Things are becoming more depressing every day and I can’t afford for professionals and don’t want to jump to the last resort or drugs. Is there a medicine that can make me happy if I take it in proper doses and does not require a doctor’s prescription?

    • Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Sometimes it’s fixed through diet/exercise. Sometimes it’s fixed through therapy. Sometimes it’s fixed through medication. OP is seeking a solution that doesn’t involve prescription meds, so everybody is suggesting other possible solutions. While exercise may not have worked for you or me, there are plenty of people who have successful results with it.

      In short, yes, it definitely varies across people.

    • It really does seem to very considerably. I know a guy that’s addicted to running and will just do it all weekend, because he starts and doesn’t want to stop. I’ve never gotten a buzz from physical activity of any kind.

      • I’ve heard of the “runners’ high”, but even as someone who used to be very athletic, all I ever got was the “runners’ ‘please fucking kill me right now so I never have to do that again’”.

    • I was going to the gym before getting laid off. Gym helped me with my mental health.

      I swear that has to vary across people.

      I am sorry it didn’t work out for you.

    • It probably does vary to a degree, but it also needs to be the right kind of exercise for you. I always hated the gym and thought I just hated exercise, but then I discovered folk dancing. I went from never having enjoyed any sort of athletics to dancing 14 hours a week because I fell in love with it.

      I didn’t notice immediate effects, but a month or two after I started, I realized that I was cooking more and staying on top of cleaning and errands much more consistently. Then the pandemic hit and I stopped dancing. I started gradually having less motivation to clean or cook. I haven’t started back up sadly, but I got an active job about a year and a half ago, and it was just like before: not until I was getting regular exercise was I really able to stay on top of things and feel like an adult.