Every situation we can turn into positive. The way to get out of negativity or depression is to write positive stories, encourage others.
The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share others's sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. When you expand in Knowledge with time, then depression is not possible. Your inner most source is joy.
When energy is low that is when depression happens. When it goes further down, you leave the willingness to live.
Group singing can reduce stress and take you out of depression. Whether it's in tune or out of tune, Sing.
Be in knowledge. Listen to knowledge and do your practices (sadhana) every day. Then you cannot get into depression. Join a team, do seva. When you have nothing to do, you think about yourself and get depressed.
Yoga is to realize that your mind is dynamic, your life is dynamic. Depression is a sign of static understanding about life. When you feel everything in life is dead, static, there is nothing more, nowhere to go - that is when one gets depressed.
Definitely the thoughts affect you, and this is where mantras are very useful. For thousands of years people have chanted these mantras, so when you sit and chant 'Om Namah Shivaya' for a few minutes, it somehow strengthens the mind and energy, and it keeps you away from depression.
There are issues in the world today, and depression is one of them. Depression is going to be the biggest killer in the world. Every two seconds, seven people die out of stress, and what we are doing is helping people relieve their stress, and this is very significant. If more and more teachers work towards this, we will definitely make a better world.
The biggest killer in the coming decade in the world will be depression. And again, to bring people out of depression, only wisdom can help.