if i dont get halfway decent exercise i don't sleep well, if i don't sleep well i get depressed, stability for me starts with physical activity. that and blowing fat clouds of gas

I make art. For myself, for others, whatevers. Anything to keep my hands busy and away from doomscrolling.

Also, video games.

Lift weights! Genuinely super fun to track the progress over time. Bonus effect: lazing around in bed the rest of the weekend is no longer wasting your life; you’re now resting and building muscle!

I'm a traditional sort of guy: weed and alcohol.

Alcohol and drug use aside, I have changed a few things about myself and my routine that have helped me tremendously. Maybe they can help you, or someone else:

1. Cook for yourself. Find some simple recipes for wholesome meals (i.e. wholesome in the sense that it meets your nutritional requirements, and that you make it yourself most from scratch).
   • I tend to focus on lean meats, high protein, and green veggies.
2. Set aside one or two hours in your day for just yourself. Play video games, read a book, watch a movie, or take a walk. The idea is to scratch a personal itch you would otherwise deny yourself because of responsibilities or “lack of time”.
3. Naps. If you can, try to take a nap each day. Try to stay with 20-30 minutes, but recognize like any habit/hobby, it takes time to get it right.
   • I’ve gotten to the point where I’ll set a 30 minute timer and only actually nap for 20 minutes.
4. Meditation. I usually do this when I nap or go to sleep for the night. I have a pair of Bluetooth headphones that are in a headband (for sleeping), and I’ll cue up an hour long ASMR or guided sleep video. The guided sleep ones are real good because they teach you box breathing, and help keep your mind focused on yourself so it doesn’t wander into the things that keep you awake.
5. Develop a regular cleaning schedule. Not only will it keep your house clean and tidy, but it allows you to focus your energy into something productive and positive.
   • I use my Notes app to create my to-do lists, and check things off as they get done.
   • If I do something not on my list, I add it and immediately check it off; having a really long list checked off feels real good.
   • I don’t care if I get my list done in a day or week. It’ll get done.

I take deliberate breaks from stuff like Lemmy and the news. I only came back here after a multi-month break this month. It works.

I find depression helps. Seriously I hope I will be going to work at some point. I dunno. Fantasize.

Well I smoke weed yeah but it's not my only way to cope. I go on walks when the weather is nice and sometimes I bury myself in my studies. Reading as well can be a form of escapism but I find that reading about why the world is the way it is also helps. Talking about it with people who's judgement I respect and who respect my own is likewise fulfilling. I'm lucky to have these people, I might have gone insane by now if the only people who understand my POV were online. I have some experience with IRL political organizing and this has helped to find a sense of purpose, actually helping others who need it even in small ways while the world falls apart goes a long way for my mental health. I wish I had more time for it but academia takes up so much of my energy.

Being alive is enough of a reason to live

I hope you make playlists for those things. Not a bad idea to chase the blues away.

Have you considered cooking or baking as a way to minimize harm when it comes to food? They can be exercises in mindfulness, ways you can show appreciation for others, or ways to bring people together.

I tend to dive into computer stuff like self hosting or tweaking my desktop. It feels good to get a project up and running, or at least have something to fix.

Tune out of all news and politics, put internet filters in place to block key words, focus on things you can actually control a day at a time. Hobbies :)

100proof Vodka.

I've also been listening to a bunch of songs I haven't listened to in a while, the past few weeks.

Got around 60+ short playlists on YouTube I used to listen to when gaming. Don't game as much these days, but been enjoying having a few shots and watching something, then listening to music while laying down as the night progresses.

One unexpected nice lil side effect, is that I've started waking up with a song stuck in my head that's from the previous evening's listening; a song I actually like instead of the mall-shite that I frequently wake up to. I often wake up with a song stuck in my head, but it's more often then not, not one I want stuck in there. (Used to work retail and used to work in retail stores doing contract inventory. Listened to a lot of mall music in my life.)

Also, I'm currently living in a hostel and for some reason they continually play crap music down in the lobby/bar/communal area. I've heard enough Spice Girls to last me a couple lifetimes, tyvm. So the above has helped counter that musical offensive on my sense of taste and sanity.

Heroin..