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> Sleep, eat well, keep active. Nothing about that advice is dangerous except if the response to "I tried, but it doesn't work for me" is "your depression make

> Sleep, eat well, keep active. Nothing about that advice is dangerous except if the response to "I tried, but it doesn't work for me" is "your depression makes it even harder, but that is literally irrelevant". Your parent post didn't leave enough room for "try something else, but don't forget these once you're fit enough".

Swizec 9y ago
> except if the response to "I tried, but it doesn't work for me" is "your depression makes it even harder, but that is literally irrelevant" In my experience dealing with depressed people, me included, there’s a huge spectrum in what “tried” means. Doing it once won’t help much. Forcing yourself to consistently do it every day for 2 years? Now we’re talking. If after 2 years of doing things that are known to up your spirits in at least some segment of the population every day you still don’t see absolutely any results, then you get to say it doesn’t work. After all, you wouldn’t expect antidepressants to work unless you take them every day. If you’re on meds and some days you feel like taking them and others you don’t, and you actually follow that schedule. Do you expect those meds to work? It’s not the trying and it not working that doesn’t matter. It’s the not feeling like doing things that doesn’t matter. Gotta do it anyway. Whether it's exercise, taking meds, or going to therapy. If you don't do it, it can't help.
- eradicatethots 9y ago
  So did you try Rust for two years before deciding it didn’t help you? Your position on these things is across the board absurd >if you’re on meds ... Have you considered that the people in this thread saying it doesn’t work aren’t just saying “it’s hard”? 67% of college kids are suffering acute anxiety, is 67% of the college populations only problem a lack of excercise? Your insistence on these things is frustrating and obnoxious. The people who called you insensitive have very good cause, I hope that doesn’t make you proud. Also, is discipline even a good thing? Do you think cave men said “well I have to hunt 5 hours a day...”? Probably not, or we wouldn’t have agriculture. Discipline seems like a substitute for ludditetism. Also! Advice like this live and die by how hard they are to follow. If your advice is so hard to follow for te depressed that they won’t do it, it’s much harder to be proven wrong. Sorry to rant but this advice is upsetting to me.
  - Swizec 9y ago
    > Have you considered that the people in this thread saying it doesn’t work aren’t just saying “it’s hard”? Yes I have. My attitude is probably influenced by personal experience in dealing with depressed people. So far every time I’ve been observing someone long term, and they said “it doesn’t work”, they rarely kept at it for more than a month at a time here and there. It is possible that everyone in this thread is different and kept at it for a long time consistently and it didn’t help. And I never said “only exercise”, I said Do Things. Hang out with people, work on projects, make art, enjoy friends, go to a bar, see a movie, travel. Whatever as long as you’re not sitting on the couch giving in to your depression. > this advice is upsetting to me People I love sitting on the couch rotting from depression is upsetting to me.
    - Mz 9y ago
      Please stop this. I have a genetic disorder. It was not properly diagnosed until I was nearly 36 years old. So, I spent the first 36 years of my life hearing that I was just lazy and not trying hard enough. You being unable to fix someone else by brilliantly suggesting what worked for you is not definitive evidence that they simply aren't trying hard enough. That underlying attitude is monstrously arrogant and insulting to other people. The world does not revolve around you. You being upset because someone else is "sitting on the couch rotting" does not give you the right to harangue people until they prove your pet theory correct that they just need to try harder.

Swizec 9y ago

> except if the response to "I tried, but it doesn't work for me" is "your depression makes it even harder, but that is literally irrelevant" In my experience dealing with depressed people, me included, there’s a huge spectrum in what “tried” means. Doing it once won’t help much. Forcing yourself to consistently do it every day for 2 years? Now we’re talking. If after 2 years of doing things that are known to up your spirits in at least some segment of the population every day you still don’t see absolutely any results, then you get to say it doesn’t work. After all, you wouldn’t expect antidepressants to work unless you take them every day. If you’re on meds and some days you feel like taking them and others you don’t, and you actually follow that schedule. Do you expect those meds to work? It’s not the trying and it not working that doesn’t matter. It’s the not feeling like doing things that doesn’t matter. Gotta do it anyway. Whether it's exercise, taking meds, or going to therapy. If you don't do it, it can't help.

eradicatethots 9y ago
So did you try Rust for two years before deciding it didn’t help you? Your position on these things is across the board absurd >if you’re on meds ... Have you considered that the people in this thread saying it doesn’t work aren’t just saying “it’s hard”? 67% of college kids are suffering acute anxiety, is 67% of the college populations only problem a lack of excercise? Your insistence on these things is frustrating and obnoxious. The people who called you insensitive have very good cause, I hope that doesn’t make you proud. Also, is discipline even a good thing? Do you think cave men said “well I have to hunt 5 hours a day...”? Probably not, or we wouldn’t have agriculture. Discipline seems like a substitute for ludditetism. Also! Advice like this live and die by how hard they are to follow. If your advice is so hard to follow for te depressed that they won’t do it, it’s much harder to be proven wrong. Sorry to rant but this advice is upsetting to me.
- Swizec 9y ago
  > Have you considered that the people in this thread saying it doesn’t work aren’t just saying “it’s hard”? Yes I have. My attitude is probably influenced by personal experience in dealing with depressed people. So far every time I’ve been observing someone long term, and they said “it doesn’t work”, they rarely kept at it for more than a month at a time here and there. It is possible that everyone in this thread is different and kept at it for a long time consistently and it didn’t help. And I never said “only exercise”, I said Do Things. Hang out with people, work on projects, make art, enjoy friends, go to a bar, see a movie, travel. Whatever as long as you’re not sitting on the couch giving in to your depression. > this advice is upsetting to me People I love sitting on the couch rotting from depression is upsetting to me.
  - Mz 9y ago
    Please stop this. I have a genetic disorder. It was not properly diagnosed until I was nearly 36 years old. So, I spent the first 36 years of my life hearing that I was just lazy and not trying hard enough. You being unable to fix someone else by brilliantly suggesting what worked for you is not definitive evidence that they simply aren't trying hard enough. That underlying attitude is monstrously arrogant and insulting to other people. The world does not revolve around you. You being upset because someone else is "sitting on the couch rotting" does not give you the right to harangue people until they prove your pet theory correct that they just need to try harder.