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[Kopenhagen]

Right, thought I would write this down here.

Share some of my experience and maybe help others. This will not go into depth, but if anyone would like to talk about more of this, feel free to contact me.

Background

For about a third of my life I had very serious depression. Two times it got to the point where I had to tell people not to leave me alone because I could not trust myself.

At that time I was also playing Eve, a lot. Basically it was pure escapism, something to do so that I did not have to think about real life. When things fell apart in game, I not only almost lost a friendship, but my real life problems could no longer be hidden from. At that point I received help from someone who, for the first time, did not coddle me, but helped me find solutions.

For the past 5 years I have been living without any serious symptoms. The chance of a relapse will always be there, but I had to take responsibility, spot the symptoms and do what needs to be done to avoid it becoming a problem. The key here is that I am living, not suffering from, not being debilitated. I don't even classify myself as depressive anymore, simply because it is not relevant as long as I manage it.

((I used medication for about a year to help keep my serotonin levels stable. The medication did not cure me, it only enabled me to do what needed to be done in order to live happily.))

The big 5

There are five physical things that I do that helps me keep my life balanced. They are well known, but since they seem to work so well, I will share a little of my experiences. I believe that these five things are non-negotiable. They might not be easy, but I believe they really help with living a quality life.

Once things are easier, you can start experimenting a little, see where you can cheat a little, but remember, a cheat should not become a habit.

1. Sleep

We ideally need between 7 and 8 hours sleep each night. My problem was that in order to avoid thinking, I went to bed later and later at night, and slept later and later during the day. When I woke up I felt rough, did not want to get up and had very little energy.

This is all due to how and when the brain produces serotonin, which makes you feel happy. It is basically a drug that gets produced when the sun is up, sleep too long and the production gets repressed. This makes it harder to get up and feel happy... see the cycle?

The sleep cycle is also one of the trickiest to fix, once out of sync. But the effects of a good sleep cycle has a major impact.

What I found that works is the following. Set and alarm, or two or five, out of reach from your bed for 6 or 7 in the morning. Basically, force yourself to get up, even if you only slept 3 hours the previous night. Keep doing this, day after day, and soon you will be so tired by 10 that you fall fast asleep!

Congratulations, you have started resetting your sleep cycle. Now just keep at it, and if you cheat once or twice, don't beat yourself up over it.

2. Eat right

We humans are complex machines and need to be fueled the right way, else we get messed up. Now I can go on forever about diet, so I will try to stick to the relevant things.

I believe my lack of understanding about the effect of your diet had a great impact on my depression escalating. When I was at university, at about 15:00 or 16:00 in the afternoon I would start to feel tired. In order to get more energy, I would drink a big, sweet coffee and eat a very sweet snack we have here in South Africa. Basically dough fried in syrup.

Of course, this gave my a quick blood sugar spike and a massive drop after. By the time I got home I was dead on my feet. I started feeling always tired and never awake and this had a massive impact on my mood.

Low blood sugar can easily be spotted, normally I start to feel tired, then very frustrated. I get warm all over, my vision becomes poor and I generally feel terrible - This is just chemistry and has nothing to do with your mood.

So blood sugar levels, it turns out, if rather a big deal. Instead of eating something sweet, you need to eat protein. And this is a common problem because your body feels like it craves sugar.

So, in order to keep blood sugar stable, you need to eat right.

The ideal is six meals a day. Yes, six. Within an hour of getting up in the morning, you need to eat. This will kick start your metabolism. Then, every three hours after you are supposed to eat again.  Portion sizes is normally protein the same amount as your hand palm and starch like your first. Don't forget vegetables with all their good minerals and vitamins.

This seems extreme, so another way to break it up is your normal three meals, plus three "snack" meals. Sneak meals is normally something like a yogurt, or some nuts, maybe some low fat crackers and cheese and bovril (if your country is freaky like that) or peanut butter. Any protein basically. This is a good time to add a banana or apple.

So, yes, protein is important, as I have mentioned. Just as important is eating good starch. Starch basically transforms into sugar in the body, so you want the good kinds. This means cutting down on refined starch and sugars. White bread, large potatoes, any refined sugar (I still like my honey) should all be avoided. Also try and stay away from stimulants, coffee, tea, alcohol. (Not for ever, mind, that would be inhuman - Just until everything is going smoothly)

Boiled baby potatoes, rice, good bread (whole wheat/rye), oats are all much better options.

