4 ms·

The trouble is, this reads like "Just don't be depressed", since this is almost effectively a list of (anti-) symptoms of depression.

jdiff 8mo ago
And the ones that aren't simply "don't be depressed" are a lottery for anyone, even those not suffering depression. In the US, current projections are for 300 new jobs per state per month this year. Even accounting for retirees and deaths, last I looked at the numbers, there have been 2M more new additions to the workforce (people turning 18) than there are new jobs for those new additions, all competing with the large unemployed and laid off populations. It's similarly often not easy to solve relationship stressors or noise pollution.
- weatherlite 8mo ago
  I agree we are headed into very unstable times, all the more reason for people to exercise. The stress relief effect is magical, and if you do it outside you get some fresh air and vitamin D. Exercise isn't a magic cure to make everyone honkey dorey but I do believe it should be seen as one of the best (and free) tools we have to maintain mental health.
joe_mamba 8mo ago
No, it isn't like "Just don't be depressed", I know it's very difficult for people to get all of those combined, that's what I said you should strive to get all of them if you want to cure your depression. SSRIs or exercise won't make your financial or relationship issues go away so you'll still be depressed unless you can fix all the issues bothering you.
- Sharlin 8mo ago
  The problem is that depression by definition makes it 100x harder to do any of those things.
  - joe_mamba 8mo ago
    Well yeah, but you gotta start somewhere, and it's not gonna get better if you drink cola, beer everyday and stay up until 2AM watching netflix.
    - rincebrain 8mo ago
      I think GP's point is that "just do it" shows a lack of understanding that an inability to "just do X" is often a symptom of depression that leads to people not talking about it, because people who haven't experienced it think you must be lying about having decided to do something and not actually then doing it. Consider: there was a study about a guy who was paralyzed from the waist down, who got an implant to bypass the injury, and with a year+ of walking with the implant, could eventually walk to a limited extent without the implant.[1] This suggests walking can be used to treat loss of ability to walk. Unfortunately, there's a catch-22 there... ...and so too with inability to make yourself do anything. [1] - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06094-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06094-5
    - deleted 8mo ago
      [deleted]
    - jmye 8mo ago
      > Well yeah, but you gotta start somewhere Wait, I thought those things solved depression? Why are you hedging now? Did your initial analysis suck, and you're just now realizing it? Are you figuring out that maybe this is slightly more complex than "just be happy" and that maybe you're not the only person on the planet who's ever thought about this?
      - joe_mamba 8mo ago
        Your comment makes no sense. I never said "just be happy". Reformulate it and add more substance so we have something to talk about.
        jmye 8mo ago
taneq 8mo ago
This is always what leaps out at me with this kind of “live better be happier” article. Yeah, if you’re sleeping well, eating well, working out regularly, spending quality time with friends, and have a healthy work life balance, you probably aren’t depressed. Might there be some possibility, perchance, that this is because any single one of those factors is almost impossible when in the pit of despair, let alone all of them at once? It’s like saying glasses cause short sightedness because hey, you almost never see someone with good eyesight wearing glasses.

jdiff 8mo ago

And the ones that aren't simply "don't be depressed" are a lottery for anyone, even those not suffering depression. In the US, current projections are for 300 new jobs per state per month this year. Even accounting for retirees and deaths, last I looked at the numbers, there have been 2M more new additions to the workforce (people turning 18) than there are new jobs for those new additions, all competing with the large unemployed and laid off populations. It's similarly often not easy to solve relationship stressors or noise pollution.

weatherlite 8mo ago
I agree we are headed into very unstable times, all the more reason for people to exercise. The stress relief effect is magical, and if you do it outside you get some fresh air and vitamin D. Exercise isn't a magic cure to make everyone honkey dorey but I do believe it should be seen as one of the best (and free) tools we have to maintain mental health.

joe_mamba 8mo ago

No, it isn't like "Just don't be depressed", I know it's very difficult for people to get all of those combined, that's what I said you should strive to get all of them if you want to cure your depression. SSRIs or exercise won't make your financial or relationship issues go away so you'll still be depressed unless you can fix all the issues bothering you.

Sharlin 8mo ago
The problem is that depression by definition makes it 100x harder to do any of those things.
- joe_mamba 8mo ago
  Well yeah, but you gotta start somewhere, and it's not gonna get better if you drink cola, beer everyday and stay up until 2AM watching netflix.
  - rincebrain 8mo ago
    I think GP's point is that "just do it" shows a lack of understanding that an inability to "just do X" is often a symptom of depression that leads to people not talking about it, because people who haven't experienced it think you must be lying about having decided to do something and not actually then doing it. Consider: there was a study about a guy who was paralyzed from the waist down, who got an implant to bypass the injury, and with a year+ of walking with the implant, could eventually walk to a limited extent without the implant.[1] This suggests walking can be used to treat loss of ability to walk. Unfortunately, there's a catch-22 there... ...and so too with inability to make yourself do anything. [1] - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06094-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06094-5
  - deleted 8mo ago
    [deleted]
  - jmye 8mo ago
    > Well yeah, but you gotta start somewhere Wait, I thought those things solved depression? Why are you hedging now? Did your initial analysis suck, and you're just now realizing it? Are you figuring out that maybe this is slightly more complex than "just be happy" and that maybe you're not the only person on the planet who's ever thought about this?
    - joe_mamba 8mo ago
      Your comment makes no sense. I never said "just be happy". Reformulate it and add more substance so we have something to talk about.
      - jmye 8mo ago

taneq 8mo ago

This is always what leaps out at me with this kind of “live better be happier” article. Yeah, if you’re sleeping well, eating well, working out regularly, spending quality time with friends, and have a healthy work life balance, you probably aren’t depressed. Might there be some possibility, perchance, that this is because any single one of those factors is almost impossible when in the pit of despair, let alone all of them at once? It’s like saying glasses cause short sightedness because hey, you almost never see someone with good eyesight wearing glasses.