It also won't fix the problem, and also make you realize that you've never felt true happiness before in your life. And then you further realize that you never will feel that way again without drugs. (Remember that the first time is always the strongest!)

Then discovers he can't afford therapy

Congratulations on correctly reading the post.

Idk, I've never been happier than the six months I was dating this girl who's sex drive was almost as high as mine. Never been able to get there on my own and the other aspects of my life have been way better since then. Sadly her mental health was a mess and that relationship didn't last.

happiness comes from within

In my experience, having a constant companion has a positive feedback loop. People you can continuously interact with - joking, catching up, eating together, helping one another out, just Netflix'n'Chilling... it's reaffirming.

But it is a loop. You don't just wake up happy forever. There's ups and downs. There's psychical and emotional adjustments. You're not immune to despair. You just have someone you can be glum around who - ideally - fills you in on the lows and rides with you for the highs.

If you've got a bunch of mental baggage going into a relationship, your partner (ideally) helps you unpack that shit and dispose of it. Or, at least, shows you their own baggage, so you know you're not alone. It doesn't just go away instantly, but over time you can put it behind you precisely because you've got someone else in your life affirming your own worth.

I'm saving this for when someone sends me a friendly message and I don't know how to respond. It will probably derail my relationship, but at least they know what happened.

It could also just be good ol dysthymia. That's what I have and I feel OPs mood.

He's a nut! Crazy in the coconut!

Alright, stop showing off. Crikey!!

On a more serious note, nice one.
In my twenties and very early thirties I was convinced (and planned) to be dead by 40. I figured what's the point of getting old etc AND being depressed etc etc.
Then I met my now wife and everything changed. She didn't know the true extent of how bad I was, and mostly still doesn't. No one does because I was a master at hiding it.
To everyone else I was the life of the party, the comic who made everyone laugh etc etc.

I still have my ups and downs, but that's life. I spend every day trying to make her life better, which doesn't always happen. But, again, that's life.

Truly. Hopefully this post judges people towards treatment; people want you, they want you to be better, they want to share their love with you.

For me it did.

38 today, had depression since I was 8. Just last month we removed Massive Depressive, from my chart for the first time ever.

Lots of work. Removing people who are bad from me, adding in people who know how to love, and 6 years of weekly therapy. No meds for me, just introspection and.. therapy.

Time heals all wounds. But you do have to stop picking at the scabs.

Get a gf. She says "good morning <3". You feel like shit, so let her know. "<3 you too. Rough start. Hope your day is going better." You might be surprised what you get back.

It's funny, there was another thread a while back about a girl who meets a guy and clicks. They hook up. She keeps trying to be sweet to him and he ghosts her. So she goes into her own depressive spiral because she assumes she's the one who isn't enough.

Other people have shitty days too. Other people are going through what you're going through. Other people will understand. Reach out, speak your truth, and if that chemistry you had at the beginning meant anything it'll mean they're sympathetic to your plight.

And then go do some fun shit together. FFS, it's a nice time to be alive. Get some sun, eat some food, suck in some fresh air, and hold hands. See if that doesn't put you in a better mood. Sometimes it really is just a bad start to a normal day.

Nope.

Nothing gets better until you make it better.

Nobody is coming to save you. You have to save yourself.

Many people spend their entire lives waiting to be saved. Just like they piss away their money gambling and drinking and wondering why they are poor, rather than saving their money and building a nest egg.

Stop waiting, start taking charge of your life.

28 year old here, depressed since 14, nearly kms at 18 and then stayed suicidal till 26.

It do get better. I got a job, bought a house, got a gf, started practicing hobbies, socializing more and working on self discipline (But not self degradation)

Now instead of being consistently 2-3/10 I'm about 5.5/10. Still not a full blown optimist but I don't want to die anymore.

It does. But you have to put in the work. You have to try.

It does.

I've experienced symptoms of depression for as long as I can remember. Over the years I tried a lot of different treatments, medication, therapy, etc. None of it ever worked.

I lost a lot of jobs and friendships because I simply didn't have the energy to do the bare minimum. I divorced the love of my life in part because I could see how much my chronic illness was weighing on them.

I was never suicidal but I've frequently wished I was because that at least would provide me with an option to stop the unending apathy.

There's never going to be a point in my life when I'm not depressed. I'm gonna have to be very disciplined and work hard to maintain a level of functioning that I consider suboptimal. Mistakes made when trying to judge how much energy something will take or those unavoidable times where you simply need to push yourself more than is comfortable will be setback that could take days or weeks to recover from.

But I have reached a point in which I'm content a lot more. I have a partner that loves me and they're great. I'm a more-or-less reliable member of a local anarchist collective and people appreciate me and come to me for advice. They're respectful of my limitations. I've been reading more and trying new hobbies. There's people who love me and I love them.

I can look at a sunset and appreciate its beauty. Yesterday I was singing along with some punk rock while driving and kinda enjoyed it. I baked cookies to share with people and I look forward to handing them out. I found an empty snail shell on the street and it was pretty enough to make me smile.

Is my life amazing? No. Do I have to work very hard and be very disciplined to achieve what most people seem to have naturally? Yes. Have I reached the point where I think that work and discipline is worth it more often than not? Definitely.

The best advice I can give you is to do things anyway. Seek out things that are, at least in theory, fun or enjoyable. If there's something you'd like to try out but it feels scary or not worth doing, try do it anyway. Look for what makes it easier.

Imagine the coolest possible future version of yourself. Try to take small steps to move in that direction. For me that was things like painting my nails, going to Pride, joining a protested, learning to wield a sword... For my partner this was dying their hair, going out to party, learning to make fire... However it looks to you: try to do it.

It does. Unfortunately, it requires a great deal of honest introspection and tough decisions.

The key to happiness is having zero expectations.

anon rediscovers stoicism