I know there are many articles out there about how to identify symptoms of depression offering an assortment of hippie antidotes like lavender tea or meditation with essential oils to relieve you from your mental torment. While some of these advertised remedies might offer subtle relief for depression's trusted sidekicks; exhaustion, anxiety, and self-doubt, it's my opinion that the only remedy worth trusting is your motivation to get out of the rut you're stuck in. Here are four goals to work towards that are guaranteed to suppress depression and give you back the reins of power to your happiness and improved social relevance.

1. Give yourself a pep talk. It's not a cocky move, just a confident one

I used to think giving pep talks was like bragging about oneself. In fact, I would go into any social gathering or interviews prepared to completely decimate myself because I thought if I dared to talk myself up a bit I would appear cocky and over-confident. I didn't want to look like that person that was over the top immersed with their self-glory. Don't fall into the same trap I have been triggering for the majority of my life. Don't hesitate to give yourself a pep talk right before that interview you've worked so hard to prepare for. You earned that pat on the back!

2. Set a daily goal

It might be painful, but setting a daily social goal to push yourself out of your comfort zone will also push you out of your depression tendencies. You can also add this goal to your every day "to do list" and eventually have more fun completing it than that pesky laundry item...maybe.

Not only will you feel better once you're out in public for your assigned hour a day, you will also feel productive and ready to take on other tasks. In other words, being able to accomplish a small feat every day always lights a fire under 'you know what' and positively affects the tasks you set out for yourself later that day. Why settle for crossing one thing off when you can check mark the whole dang list?

P.S. People are actually attracted to confidence. If you go into your daily goal with a "fake it till you make it" attitude, you might actually make it. Distracting oneself by creating a challenge to attend one social event a day helps stabilize depression's inner mental turmoil.

3. Join clubs that you actually love

I'm not going to lie, if you're a full-time cyber stalker, this one might be a little tough. You don't realize it now, but every second you spend drooling over someone else's photoshopped perfect life makes your authentic passions and overall self-fade away by degrees. Don't be tricked into believing you absolutely LOVE pilates because your classmate is a pilates instructor and posts daily aesthetically pleasing photos on her Instagram.

You're better than that. Take a break from social media for a day and find out what makes YOU happy. You will be significantly more content and likely to run into future BFFs at events that are geared towards attracting people who care about the same things you do. Now go scouting for that anime club. I've heard they have awesome rice balls on Wednesday.

4. Focus on friendships

I wouldn't have achieved this step if it weren't for the #3 goal on my list. One of the things I've noticed during my third year in college is the slow expansion of close friends. You don't have to be a social butterfly with a thousand twitter followers. Don't try to replicate the social networking strategies of those around you.

If you remain optimistic about your surroundings and keep an open mind to those who approach you, the amount of authentically best friends will eventually grow. After all, good things happen to those who are patient and kind.