Asklemmy

Things that help me:

• Having a routine- every Sunday I walk into town and get a nice coffee/cake and read for a while and just be around people. If I stay inside for too long I will start to self isolate.

• Hobby- I go to a couple of choirs during the week. It helps me get out of the house and it's an activity that stops me dwelling on things. You're usually too busy focusing on the music to think of anything else. Singing also helps you regulate your breathing which is supposed to help with relaxation and sleeping.

• Spend time in or around nature, even if that's a pet. Being around green space can help ground you. Being around animals can be a massive boost. Go to the park with a book and spot dogs.

• Medication - this has helped me more than anything but isn't for everyone. I also had a few rounds of therapy but didn't get loads out of it, but it may well work for you.

Walks, in nature if possible, always immediately improve my mental health.

Go for a walk in a local park if you have one, maybe during the early morning or close to sunset (assuming you're in a city). Maybe also see about getting a bicycle.

Eat as well as you can (nutrient and protein wise) and drink water when you're thirsty. Forgo the soda pops and other things with too much sugar.

Focus on your breathing, and don't think. It's a little respite.

Forgive me, but I'm going to give you a "non-answer". The reason is that depression is very personal, and you should probably only get advice on your specific situation by a licensed therapist. Even a licensed therapist isn't good enough for some people, and they'll need to find the right therapist, and even then they may require medication.

With that out of the way, I'll tell you that you probably need to forgive yourself a bit more than you currently do. If you're high strung, rigid, and tend to be harsh with yourself for failure (which only makes depression worse, especially when you end up feeling down while beating yourself up over it), then the only way to break that cycle is to be genuinely forgiving with yourself. What some people have said is pretend it's not you in the situation, but a friend. What advice would you give that person?

A very smart man I know once told me that we tend to judge others based on their actions and outcomes, and ourselves based on our intentions. That means that if we didn't mean to hurt somebody then we can be a bit more dismissive than if somebody hurt us but didn't mean it. That said, it can also cut the other way. If you intended to succeed at something but didn't, you can beat yourself up over it. Nobody around you would be any the wiser about your shortcomings or failures, but you might be likely to draw attention to it and judge yourself harshly based on your (lack of) results.

I probably wrote this mostly for myself and my situation, but hopefully it helps you a bit. There's no plan for life. We just all do the best we can with the hand we're dealt in the situation we happen to be in at the time. Hell, most of people's success comes down to luck, not hard work. To make things worse, neither success nor money will make you more happy with yourself. They may help, but they won't do it on their own.

daily exercise, clean eating, daily meditation, quality sleep.

Therapy and medication.

You can obviously do things that will make you feel better, like going to the gym or practicing sports, but ultimately it comes down to treating a medical illness.

Sorry you are going through this. In the UK, the NHS recommends exercise as an effective way of help mild to moderate depression. You may hate the idea, it’s worked for me in the past. That can be as simple as going out for a short, brisk walk. I hope you get some relief soon.

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/clinical-depression/treatment/

Go hiking regularly

Everyone will recommend the same stuff to you over and over without asking if you've tried any of it before. The truth is, if you can get access to them, anti-depressants are pretty great. They aren't a magic solution, but they do make it manageable. Coping strategies and excersise only work if you are in a place to even get up and try it.

Keep busy. You can’t be depressed if you never stop moving.

Drugs