You are made from matter from the first star, and matter from stars that came after that. And your matter will go on to make new stars. A part of you and everything you will know will exist until the end of the universe. In way you are the universe.

nope life did

I experienced times of deeper depression because of religion. Religion that taught me for years that praying hard enough miracles happen. I never had a miracle. I thought I wasn't praying hard enough. If you had no miracle to erase the problems in your life you were not worthy. God's punishment was what ever disaster you were having at the moment.
It was pure Catholic hell living that way.
Once I removed organized religion from my life my spiritual walk improved which actually helped with my depression.

No it hasn't. Taking death for what it is would go on to strengthen your fortitude in my opinion.

Sorry about your losses. Atheism did the opposite fof me. I ditched all the reliance on prayer, faith, and a supposedly benevolent god. There was a little more to it, but yeah, it definitely helped me to be the happy fucker I am today. Depression is no joke, so I hope you find your way out.

I think the finality of life makes it all the more important. It’s always easier to comment as the third party, because I know if certain people in my life died, I’d be lost.

Religions make me depressed. Antiquated social and economic and political theory depresses me. The continuing scourge of racism, overt and otherwise, depresses me. The inexcusable greed of some elites depresses me. The inevitable elevation of scum to the highest levels of business and politics depresses me. The continuation of nonsense from the Bronze Age and people's belief in it depresses me. All these things and more make me depressed. But my atheism? No.

No...people murdering animals is the main contributing factor. Abusing them, exploiting them, terrorizing them, and murdering them.

Ohferpetessake. You will never see approx. Half of them again if you do "believe" because some will not be going where you are, and It's So comforting to think about them in eternal torment, right? Plus no dogs, cats, etc. have souls, according to religion, so they're gone forever too. Get a grip! This is the fuzziest of thinking, and not even mostly true!

NO. Besides, who says everything ends when we die?

Einstein taught us that all matter is a form of energy, so since energy can neither be created nor destroyed, we have always existed and will always exist in some energy form, and quantum physics already tells us different dimensions exist.

"For physicists, the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." -Einstein

Atheism makes me happier. I'm free to think for myself, including how I regard death. @birdingnut makes a good point.

Death is always hard. Grief is normal and shows that you are a fine, caring person.

I've been an Atheist since I was a baby I have no basis for comparison

No. I don't have the pressure of religious guilt or oppressive teachings.

No. I don't have the pressure of religious guilt or oppressive teachings.

You might want to read Ernest Becker, particularly Denial of Death, to start to shift your thinking on the topic of death, dying, (im)mortality, meaning and purpose.

Yes it has. My limited social circle was very religious. Becoming agnostic pretty much cut that circle off including family. Hard not to take it personal. But it also showed me the people who truly do care for me as a person

I think I was more depressed as a Christian than as an atheist. I did not like being a sinner who had to beg forgiveness of a god I had not wronged. I also never had a religious epiphany as so many claimed to. I went to a church full of speaking in tongues and whatnot, so I was not compatible with their beliefs. Especially when I talked about the parts of the Bible where people doubted--their view was that Jesus showed Thomas the holes in his hand as a rebuke, rather than evidence, for example.
I am definitely better off now.

Have to agree with some of the other commentators here, I was way more depressed when living under the weight of Christianity. Although I don't believe in a God, I do believe our energy (soul?) carries on in another form... call it reincarnation, transference? Althoug we may not 'see' or friends and loved ones again in the same form, I believe we may connect with them in other ways, in other lifetimes~

No. On the contrary. No more fears and no more guilt.

No I have always been an atheist never been a theist - depression is something that hits everyone at some point. I think I had to sort of 'get ' the world and how it works - Yes people let you down they die they don't keep their promises etc.etc. and we learn how to cope in such a world as this is all there is. I think truly getting a life is when you achieve some measure of self confidence and build on that get stronger 9not harder ) just stronger enough to take the knocks because it is all so random. One day you have a dog the next day not - you learn to grieve and so it goes ... you learn all the time how to deal with living.

For me atheism alleviated a lot of my death related anxiety and depression. I think it's different for everyone. By any interpretation of Christianity, it was likely that my mother was not exactly a saint. I mean, she was to me. But I'm a realist. Her death left me questioning if I even believed in hell. I concluded I did not. It was my first step in honesty to myself. But I wasn't really sure, and that maybe, what if, hung over my head. In relegating my religious upbringing to the past and simply living, I found myself able to bring my mother to the afterlife I do believe in. The one where lessons taught and love given continue to live on in memories of loved ones. Finding my way to that vantage point has been a massive relief.

No my atheism is of absolutely no account to me I take life and death as it comes and that doesn't bother me either; although it probably would if it were my partner; but its a natural event and a free country you can react any way you want.

Whatever gets you through Daisy. You don't have to answer to anyone but yourself about what you would like to believe. You may see them again. We don't know. Rationale is great if you have nothing on your mind but sometimes rationale can cause unnecessary neuroses. And in the words of the cartoonist Ashleigh Brilliant from the late 60's I think. "I've given up my search for Truth and now looking for a good fantasy!"

No completely unrelated, really. Mine was generally due to poor coping mechanisms and cognitive errors.

To me this is a trap. In the beginning it did think it contribute to my depression.
Then I started to think about everything (as much as I could). I realized what does thinking about our purpose mean? Our purpose is to procrate. The rest is in our heads. I know this sucks to think about, but to me it is the truth. What we make of the time we have is up to us.
Trust me this sucks! My son is struggling with this right now; and I still do. When my ex told me she was done I had a hard time moving forward. I had to find ways to to prove to myself I wasn't a lost cause. Life isn't easy but you have to take it day by day. I am not the happiest person, but I can't let someone else determine my happiness.

If you can't do it alone please seek help. Hopefully the people here can help without the higher power bullshit.

Those who have religion must have an awful time of it. Always wondering if they have accrued enough points in their short lives to avoid the eternal fires. Now that I've seen the fabric of delusion for what it is, I can breathe easy and judge my self. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." seems to work most of the time.