A nice bonus to keeping your metabolism active is that it can help you lose weight. Since you are constantly burning energy. Skipping meals and then replacing them with one large meal basically tells the body to store all that energy since it believes food is scarce. And storing that energy does not make the next part easier.

3. Exercise

Yup, exercise releases endorphins, the best form of happiness you can get. They are so great, you can get addicted to them. (They are also what gets released during sex, amongst others)

What you do does not really matter, walking, running, swiming, going to the gym. It is all good. If you can manage a 30 - 45 min walk that raises your heart rate and gives you a bit of a sweat, you are doing great. Anything above that is a bonus. Do this at least four times a week and any time you feel down, and you should be right.

(Exercise has become another passion of mine, but now sticking to what is needed for the topic)

4. Work.

Doing something constructive each day makes you value that more, it feels less like a waste. Having a regular job is great for this, plus it helps with your routine. But if that is not the case, start by cleaning your room, washing dishes, fixing the gate. Anything that you can look and and feel proud about. Start small, work your way up.

5. See a person.

We humans are by nature, social creatures. Even introverts benefit from going out and being around other people. It does not have to be long, but going and grabbing a cup of coffee with a friend is a great start.

When I was at my worst, I rarely wanted to leave the house, but each time I did and actually saw my friends, I never wanted the night to end. Turned out they were really a better distraction than my being by myself.

If need be, find someone who shared a hobby or interest, join a group. Meet people at work. What ever works.

I found out the hard way that someone smiling to me in game is not as infectious as something smiling at me in real life. It has been proven that smiling raises our mood, and even just seeing someone smiling can make us feel better.

The Sixth

This does not fall under the normal advice, and is not a physical habit. I think my old Ghost Festival comrades will be all too familiar with this, and many on the forum will hate me for this, but it is basically the philosophy of HTFU.

Because of my personality and genes, I am rather sensitive to perceived loss. Especially in relation to people. Even just the thought of not seeing them again, got me down.

To combat this, and avoid general unconstructive thoughts, I started telling myself to HTFU any time I got sucked in by something unconstructive. I forced myself to look for the positive in things, even small things. A pretty sunset, the smell of steak, anything. By focusing on the negative, or even the fact that I had depression, I only anchored those feelings. That does not mean you can hide it away, you need to confront them and work through them. So I had to teach myself to focus on the positive, because then I started filtering for that.

Now anyone who knows me will be quick to point out that I am not exactly Mr. Happy-go-lucky-optimist, but at the same time there is very little that I allow to upset me. I simply cannot afford to be upset by small things.

In closing

I am not a medical expert, what I have written here was gained through experimentation and experience. As I said, I would be happy to discuss any of this, or just talk in general, should someone want to.

I can also give suggestions for food and meals should someone want them.

If this came across as harsh or arrogant in some instances, that was not my goal. I had to change my thinking on some levels to keep my depressant tendencies under control, and these are some of the side effects of that.

Lots of love,

Jude.

Edit: Some spelling and clarifications.

[Elmund Egivand]

I will put these into practice...except the part about meeting other people, because I can't stand people in the flesh. I tend to avoid talking and just go straight for the coffee.

[Vikarion]

I've never been actually depressed, I don't think, but this advice is generally healthy and worth considering. Personally, where I tend to fail is on the sleep side of things, where I just find going to sleep too boring to stand sometimes. On the eating side...yeah. My failure there tends to be occasionally skipping eating at all, and just drinking coffee. Fortunately, I don't like sweet things that much.

Although I haven't been depressed, from what I've read, it can be difficult to break out of. I respect your strength of will in accomplishing that, and your ability to speak openly about it.

[Ava Starfire]

* Ava Starfire hugs

Feels good to read someone else's experiences with this, not because of any sort of schädenfreude, but because it helps to know "Hey, other people go through this too." My rather severe issues with depression/bipolar disorder are pretty well known ((and my eternal apologies, and thanks, to those who put up with it, and me, during depressive cycles - you know who you are )) and it just helps a lot to be able to read something someone else has experienced and say "Hey, that's how I feel, too. Maybe it can get better?" Of course, the hard part is convincing yourself of that - in a nutshell, thank you so much for this. Maybe if/when the obamacare thing gets sorted, you know?

