u/RutabagaAlert9814

I am a 26m and have been severely depressed for the better part of 6 years, of those 4 years I was a very high functioning member of society, but the last 2 a very non-functioning member of society. I have been on lexapro (20mg first dose) for a couple months and noticed that it does work generally but only if I am taking care of myself. I feel like before in my life, I could neglect certain parts of my life. Sleep 4 hours instead of 8, over eat, not workout, and I would still feel generally fine. Now that I am working my way back to a normal life and as a new lexapro user, I feel like my mood is 100% dependent on how well I take care of myself. If i don't get 8 hours of sleep I noticed a huge mood drop, same if I don't workout that day or spend too much time online. I can still easily get into a 3 week long depressive state if I start to neglect myself. It is a little overwhelming having to do all these things all the time but I always feel better. Does anyone else's journey look this way? I feel like this is the first time in years that I am actually making positive progress and not negative. The lexapro helps but only as a tool, I still feel like I need to put in 90% of the work 24/7 to make any small progress.

I have spent the better part of my entire life (26m) on the internet and as much as I can say I am better off let's be honest I could have done a lot more in my life. I'm not saying it is the sole reason I am where I am at in life but it did not help. It has been a week since I have turned off my computer and decided to go outside. I spend most of my time now outside, whether it be reading or cruising around on a skateboard, anything that requires me to be present or active in the moment. Most of my hobbies before was buying shit on the internet and comparing other stuff, like video games or mechanical keyboards, but that stuff has its time and place. It does not compare remotely to the thrill of cruising around on a skateboard or playing basketball on a hot summer day. Get outside!