It’s very difficult, and in the end, it comes down to finding things that work for you, but in my experience, doing it “on my own” is virtually impossible. Humans need social interaction and often help, especially when battling with mental illness. That being said, there are some things that help most people.

1. Exercise - you don’t need to run a marathon or lift free weights, but any kind of exercise, including walking, can have a big boost on mental health. If you can, working up a sweat can help release more endorphins (and also helps motivate me to take a shower when I’m struggling with hygiene).

2. Sleep - prioritize getting good sleep. This has a huge effect on your mental health, and lack of sleep makes intrusive thoughts more difficult to ignore. If you suffer from suicidal ideation, this can be very beneficial. It can also help set up a routine for exercise, hygiene, etc. if you have more consistent bed and awake times.

3. Eating healthy- this is hard, because often when depressed we go for unhealthy foods, which make us feel bad, so we eat more of them and it perpetuates the cycle. If you really struggle with this start by making small changes - find a fruit or vegetable you genuinely enjoy and start incorporating more into your diet. Learning some basic cooking skills can also make healthy eating more enjoyable.

4. reduce drug and alcohol use (if any) - these can be excellent short term solutions, but will often make you feel worse in the long run

5. find someone to talk to - online resources help, but there’s no substitute for genuine in person (or over the phone) interaction. This can be harder said than done if you’re older or in an area where it’s hard to meet people. Support groups are also excellent- there’s something very empowering about being surrounded by folks experiencing the same challenges you do every day.

6. practice gratitude- take some time every day to thing of things you are genuinely thankful for. Supposedly, the brain can’t think or negative things while you are thinking of positive ones. Even if that’s not true, taking time to appreciate the good things in your life (even if it’s something small like your morning coffee) can help redirect your thought process.

Lastly, understand you can do all the “right” things to battle depression and still be depressed. No amount of exercise or vegetables will suddenly make you better - you will likely still have bad days. That’s why, for me, it’s important to have people I know I can call and talk to (my brother being a big one right now). We don’t even really talk, I just call him and cry talk for a bit and eventually it doesn’t hit so hard.

Give yourself some credit for all the bad days you’ve been through- if you weren’t strong, you wouldn’t have made it this far. Good luck! I’m rooting for you!

My recommendation is either The Grand Budapest Hotel or Moonrise Kingdom. Both by Wes Anderson, and probably his two best films. Excellent director with a very distinct visual style.

I’m confused. Are you implying I’m a hateful conservative? Or that by virtue of being in this space, I’m attracting hateful conservatives to me?

I’ve gotten a disturbing number of messages on grindr from men that are hard core right wing, yet are on a gay dating app. The level of hate, ignorance, and cognitive dissonance is unprecedented. And it’s all fueled by highly addictive apps, and pumped at unimaginable scales thanks to AI.

I hate to say it, but I think this really is the end.

To my knowledge, proteins can start to denature at 104F, depending on the protein and other factors like pH. Around 106F, proteins in the brain will start to denature, regardless of other factors.

Also, at a high enough level (104 F), the proteins in your brain start to denature, which leads to death.

Weird, that’s also the only thing my Politic Science degree has ever gotten me!

My cat is a tabby and does this exact thing with his paw. Feels like love.

Wait until you learn about the Honored Matres.

One of her symbols is an 8-pointed star. I like to wear one as a necklace as a low key way to display my pride and still be safe.

This guy Jorchs.

Better yet, Luthor has Batson in his entourage, so everyone thinks Captain Marvel is rolling at his side all the time. Until Batman realizes it’s just… Billy Batson.

As a trans girl, I get a lot of interest from other trans girls, so it checks out for me.

America - where you can get any kind of fast food you want, as long as it’s a hamburger.

-Neil Gaimen

I don’t use Linux, but I love penguins, and I want to chill with this Lil guy

I could, but when I get a generic message from a blank profile, I just make fun of them instead.

Correct

Grindr. Cause I’m sure you want to see the ads, lol

As long as they aren’t getting medical advice from you, I’m good with it.

No, like my initial comment said, number and types of partners are important, as are your partners’ partners.

If you actually read my comment, you can see I’m trying to get people to look past the stigma and actually determine what kinds of risks they have and make safer sex decisions accordingly.

PrEP can have some uncomfortable side effects, and not everyone is able to tolerate it. There are very, very few things in healthcare that we can say “everyone” in a certain cohort should do, and PrEP is no exception.

Your response, which characterizes my post as misinformation, is inaccurate, as I have shown, but I do appreciate the chance to talk about sex and try to normalize it as part of the healthcare discussion 😊