* Workout like a horse. Best cure for depression, ever. The feeling I get when running is so liberating that it usually manages to alleviate 99% of the mood problems.
* Sleep like a rock, when you get the chance. Lack of sleep, among alcohol abuse are the most common causes of depression (at least from my personal observation)
* Hang out with friends, family as much as possible, when you get the chance. They'll constantly remind you why you work so hard. Also try to explain them why are you doing certain tradeoffs in your relationship with them.
* Swallow a boatload of Magnesium + B6. IMHO it's the biggest source of happiness one can buy for little money. It keeps your stress levels in control and your heart condition in shape.
* Meditate. I cannot stress this enough. Constantly talk to yourself when you're alone and seek thoroughly for things that cause distress in your life. Debug yourself. You have to like yourself for others to like you!
* Get a girlfriend that understands you or dump the one that doesn't get it (unless you're already married)
If she doesn't get it, she's either selfish or you didn't managed to get her to a point where she supports you blindly so you're screwed anyway. So yes, file a divorce for at least one's sake.
My wife spent twenty years as a Hospice social worker.
Some of the homes she went into had a panoramic view of open water. Some were house trailers with an addition consisting of a hole in the wall, a van without rear doors, duct tape and a tarp. Some were worse.
At times it involved getting up in the middle of the night and watching someone die. At times she knocked on the door and found the body. Once it had been feeding the cats. The time she found the lady who had fallen between the toilet and wall and survived four days despite being stuck was probably worse.
She had clients who were suffering the slow debilitation of Alzheimer's, clients who were losing body parts, and clients who were facing death in the prime of their life.
All the while, she had those clients' families. Some were close, some weren't. She told me that death doesn't fix dysfunction.
If we had a dollar for every time I didn't get it, or was selfish, I'd be an angel investor.
As a married guy with a startup, I am not sure I agree with this.
It took my wife a long time to understand what the life of a founder is like and getting here there was equal parts work for both of us. I spent a lot of time and energy in pervious startups making sure she could see what was going on and why it was important. I also made sure she understood why the whole thing is important to me on a personal/life level.
I don't think it's fair to say "she's selfish". She/he is probably more scared, a little jealous, and feeling un-engaged.
There is no decent scenario for a founder where his/her partner supports them "blindly". If you come to know these people, "the other half", you'll probably see that it is the opposite of blind. They see and know everything that is going on and they work their ass off to make sure their husband/wife is still human through it all.
B6 (as well as the rest of the B-range vitamins) are pretty effective energy boosters. One of the major ingredients in energy drinks is a cocktail of B vitamins. It's cheap, simple, effective and safe (water soluble, so you just pee out excess).
Furthermore, it turns your pee bright neon-yellow which is hilarious the first time you see it :)
Magnesium deficiency has, in some instances, been linked to depression. I'm not sold on its effectiveness as an over-the-counter treatment, but it probably doesn't hurt either since it is a relatively well tolerated compound that your body uses in a myriad of fashions.
Also, 5-HTP is another common compound to help stave off depression.
"Although vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is excreted in the urine, doses of pyridoxine in excess of the RDI over long periods of time can result in painful and ultimately irreversible neurological problems."
So make sure you take a sub-200mg dose of B6 if you plan to take it. I semi-routinely take a B-100 pill, which is 100mg of various B vitamins (including pyridoxine), so just take one of those instead of a monster B6 1500mg pill or something sill.
* Sleep like a rock, when you get the chance. Lack of sleep, among alcohol abuse are the most common causes of depression (at least from my personal observation)
* Hang out with friends, family as much as possible, when you get the chance. They'll constantly remind you why you work so hard. Also try to explain them why are you doing certain tradeoffs in your relationship with them.
* Swallow a boatload of Magnesium + B6. IMHO it's the biggest source of happiness one can buy for little money. It keeps your stress levels in control and your heart condition in shape.
* Meditate. I cannot stress this enough. Constantly talk to yourself when you're alone and seek thoroughly for things that cause distress in your life. Debug yourself. You have to like yourself for others to like you!
* Get a girlfriend that understands you or dump the one that doesn't get it (unless you're already married)