Something I've discovered about tough times and feeling down is that doing nice things for people really is its own reward. Lifting the spirits of others lifts your own spirits, too.
And the more you do kind things, the more kind things you want to do — not for applause, not to be celebrated as a local hero or anything, but to help people who need help. And hey, wouldn't we all want folks like that to be around to step up when we need help, too?