Not that I've had extensive conversations with licensed professionals about this topic for the last 25+ years... but oh, wait. It's a tripod, and you need all

Not that I've had extensive conversations with licensed professionals about this topic for the last 25+ years... but oh, wait. It's a tripod, and you need all 3 to be aligned or else you can be susceptible to falling back into the shit. You don't have to have problems with all 3, problems with just 1 will do it. But you do need to aware that sometimes you do need to fix all 3. Circumstances. Biology. Behavior. And it's complicated. Circumstances. If you have a ton of shit going on that isn't making you happy, you can be depressed. You'll need to work to avoid circumstances that get you down. But... we're seldom able to control our lives. Biology. There can be unbalances. Lack of exercise, for me, is the most common way to feel shitty. If I didn't have my health, I'd feel shitty. Brain health, body health, just health. Also just physical comfort. You have to make sure you're physically OK. Behavior. You have to want to be happy. You have to be open to it. You have to strive for it. You have to respond and interact with people in a way that doesn't make them feel shitty, or else you'll drive them away. And... you have to avoid people looking to just be shitty and drag others down. If a friend tells me that they're depressed, my go to is to take them for a hike. Get them out of their surroundings, get some sunshine, fresh air, and get them moving. I like small tasks, small goals that can build into bigger ones. "We don't have to climb the mountain, let's just go a mile and see how we feel." And it's nice to just have someone there, in the moment with you, doing the same thing. And when I'm down, and I know I'm doing the same thing someone else is, and they're able to enjoy it, I am reminded to let myself enjoy it too. For me personally... it's hard. We all live our own mistakes. Finding a way to forgive myself, while still learning how to improve. Finding ways to keep my step count up. Finding ways to cross off to-dos at work. I have a little consequence / reward system in my head... if I am late to a meeting, I have to do 10 pushups. If I do my chores (stuff like cleaning up, doing the dishes, and yard, and laundry), I get to play a video game at the end of the day... and not beat myself up for being lazy. You get to set your own. It's important to reflect on why you do things. I get down when I feel like I'm just floating between things that are expected of me. Anyway I don't know, if there were cures, if this shit were simple, it wouldn't just constantly be in the background. Routines, friendships, and small goals... staying active, try not to eat pure garbage, try to be thankful and show appreciation to others. I don't know, no real punchline here. Just that life is a struggle to keep decay at bay.