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Comment by taeric | Hacker News Reader

I would assume that "doing something" is the key here? Successfully doing exercise probably has add on benefits that you can more successfully do other things afterward. But successfully reading a book can help me get out of depression. Successfully cleaning the kitchen. Really, just successfully doing anything is a huge cure against depression.

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I'm not sure this is the type of depression being talked about here. It's unfortunate that we have conflated periods of being sad / down with clinical depression. I have no doubt that reading a book or cleaning the kitchen or accomplishing a goal can help with feeling down or general sadness, but clinical depression is a whole separate beast without such easy a fix.

Who said these were "easy" fixes, though? I am emphatically not claiming that "just doing something" will work. Though, fair that what I put there can seem that way.

I am more trying to claim that "just doing something" has an annoying track record of looking like "it" is what worked. I would fully believe that, in reality, the thing that worked was already at play before the success started happening. That is, fully depressed people don't succeed at any of these things.

No, it’s more specific - doing something physical.

Cleaning dishes yes, reading a book no

My point in including both is that both can be surprisingly effective and turning my mood around. Despite them being very different. Included the dishes because that is physical and a chore that most people actively dislike.

Edit: Just to be clear, per my other post sibling to this, I should say that they can both seem to be very effective at turning my mood around. I do not, necessarily, think either is causal on their own.

Its also a huge sign you are already on your way out of the depression.

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