[Odelya]

The Big Five

Agreed! Yet the question is: When you are feeling bad, you do you activate the programme? It is often the lack of energy that makes it a vicious circle.

[Kopenhagen]

The Big Five

Agreed! Yet the question is: When you are feeling bad, you do you activate the programme? It is often the lack of energy that makes it a vicious circle.

Aye, starting is hard. But also rewarding. Since every step you take is something to reward yourself for. And each piece makes the rest easier.

It comes with the choice, do I want to feel better? If yes, you make the decision to put one of these things into place, followed by another. Seeing it as a mountain makes it hard, small steps is easier.

I now try to live according to these five things, doing them every day. But, since life is what it is, I sometimes wander a bit. However, I have gotten to know the first signs of something not being quite as it should be, and thus, soon as I feel these signs, I focus on doing that bit extra. I have decided not to go back to where I was, and thus putting in a little effort is an easy thing.

So to answer, the program is always there, I try to be preventative now, instead of waiting till I feel really bad.

[Repentence Tyrathlion]

Although I would not normally use the terms of myself, some people have commented that I have bipolar moments and I certainly am prone to depression when stressed.  I can attest to the importance of those five as useful levers.  For me, though, the greatest asset to get me out of bad places is sheer bloodyminded stubbornness.  Every case of note where I've pulled myself out of depression has essentially been fueled by raw aggravation and being unwilling to put up with my apathy and lack of motivation because hey, I've got better things to do with my life than sulk in a corner.

From what I understand, it's not a common skill, and I'm very grateful for having it.  My issues are rather less serious than for many as well, something else to be grateful for.

At the end of the day, I suppose, what it comes down to is number five.  More than anything else, a little human contact does wonders for reminding you that actually, the world isn't as terrible as all that, and there are people out there who care.

[Karmilla Strife]

Running has been my method of controlling the worst of my moods for the last few years. I can definitely vouch for exercise's efficacy at lessening the symptoms of anxiety and depression. I think one reason winters tend to be rough for me is it's too cold or icy to go for a proper run.

[Steffanie Saissore]

I've been dealing with depression for...25-ish years now. Some days I'm good, other times I'm not.

I was on meds for depression for a while and they worked most of the time, though found the side-effects to be rather disruptive in other things.

I know I can be doing things better, like sleeping more, eating better, and exercise and I can attest to how the lack of having a desire to get up and go makes it very hard to get started on anything.

For me, right now, that has helped the most in fighting off depression has been getting out, both in RL and online, and hanging out with people.  I run three table top games during the week, not necessarily to play the game but to be around other people and interact with them. I don't like being alone and it's probably one of the reasons why I hang out as much as I do in EVE when I am home.  The other thing that helps me is writing and doing something creative. Building imaginary worlds, characters, and scenes helps me most of the time.

Anyway, in short, I can do better to cope, but I've been pretty good of late in terms of mood and such.

[Odelya]

The Big Five

Agreed! Yet the question is: When you are feeling bad, you do you activate the programme? It is often the lack of energy that makes it a vicious circle.

Aye, starting is hard. But also rewarding. Since every step you take is something to reward yourself for. And each piece makes the rest easier.

It comes with the choice, do I want to feel better? If yes, you make the decision to put one of these things into place, followed by another. Seeing it as a mountain makes it hard, small steps is easier.

I now try to live according to these five things, doing them every day. But, since life is what it is, I sometimes wander a bit. However, I have gotten to know the first signs of something not being quite as it should be, and thus, soon as I feel these signs, I focus on doing that bit extra. I have decided not to go back to where I was, and thus putting in a little effort is an easy thing.

So to answer, the program is always there, I try to be preventative now, instead of waiting till I feel really bad.

