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!

I use the term Atheistic Christian, which essentially means I believe in a lot of the teachings of Jesus, but I don't believe he was any kind of divinity.

Something you might benefit from is practicing with an "increased cognitive load" - basically doing something that uses your brain while also speaking. It can be difficult at first, but eventually, it helps with being able to use your voice without thinking about it.

Doubly so, because my nursing certification is an associate level. Everywhere I looked requires a Bachelors.

💛

Thank you

Existentialism, and Camus in particular have a lot of influence in my thought patterns. But to Camus, love was one of the central pillars of deriving meaning from nothingness.

And I don't have that.

In fact, I have significantly less love than before.

I have people that say they care, and in the moment, they mean that. But at the end of the day, I don't matter enough to check in on, unless I warn them.

I just thought for the first time in my life I would be celebrated and appreciated for who I am.

But the reality is, no matter how much they front or posture, the "normals" will never accept me.

I could offer them salvation on a silver platter, and still be met with disdain.

So, again, what's the point? What's the point in trying?

The problem is the American system of democracy as it is currently organized is too geared to protect the interests of the ruling class.

I compellingly agree that ranked choice or proportional representation would alleviate many of the issues we have, but, unlike many epochs of human history, we are literally running out of time.

Women of color actually have really high rates of HIV compared to the rest of the population. Working to de-stigmatize both the infection and prevention treatments is a really important part of reducing overall numbers of HIV.

Some of the other comments have mentioned Joanna Harper, who is trying, but lacks enough data to make meaningful conclusions.

I recently did a presentation on the political side of this, and one thing to note was that with 1 or 2 exceptions, not a single state legislator could identify an instance of a trans woman dominating her field (because the anti trans movement is astroturf and designed to prey on people's fear).

If you would like my sources for the presentation, DM me. I only had a couple on this subject, but some of the auxiliary sources might help too.

I miss beat saber so much. Really got great Euphoria playing that with a skirt right before I started transitioning.

That's why I bought it (and I loved the first game way back when). The game play is fantastic with a ton of content. Story and characters aren't my cup of tea, but I imagine it appeals to what a lot of people like about dnd. That being said, it's the first game in years I've played and then suddenly realized it's 2am.