go out to lunch without you, and you stay home from work the next day.

Once you know your triggers and defense mechanisms, you can start to manage how they impact you at work. When something happens, you can tell yourself, “Oh, wait, that was a trigger. No wonder I feel crummy.” And when you fall into your defense mechanisms, you can remind yourself that you are doing that because you were triggered, and either stop yourself or at least give yourself a little space to figure things out.

What are the things that make you feel happy? What is the least depressive place or person or object you can think of? Find a way to represent those things for yourself at work. Put a picture of your dog on your desk. Carry a stone with an inspirational message carved on it in your pocket. Put a relaxing scented air freshener in your cubicle.

When work gets stressful or depressing, look to those symbols. Use them to remind yourself that you are in control, no matter what is going on at work. You are not work, you are the person who thoughtfully chose those items. Use them to maintain your perspective.

Keep an eye on your mood. You may want to create a code system (maybe a scale from 1-10) and make a notation each day in your calendar about how you’re feeling. Notice also if there are big differences in your moods during different times of the day.

If you notice your numbers trending down over a period of two weeks or more, it’s time to contact your doctor or mental health professional. Bring your mood charting with you and show them what you are noticing.

Also keep track of the moments when you say “I have to do this because I feel so depressed.” This includes things like taking a sick day, going out (or staying in) for lunch, or avoiding aspects of your job. It’s easy not to notice how much your depression may be affecting you at work if each of these are an isolated incident, but if you are keeping track you’ll notice if your work starts to suffer.

The easiest way to mess up your depression management is to stop taking your meds. The easiest way to stop taking your meds is to forget them. Once you’ve left the house for work, it’s unlikely you’re going to go home to get your medication if you’ve forgotten it. That’s why you should always have an extra dose or two in your purse, desk, briefcase or car. If you get to work and realize you didn’t take your medication, you won’t be out of luck for that day.

Don’t forget to refill this extra stash if you use it. There’s nothing worse than pulling out that pill bottle which you’ve so brilliantly stored for just such an emergency and discovering that it’s empty.