Hey Jude (no pun intended),

I was reading your post again and I can only repeat how much I agree. And it applies not only for depressive people, but also for unstructured folks like me. Like two weeks ago I resumed one of my old habits: walking. I am writing my PhD in Tehran and the walking opportunities are just amazing here. Even if the whole day somehow wasn’t that nice, walking always gives you the feeling of having experienced something—your own body, but also seeing many things. I tend to walk around in northern neighbourhoods, always keen to discover something new.

Now I just ask myself how EVE fits into this. I wasn’t playing for over a year and I can’t say that I missed it much. When I resumed I was really enjoying it, sticked to my self-made rules (only after 21:00 of my local time, max. of 2 hours, then: books or something useful). Soon thereafter the initial pleasure-storm faded and I broke my rules. So now I am tricking myself into checking the market after breakfast, logging in long before 21:00. Times passes quickly. And it is not something which I truly seem to experience in a self-aware sense. One hour or walking gives me more than three hours of playing.

EVE is a hobby and it isn’t “useful”, and it is my right and wish to do something not “useful”, because I am not a calvinistic work machine. If only it wouldn’t escalate so quickly.

Hmm. Note to myself: Stick to your rules again, guy!

Best,
Odelya

[Seriphyn]

I am not diagnosed with anything, which I find curious since I often suffer from symptoms of depression during periods of inactivity. Right now, I attribute this to Unemployed Syndrome rather than an actual disorder; my job as an air linguist in the USAF doesn't start for a while now, so been looking for a job. Even if it was depression, if I went out of my way to diagnose it, my chances in the USAF would be damaged. Another thing that makes me reluctant to seek any diagnosis is that from my understanding, one who is depressed is depressed all the time. When I hang out with family and friends, I feel fine. I'm very easy to cheer up as well. And when I get a routine going, I'm pretty confident I'll never have these thoughts again.

However, as Jude has alluded to if I'm reading it right, being happy in the presence of friends can be normal even if diagnosed with depression. At any rate, I try not to think I am "depressed" because a) tough guy, so many people are diagnosed with it...YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, so you should avoid diagnosis! And a less irrational b) I do not want to consider being sad and bored the same as clinically depressed. Is it over diagnosed? What do you achieve by diagnosing yourself with it, when you've taken steps to alleviate it? (USAF I feel will definitely be in my element once the DEP is over)

Sorry if that's confused. Just curious as to people's thoughts on "being sad vs being depressed". It's a bit political as well, thinking doctors will make money through the medication. Even in the UK, doctors get bonuses for every prescription, so I hear. I don't hold this up as a rational belief.

Great post btw, Jude. That's exactly the same approach I've been using, so I can vouch for its effectiveness! But I learnt something new with that blood sugar and selatonin stuff though.

[Kala]

Just curious as to people's thoughts on "being sad vs being depressed".

A question of scale/severity I think. Being sad for no reason on a regular basis.  Being sad when the things that used to give you joy, don't.  They don't actually make you feel anything.   Sadness and boredom that is debilitating and crushing, because there's no point to anything. Having a negative effect on your day-to-day ability to function (or...not functioning at all).  Suicidal thoughts may also be a factor.

But not a doctor  Just thoughts on sad vs depressed.

Allie Brosh did a couple of comics on depression that just seems to nail it for me - especially part 2.

Adventures in Depression http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html
Depression Part 2 http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

[Kopenhagen]

I am not diagnosed with anything, which I find curious since I often suffer from symptoms of depression during periods of inactivity. Right now, I attribute this to Unemployed Syndrome rather than an actual disorder; my job as an air linguist in the USAF doesn't start for a while now, so been looking for a job. Even if it was depression, if I went out of my way to diagnose it, my chances in the USAF would be damaged. Another thing that makes me reluctant to seek any diagnosis is that from my understanding, one who is depressed is depressed all the time. When I hang out with family and friends, I feel fine. I'm very easy to cheer up as well. And when I get a routine going, I'm pretty confident I'll never have these thoughts again.

