Un-used bounty reclamation service:

all of these things are basically free except for the omega-3 supplements which cost tens of cents per day:
https://tlc.ku.edu/elements
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_Lifestyle_Change_(depression_treatment)

Anecdotal from a friend w/diagnosed depression: aerobic exercise - they jogged on a treadmill for maybe 45m most days, and said their depression was decently worse when they skipped it for too long - such that they treated it as not really a choice.

Anecdotal from me - I don't have depression, but in the past, a period of feeling more down than usual coincided with a test establishing Vitamin D deficiency. Since then I just assume that I'm always on the edge of deficiency (approximately true for most people in my demographic I think), and supplement Vitamin D when I notice crappy mood, haven't done a controlled trial or anything but I think it helps. Evidence in the literature is weak. I also rate aerobic exercise highly (as distinct from resistance exercise, which I think spikes my cortisol and this affects my sleep and is a mixed bag for mood).

A low-cost intervention for improving sleep and therefore mood is to wear an eye mask when sleeping, if your room is anything other than pitch black during your sleeping hours.

All from my own experience:

1. Set up little hacks for the times when you have no energy to take care of your basic needs.

   1. Drink Soylent or some other meal replacement shake when you need a zero prep meal.

   2. If you shower at night, get into soft outside clothes instead of pajamas, so that you wake up already dressed.

   3. Get a haircut so that you don’t have to brush your hair.

   4. Wear solid color clothes and black socks so that you don’t have to worry about if you’re matching.

2. Set minuscule goals. Do the tiniest task. Stop. Celebrate the mini wins. Make incremental progress your motto.

3. Did anyone mention a SAD lamp/lightbox? Google SSC’s thorough write-up on them.

4. Do your best to only lie in bed at night. I know it’s hard, but you need to train your mind to associate bed exclusively with sleep. Designate some other place (couch? carpet?) as your daytime cozy spot.

When I get depressed, and others too, I let my hygiene slip. Becomes a self reinforcing issue with scruffy hair leading to feeling worse and so on

I finally asked my wife to cut my hair yesterday. Then I shaved with a razor. Making a commitment to myself to get a hair trim every 3 weeks, and shave at least 3 times a week. Wife will help keep me accountable.

So make a small achievable commitment to accomplish a goal and have someone assist you and hold you accountable.

Mental health professional w 15 yr exp as therapist. 5 yr research experience. Life long struggle w depression

If you're an older male, TRT and lifting

If ADHD hits you, Ritalin prescription can be gotten after online diagnosis

If you feel powerless, try to get some power by starting a social group based on a skill you have

Also: go where you're wanted. Evaluate every place you go for how much people there want you there. Cut the lower spots and go to the upper ones more.

I recommend commiting to play pickleball every single day at a local park. Benefits: 1) you'll become much fitter and sleep better. 2) You'll know lots of locals at all stages of life, from students, uni, early adult, married w/kids, mature, retired, etc. It is remarkably balancing to see people wherever they are, all working and getting out there to try things, and get out of your immediate circle. If you keep at it you can also make friends with them. They will be locals so may know useful things for you (nearby beautiful & hidden spots, ways to get ahead, etc.) 3) People will know, care about, and greet you. You'll have a place where you are not alone and have something to take your mind off of everything. And you'll know you are absolutely doing something to take care of yourself, keep yourself stronger and mentally and physically healthy. 4) it'll cultivate your competitive spirit, concentration, etc.

Nearly every park has pickleball now. I started playing every day, and despite major negative changes in life, I am happier than ever, after getting the habit of playing every day for about 3 months.

My steps to get started now would be

1) buy a paddle on amazon

2) go to a court in the morning around 8am, stand around on the edge watching people, say hello

3) look for an older or friendly group of people, maybe retired, or playing for fun and greeting people. ideally they're playing and as people come in, they say hello, people come off and swap out and mix together to play in different groups. also it's good if they're not super intense and killer, etc. more like 50-70 years old, or else young and new players

4) if they seem nice, say hello and ask how things work at this court. if they want, you'd love to learn; if they seem busy or tired of you, just say you'll take a break and look for another chance

5) if you show up every day for a week you'll have basic skills, will be super sore and tired and sleep better, and be on your way to making a group of people who know you and will greet you. if you're feeling bad at home, you can just get out into the air and sun and move your body and feel much better. and if there is a nice person there to greet you, it's much easier to get out. If you get through the first basic skills learning, you can always play. It's such a great feeling now to show up and everyone says hi, pulls me into the game, partners with me, and we have fun.

At a big pickleball spot, there are usually groups like this: 1) sets who come together - usually bad, but usually 4 who don't want to meet people, maybe work mates or a friend group. hard to break in.

