Ask HN: How to cope with depression

Well that's what people (specialist or not) told me.

But that were my worse mistake

Anti depressants may not be too bad (they are said to even increase gray matter) but a year ago, I was prescribed antipsychotics by injections (because I had some paranoia against cigarette smoke) and those have been the worse thing I had to live, basically it deconnects your brain. So be happy and think there's worse, much worse elsewhere. Also sports helps, do 40 minutes of bike everyday (like going to work by bike), this must be the best medicine

Depression used to be an annual appearance for me, like allergy season, and even when I knew I would become depressed and could feel it happening, one little change in attitude let me take advantage of my depression and harnass its energy instead of feeling like a tidal wave crashed over me that I was helpless to hold back.

When I'm not depressed, some things like getting out of bed or getting out of the house whiles its still light out come easily. When I'm depressed making it out of the house at all is an achievement in itself.

The thing that flipped it around for me was one time while I was depressed I was also job hunting. Normally, I get anxious and nervous when applying, and rejection often stings. But when I'm depressed I'm just numb to that. I don't care, and tbe sting of rejection bounces off me.

So now I split things between "This works better when I'm not depressed" and "Save this for when I feel depressed". When I feel myself slipping into it I'm not afraid or disappointed anymore, I think "oh, I unexpectedly have temporary thick-skin super powers" and think through all the things that need doing that non-depressed me was scared of that depressed-me can get through no problem.

That shift was like a surfboard that let me ride that tidal wave and navigate until the season of dspression was over.

Instead of giving voice to your fears, doubts, and failures - let depression be a shield allowing you to fearlessly embark on edifying activities that will make life for future-you better! This depression WONT last forever, capitalize on the time you have left and pretty soon you'll find yourself not-depressdd and it will go back to the old routine!

Surfs up! See you on the beach :)

The truth is there are no real fixes in our lives. Everything gets worn down. This is pretty much a central concept in many philosophies and religions through the ages. Fighting burn out, re-energizing, being unsatisfied for while, being satisfied for a while, etc is just going to happen to you. Work with it. But don't be short sighted to think "Oh its my career, if I was instead $some_other_job_youll_hate, things would be perfect."

Personally, I follow a lifestyle of relatively low materialism and focus on engaging experiences instead of chasing products or salaries. This mostly translates into traveling instead of buying. There's no way to win this game, you can only occasionally step off it. I also find side creative side projects help as they take my mind off work and remove work from the "fulfillment" side of my life. Who cares about bullshit at work when I have a robot to build at home or when Im trying to finish the game I'm writing or the basement remodeling I'm planning.

I also have a lot of success with meditation, being slightly more compassionate and tolerant (even of things I know are wrong), and living a slower paced/low drama life. I try to think about the right things, not the default things. I try to not let the world get to me. I'm not often good at it, but at least I'm cognizant of trying. DFW talks a bit about this here if you're interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI

I found bringing these attitudes into my work life helped a lot. Its hard to explain, but I think when you get your ducks in a row in a general they naturally get in a row at work as well.

http://www.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depre...

> When only high-quality trials were included, exercise had only a small effect on mood that was not statistically significant.

> Exercise is moderately more effective than no therapy for reducing symptoms of depression.

> [...] The reviewers also note that when only high-quality studies were included, the difference between exercise and no therapy is less conclusive.