However, as Jude has alluded to if I'm reading it right, being happy in the presence of friends can be normal even if diagnosed with depression. At any rate, I try not to think I am "depressed" because a) tough guy, so many people are diagnosed with it...YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, so you should avoid diagnosis! And a less irrational b) I do not want to consider being sad and bored the same as clinically depressed. Is it over diagnosed? What do you achieve by diagnosing yourself with it, when you've taken steps to alleviate it? (USAF I feel will definitely be in my element once the DEP is over)

Sorry if that's confused. Just curious as to people's thoughts on "being sad vs being depressed". It's a bit political as well, thinking doctors will make money through the medication. Even in the UK, doctors get bonuses for every prescription, so I hear. I don't hold this up as a rational belief.

Great post btw, Jude. That's exactly the same approach I've been using, so I can vouch for its effectiveness! But I learnt something new with that blood sugar and selatonin stuff though.

Ok, you touched on a few things I would like to comment on. (Also, this is not commentary on Bi-polar. All I know about that is what I have read and been told. But some have shared here who live with bi-polar and I thank them)

Perhaps just a little bit on how depression progresses. Basically when you feel down for a while; due to change of season; some trauma; lack of activity; or any of the causes, your "happiness level" settles at this new standard. Which is a little bit lower than that norm. Each time you feel down again, this level drops. And a new standard gets set. Thus your happiness level keeps dropping, till the point that it becomes very difficult to actually feel happy at all.

So, depression can come in various degrees of severity, and get worse and better. At a light degree, many people might hardly notice and it might only be for a while before they return to their normal levels. So yes, you can have a light degree of depression, that is controlled by various factors.

For instance, even though looking back I had many of the symptoms of depression at school, I was also very active and had good friends. This probably helped me control my depression, in that it never became a problem. It was only after leaving school, going over-seas and becoming rather stagnant, that it became more prominent. Then I returned home, and all was well again for a year and a half. Studies, new friends, actual sun (Not that pained thing in the British sky) all helped. When all that wore off and I became used to studies, it became the worst it ever was.

I think many people might have a light degree of depression at some point during their lives, and it will get better without them noticing.

Now, I like your positive spirit, but I just want to add that depression is an illness and has nothing to do with how tough you are. Just like getting cancer or the flu has little to do with how tough you are. However, unlike those two examples it can be beaten and prevented. The only people really immune to depression are sociopaths/psychopaths, from what I understand. Though even those terms are rather vague and over used these days.

Learning to live with depression was possibly the hardest thing I have had to do in my life. Just coming to the decision that I don't want the illness to control my life anymore, was very hard. The rest was actually quite easy after that. I think I am all the tougher for it.

I am always weary of self diagnosis, especially for a first diagnosis. It can easily lead someone to place themselves in a little box, and have them start living in the confines of that box. Which can lead to a false diagnosis becoming real. Saying that, I now know my symptoms, as I have explained, and thus know how to counter them. This does not mean we should not listen to ourselves or ignore symptoms or indications of depression, it just means that if you feel you might have depression, talk to someone who knows the subject. Get external input from those who know you well. Double check.

As for being sad versus being depressed, that is a difficult debate. One does not necessarily include or exclude the other when it is moderate or only for a short period of time. I was never truly "sad", I just lacked motivation and often just felt useless and as if there was no future. But it was not the same emotion as when I am "sad". Though I now tend to stay away from certain movies and music when I am not quite in the mood to deal with the emotions they evoke.

I did find that self pity and sympathy from others did not serve me well, it became a reason to not do anything for fear of losing those. However, support and understanding made it easier when I could not cope anymore, and decided to fix things. In the end, I had to take responsibility for getting better and staying better. No-one else could have done it for me.

Jude.

Kala posted while I was typing this. Those comics are very good. I think it differs a little for all people.

[Lyn Farel]

I am not diagnosed with anything, which I find curious since I often suffer from symptoms of depression during periods of inactivity. Right now, I attribute this to Unemployed Syndrome rather than an actual disorder; my job as an air linguist in the USAF doesn't start for a while now, so been looking for a job. Even if it was depression, if I went out of my way to diagnose it, my chances in the USAF would be damaged. Another thing that makes me reluctant to seek any diagnosis is that from my understanding, one who is depressed is depressed all the time. When I hang out with family and friends, I feel fine. I'm very easy to cheer up as well. And when I get a routine going, I'm pretty confident I'll never have these thoughts again.

