[schaefer]

The tricky part about depression and anxiety is that everyone is coming from someplace different. It’s like asking for directions on how to get to New York City… but not being sure if you’re starting from Tokyo, London, or someplace else entirely. The people that want to help you usually can only tell you how they overcame depression from where they started. Which, understandably, may or may not be right for you.

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That having been said, I have some food sensitivities that were driving significant amounts of anxiety and depression. Cleaning up my diet has been life changing. Especially the “fasting mimicking diet (FMD)” as explained in the book The Longevity Diet by Valter Longo. The book is pretty dry, so I’d recommend the audio book version. Try a round of FMD (5 days) followed by a month of no sugar added. Sugar withdrawal was hell for me, but there was significant improvement on the other side.

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I know you said meditation hasn’t worked for you, but you don’t mention which kinds of meditation you’ve tried. I’ve had luck with metta meditation. Or the meditation of loving kindness. And specifically bringing that philosophy of kindness with me off the mat into my daily life.

Resources for my own particular take on Buddhist philosophy that worked for me include:

  - This lecture series on bringing loving kindness to a meditation practice [1]

  - and the book: Unwinding Anxiety by Dr. Judson Brewer. 

  - and basically everything Pema Chodron has ever written.  But possibly staring with: When Things Fall Apart. 

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Even if what worked for me doesn’t work for you. I believe in you and I think you can find your own path to being at peace with your inner emotional landscape.

[1]: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPxfnU-O-Zydjfcneck9XIy...