There's a cure for depression.

A huge number of people in our society are suffering from depression. They medicate in a variety of ways, from prescription meds to alcohol to weed. The way we live makes us think that depression is almost a normal backdrop of how life is supposed to feel like. A lot of people feel like it's hopeless, that there's nothing they can do about it.

The reality is that there is a cure for depression and if you are feeling depressed it is something you are required to try until it works.

The cure is intense exercise. If your life is fucked up you have to fix your life, of course... But depression isn't necessarily caused by a fucked up life. Depression is something caused by the chemicals in your brain. If you want to read about the science behind it, you can google it yourself.

But the reality is that for at LEAST 70% of people who are depressed, their depression could be CURED if they were to exercise intensely. One medical study in 1999 found that after a few weeks, even moderate exercise had the same success rate in curing depression (about 70%) as Zoloft.

The science doesn't say it has to be intense, actually. I'm saying this. And i'm saying it from personal experience. I don't think lifting is enough. Lifting is necessary for building confidence, strength, testosterone, and appearance. But lifting isn't cardio. Lifting is anaerobic. Anaerobic and aerobic exercise don't have the same effect on your physiology. Ideally you should be doing both; but if you are suffering from depression it's especially important for you to find a way to do intense cardio regularly.

Anecdotally I've seen this work in both other people and in myself. If I stop exercising, the problems in my life start to feel bigger and I start to feel less able to confront them. With exercise, the problems seem more manageable and I feel stronger. Everyone I know shares this experience. It's not magic, it's brain chemistry.

If you are suffering from depression, figure out a way to get regular intense exercise and consider it medicine. It doesn't matter what type, what matters is the intensity and duration. My personal belief is that the best kind of activity is the kind that gets you outdoors because of the mountains of science showing time spent outdoors increase our mental health. But you must do what you have access to.

We tend to think that depression is a result of our life circumstances, and if we can't seem to control those circumstances, then we just have to live with depression. It isn't so. What I'm telling you is that even if you can't fix your life right now, you can fix your depression with intense exercise.

If you are depressed, start this week. Don't put it off.