However, as Jude has alluded to if I'm reading it right, being happy in the presence of friends can be normal even if diagnosed with depression. At any rate, I try not to think I am "depressed" because a) tough guy, so many people are diagnosed with it...YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, so you should avoid diagnosis! And a less irrational b) I do not want to consider being sad and bored the same as clinically depressed. Is it over diagnosed? What do you achieve by diagnosing yourself with it, when you've taken steps to alleviate it? (USAF I feel will definitely be in my element once the DEP is over)

Sorry if that's confused. Just curious as to people's thoughts on "being sad vs being depressed". It's a bit political as well, thinking doctors will make money through the medication. Even in the UK, doctors get bonuses for every prescription, so I hear. I don't hold this up as a rational belief.

Great post btw, Jude. That's exactly the same approach I've been using, so I can vouch for its effectiveness! But I learnt something new with that blood sugar and selatonin stuff though.

There is psychological depression, and chronic physical depression due to biochemistry, which is totally different afaik.

I had a friend that used to live a perfectly cheerful life, but had periods of time (measured in intervals of 6 months usually) where he was just unable to get out of bed and was totally devastated all day. That's not just feeling bad because of sudden external factors.

I don't know much on the subject, but seeing what he had to go through...

[Nicoletta Mithra]

Clinical Depression is, in fact, a syndrome - which means it is constituded by a number out of a greater number of symptomps that have been lumped together for the reasons that a) they are oftentimes encountered together and b) are quite similar in the therapy that is employed to treat them. In how far depression is purely caused by psychological factors versus biochemical causes is oftentimes impossible to determine, as psychological factors Change eventually brain chemistry and brain chemistry has obviously impact on tha Psyche. Both are in the end interrelated with one another.

What People oftendon't realize, in my experience, is that Depression isn't simply a state in which you feel sad, or feel sad for no apparent reason. While it is oftentimes characterized as "a pervasive and persistent low mood which is accompanied by low self-esteem and by a loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities" (Wikipedia) this doesn't mean that someone who suffers from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) feels by necessity sad.

I for one had quite the major depression about four years ago and I can't say I did feel sad at all. In fact My mood was so low and damped that I couldn't really say that I felt anything at all. The scope of apable to experience was limited to the survival programs popularly associated with brain stem and Cerebellum. I felt a need to eat, though I was not hungry, I felt the other bodily needs, though I couldn't relate to them as little as to the need for food. I didn't sleep for two weeks, for though I felt that I Need sleep, it meant nothing to me. Then my doc put me into a clinic and they made me sleep with morphines. People in the clinic told me that the first two weeks I was like a zombie - and in retrospect I think they were right, thoug I'm sure it was not dur to the morphines. I was functioning on a basic level, but what made me really human and alive was not working anymore. I wasn't even thinking about suicide or something, because it didn't matter to me whether I was dead or alive and I didn't feel anything anyway. I was able to read, mechanically, but unable to take in the propositional content of what I read. (Being an Academic at heart, reading is what makes my world and I tested before the dpression as 5% slower reading as a normal Reader but taking in twice as much of the information of a text. Interestingly, I read with normal speed while deep in Depression but took in none of the content.) Suicidal thoughts only came, when I started to feel again - and I swear feeling really bad felt much better than not Feeling, not being able to relate to myself or anything outside myself for the matter in any sensible and meaningful way.

As to your big five, Jude, I tend to agree in general. But let's have a look at them in particular:

1. Sleep

There are some deviances in length of sleep time between People. I myself found that I need more 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night. I can also deal much better with staying up longer than getting up earlier, as Long as I get up at around 9 am. I can't sleep before 24:00, unless I had a day packed with physical activity. And then, usually I still sleep until 8 at least. So, I think it's important that one finds out what ones sleep times actually are, in regard to fighting ones depression.


2. Food

I never had much issues with Food. If I'm Feeling good, I eat what I like to eat, but I tend to naturally eat well balanced. I prefer fresh fruits over sugar stuff and love having little Snacks in between my meals. I eat when I'm hungry and, since the Depression, I do stop when I'm not anymore, naturally, when before I would have had more because I liked the Food so much. (Also, I got some weight, which is good imho, as I have been quite Slim before, even though I certainly had more than enough food.)

