I'm not sure that real depression will "pass". Not without some form of intervention or pushing back. Depression bends you inward into a familiar black swamp. Dismal, but the gloom protects you from the problems of the world.

For me, the best answer has been meditation. It helps me slip from depression's snot-like grip, and gives me answers with which to rebut depression's arguments. Pedaling gets me outside and out of my cubbyhole. Riding demands awareness beyond myself and being centered in the moment. Sights that I see grab my attention away from my depression. And then there's work, doing something to distract myself and possibly accomplishing something in the meanwhile. All help me.

One of the most important things I've learned about depression is that it is not constant. Even at its darkest, there may be lighter moments in the day and you need to seize them and acknowledge the elevation you have achieved off the bottom. And you have to acknowledge that this is every bit as real as the depths you have felt earlier.

And depression, not being constant, becomes a "temporary" thing in Buddhist terms. Depression never feels temporary, but that's part of its lie and in the blackest times, you have to acknowledge that it is a temporary state and look towards your awareness, which is not.

Meditation is exercise for your mind, in the same way that cycling is exercise for your body.