I think one of the problems is like if you have t experienced it, it’s hard to know what it’s like _and_ ironically we don’t talk enough about how sort of traumatic regular life can be.

Not in a terminally online like psych speak trauma dumping kind of way, but just a pragmatic this is what pain can feel like kind of way.

When I was a teen I had severe can’t get out of bed, suicidal ideation kind of depression.

As an adult, I still have moments, but it’s a few hours every six months. I think many people experience this a few or even many times in their life, and if you have a low point you can think people who are really deep into depression are just having a low point.

Right now, I’m sort of in the headspace where I’d declare diet and exercise as panaceas because they are fundamentally where I am right now; but I know they’re not because of where I’ve been before.

That all being said I think two things about what this person wrote.

1: less than half of therapists have never talked to their patients about exercise, so we’re not starting from zero.

2: trying to have some structured guidance around it isn’t bad assuming, I think as the author did that you’re not saying 100% exercise over therapy and medication.

That said, I think therapy is probably the write place to put this. Just that therapy can include exercise as one of its mechanisms. I’m not sure you’d want a third thing, because if you’re truly trying to treat depression severe enough to need professiobal help, it should be under the supervision of a mental health professional.