Most people here probably have an idea of how they can help themselves. We're just too depressed/apathetic to put those ideas into motion.

Surprisingly enough the sidebar actually has no information I can see on what someone who thinks they're depressed ought to be doing. Day after day I see posts like "I think I'm depressed, what do I do?" yet this information remains absent. Really simple shit like "talk to a doctor," or "go to a psychiatrist," (who is a doctor, admittedly), or "make sure you get tested for basic medical problems that commonly manifest depressive symptoms."

So, really, I'm not even sure most people here do have an idea of how they can help themselves.

Can anyone relate or know how to get the ball rolling in the first place?

Well, as you say, depression is self-reinforcing. The structural problems in your brain both cause and are compounded by conscious attitudes. And for those of us that do know what to do, it's awful hard. Would ten minutes of strenuous cardio exercise a day make you feel better? Probably. But you can't even brush your teeth, much less go jogging.

So how do you break into the cycle? Well, that's exactly what modern treatment is designed to do, so look no further.

Consider the pharmaceuticals that target depression. They're designed to saturate the brain in chemicals that naturally alleviate feelings of fatigue, lethargy, lack of motivation, and lowered mood. Trick 1? Take the right sorts of drugs.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy, on the other hand, is about directly addressing conscious attitudes, patterns of thinking, and getting patients to do activities that improve their symptoms and allow them to function in society. Trick 2? Well, CBT is a whole battery of tricks, so I'll cop out and say trick 2 is "go to therapy."

This sounds like the same stupid stuff you've heard before, I know, but really the professionals are the experts on this for a reason. Any one trick I could give you frankly doesn't compare to the arsenal they have at their disposal.

But I guess I won't leave you with the "correct" answer alone - I find that the best and easiest way to break the cycle is from the outside. Therapists can do it, but if you have any friends and caring family can help, too. It's a lot of work for them, but dragging you places to do things you don't feel motivated to do is important. Usually even if you don't feel beholden to do the laundry, you might feel beholden to your friend helping you do the laundry. Also I'd say look for a hobby that involves responsibility: social pressure is a great way to force yourself to do things you don't feel motivated to do, but something like a job can just be overwhelming. Start a bit smaller. Caring for a pet big enough to give you the sad eyes when you don't also works.