2) intense people

3) retired/friendly/mixing people - this is the group you want. They're all learning, mainly social, and can be very nice. If you just say "hi, how does getting a court or playing work here?" they'll tell you about the court system (reservations/free play/etc). And if you say it's your first time, if they're nice, they may teach you. This will only happen if it's not busy. if it's super busy it's hard to learn this way. You'd be better off coming early in the morning before many people are up, so it's more relaxed.

If you go at the same time every day you will become known in about 4-5 days and people will gradually know your name. Just say hi, try to improve, don't apologize a ton, just think about hitting the ball well, and be friendly, don't get mad. it's okay, everyone is bad at first.

For me, I had to start exercise for serious health reasons, so I had in mind the belief "I must do exercise every day" which got me over the first few tough tries to get mixed in. Once I had been going for about 2 weeks, the habit was really solid and I've been going daily for months now and won't stop. Now I know tons of people at my local courts. Good luck!

EPA supplementation: fish oil is a mixture of EPA and DHA. This study finds that fish oil supplementation with a high proportion of EPA improves depression, while a high proportion of DHA doesn't: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0515-5

I take 1000mg daily of EPA only, for a cost of about £10/month.

Gratitude journalling: every day, write down something that you're grateful for. This is a fairly common recommendation and I'm sure you can find some science about it – whether it would be good quality science or not, I don't know.

And I'll add my own personal twist: pride journalling. If you have a problem with negative self-image it might be more valuable to write down one thing that you're proud of having done each day. This is something that I've personally found more helpful than gratitude journalling. I haven't heard of other people doing this so there might not be any scientific literature on it.

Vitamin D via supplements + sunlight exposure. Stop doing drugs (yes even marijuana) as most of them don’t help at best, and actively harm at worst. They are time consuming and will prevent you from consciously working on yourself and improving your life situation. Use that time to join a hiking group or exercise.

Physical exercise is HIGHLY underrated for how much it helps with depression.

There are drugs, such as ketamine, that can help BUT ONLY when administered in a medical setting for the specific purpose of helping with depression, after being prescribed them. Don’t just go out there and start doing ketamine.

Dance, spend time outside, preferably in nature. Talk to at least one person each day.

What's helped for me (I have persistent depression that tends to be just shy of "major" most of the time when untreated):

• Vitamin D supplements, especially in the winter (may not help much if you already get a lot of sunlight)

• Therapy, specifically CBT and trauma-focused therapy*

• Citalopram, an SSRI*

• Bupropion, an atypical antidepressant/non-stimulant ADHD medication*

• Regular sleep schedule (easier said than done)

• Showering at least close to daily

What I think might help me later:

• Psychedelic drugs, particularly ketamine* and/or DMT**

• "I'unno, maybe get a kitten?"***

*cheap if you have health insurance

**no idea how cheap this is

***not cheap but still worth

Exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve your mood and reduce depressive symptoms. Some doctors are actually starting to prescribe it as part of treatment.

Meditation has been immensely helpful for me.

Sam Harris has an app called Waking Up with a 30 day introductory course that guides you through everything and is all free unless you choose to pay.

I didn't start to notice the benefits till about a week in but after that it made a huge difference in my ability to deal with overwhelming emotions and just generally feel so much better.

Here's a link for a free 30 days (after which you can choose to pay or request a free 6 months):

https://dynamic.wakingup.com/shareOpenAccess/SC8760A3C

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1mTELoj6o&ab_channel=CGPGrey

7 Ways to Maximize Misery 😞

Adapted from How to Be Miserable by Randy J. Paterson PhD: https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Miserable-Strategies-Already/dp/1626254060/VERY IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: ...

CGPGrey did an amazing video about this subject a while back that's really influenced the way I view depression, mental health and happiness. If you haven't already watched it, you should. One of the biggest actionable tenets provided in the video that have made the biggest impact on me is improving one's sleep.

Sleep:

After reading "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker, PhD, I've come to realize the tremendous importance sleep has for our mental and physical health. So much of our brain and body's means of maintaining stability and wellness is regulated by our sleep patterns. Sleep helps our emotional regulation, maintains our immune system and our ability to make rational, logical decisions. All of these factors affect out mental health and can help with alleviating some symptoms of clinical depression. I can tell you just out of anecdotal evidence that the worst periods of my life were correlated with extremely bad sleep behaviour. When I talk about sleep, I don't just mean 7-8 hours a day, but regular, consistent sleep. This means going to bed and waking up at the same time, every day. If you from mental health issues such as depression, fixing your sleep, along with other good tips such as physical exercise, socialization and improved diet, can be a powerful aid.