What's good about regular Food times and even more than three is that it can give your day structure and helps to establish a Routine. that's, for me though, more a psychological factor than a dietary one.

3. Exercise

I'm honestly not an exercise person. I hate exercising for the sake of it and I don't do it, in General. Still, physcial activity is important to my emotional Balance and well being. I like to walk or take the cycle where others take the car and that is more or less enough for me, as I easily get your recommended 30-45 minutes of physical activity a day.

4. Work

Doing something constructive is quite important, I think. For me, living amongst papers that are mostly digital, doing my own ones mainly digitally and working a lot on the computer, I found out that it is important to do something which I can see and take into my own Hands at the end of the day. This might be as simple as printing out what I wrote on the PC, but it's better if it's a few hundreds of Spiders determined, carefully stored and labeled, or having cleand up the bathroom. If everything else fails, I do a painting or do something artsy and creative. I do paintings, for example, or scientific sketches.

5. Social activities

Certainly quite important. Though for me, there are times at which I first Need some time for myself. What is important is to know how much time I really Need for myself and to cut it and go out once I had this time - and not staying alone and gloomy in bed once I had it because everything feels meh. Once the appropriate time of loneliness and gloom has been had, it's time to call a friend, have something really yummy to eat and get past the gloom. Still for me it's quite important for me to allow me being gloomy all alone for myself - I didn't do that before the MDD episode I had and I'm sure that's part of why I went into depression.

That said, I agree - in the end one should get out and see a person. I guess that's your point here.

I think though, for me there have been a few things that were fundamental to being able to achieve the changes in behaviour to live according to these five rules:

a) Singing.

I'm not a particularly musical person, but I like to sing (though not the best at it). I think that singing is really great because it achieves a lot of things. First, one experiences oneself. Second, one can express emotions with singing quite greatly. Third, one can evoke emotions by singing quite greatly. I think this is superior to simply listening because one is involved more directly, is not just a passive recipient. All human cultures, the greek, the ancient east, the ancient chinese and the people of Australia and the Americas valued the harmonizing qualities music in general and song in particular has. to me sining is an effective method of expressing myself when needed and to Change my mood when needed. Singing is to me a self-healing practice.

b) Philosophy.

To me, philosophy has become a powerful tool to adjust myself on the long term. While singing is how I get myself in harmony here and now and how to deal with my emotions, philosophy prepares me mentally, allows me to work on bad habits I have effectively, correct them and harmonize my thoughts and priorities. Working out my mental dissonances was quite important to me and while modern philosophers do little in that regard nowadays, leaving it to the psychologists, ancient philosophy which - I Claim - always has also a therapeutical Goal, especially in ethics, was to me quite the addition to psychotherapy.

c) Spirituality.

Jung said, if psychotheraphy fails, there is still hope in turning to spirituality. It's hard to describe, but I feel there is truth in that. I was spiritual before my major depressive episode, but when I started to study biology I came into an environment that was - and is - vocally atheistic and oftentimes evangelically so. Trying to be what that Environment hailed as being a 'good biologist and scientist' I tried to live as Atheist, supressing my spiritual feelings, experiences and abandoning my practice. While having had an Atheist phase before that in life, but that time that I can only describe in retrospect as one in wich I was forced to atheism and spiritual desolation by the peer pressure I experienced, was not comparable to that. There's a difference to me if one is forced to adopt a world view or if one chooses. Everyone should be free to choose a world view that is healthy for themselves. Also, to me being an agnostic theist of the Aristotelian type allows me to experience me and the world in a way that I feel to be  fuller, more encompassing as well as more thrilling than naturalistic atheism ever could. The latter just doesn't offer the perspectives that allow me to see the world in the fascinating light that the former offers. The former though allows me to make all the experiences I could make as naturalistic atheist. Mind, though this is not aimed to make an argument about the superiority of one world view over the other. The point is that, from a perspective of the health of our psyche, I think, we need to adopt a worldview, that allows us to make the world- and self-experiences that allow us to maintain that health.

For me it was certainly a more spiritual worldview than our - in my experience - so often technocratic society demands.

One could say that singing is for me caring for my emotional me, philosophy for my intellectual me and spirituality about being me.