When things feel wrong, the advice to seek help is correct and unhelpfully vague. A few concrete steps are easier to act on.
Rule out the physical
Thyroid problems, anaemia, vitamin deficiencies, sleep disorders and medication side effects all produce symptoms that look like low mood or anxiety. A doctor can check these with a blood test.
That is worth doing first because it is quick and because finding a physical cause changes what helps.
Tell one person
Not everyone, not publicly. One person you trust. Saying it out loud changes something, and the isolation of not saying it is part of what makes it worse.
Protect the basics
Sleep, food and daylight. These sound too simple to matter and their absence makes everything harder. If sleep is disrupted, that is often the first thing worth addressing because it affects everything else.
Movement
The evidence for physical activity in mild to moderate depression is reasonably good, comparable to other first-line approaches in some studies. It does not have to be much and it does have to be regular.
Talking to a professional
Your general practitioner is a reasonable first contact and can point at what is available locally. Waiting lists in many places are long, which is a real obstacle and worth starting early rather than waiting until it is worse.
If it is urgent
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, please contact a crisis line or emergency services in your country. That is not a step to postpone and support is available.
The honest framing
This is general information. It is not a substitute for talking to someone qualified who knows your situation.