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 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.

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!

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.

Just heard Plaineclothes Man for the first time last week. I love it when I find new music that really speaks to me, there’s so much good stuff out there right now.

Lol me neither

It’s not as punk, but the last three albums by Metric are brilliant in how they discuss the current state of the world.

I do, the longer it’s been the shorter they are (almost 10 years now). My trigger is seeing someone, usually in a TV or movie, take that long, exaggerated drag.

Rowsdower!

I’m working to set up connections to folks in Canada that will be willing to relocate LGBTQ folks across the border.

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

-Neil Gaimen

For the first time, I am content. It’s honestly a wild feeling - less then a decade ago I was about a half step from homeless and an opioid user. Now I’ve successfully transitioned, gotten my dream job, and have a super cute fat kitty. And I just got a message from what seems like a genuinely decent guy who I’m meeting for coffee.

It’s fucking wild. Every day I just appreciate all the small things so much. It’s really made me refocus my goal to try to help people as much as I can now.

Rootin for yall. I hope everyone gets to feel this way.

It might be too much butter, but I think you’re also light on flour. If you’re using cups, make sure you scoop it a little over-full and then level it off. You can also try measuring if you have a kitchen scale.

Bradley Nowell. Sublime was so good, and none of the bands that have followed in their style have had the same lyricism that Nowell had, or have been able to really blend genres like they did to make something completely unique.

Such a unique talent. Knowing he died of a heart attack on stage adds a whole other dimension to “Do not go quietly unto your grave”

Some bars, but not all. I have worked a few places where they don’t let us skip the jukebox.

I prefer to do this with “Do you believe in life after love”. We call it a Cher bomb.

Best part is it’s basically a bell curve of how into it people get. Starts off alow, maybe one or two. By the third play, most of the bar is feeling it. And then all downhill from there