When feeling low, start with accessible help: movement, daylight, regular sleep, someone to talk to, and China's 12356 line
Walking and jogging showed the strongest exercise effects on depression, followed by yoga and strength training, with larger effects at higher intensity. Light therapy helped seasonal depression strongly and nonseasonal depression too. Online self-help CBT courses worked; guidance helped more when symptoms were more severe. In China, call 12356 when you need psychological support.
What it takes
Free or inexpensive. Walk briskly, jog or do strength work a few times weekly, go outside in daylight, stabilize sleep, and make a call when struggling.
What you may gain
A network meta-analysis of 218 randomized trials with 14,170 people compared exercise with active controls. Walking or jogging had g=−0.62 (95% credible interval −0.80 to −0.45), yoga −0.55, and strength training −0.49; more intense activity had larger effects. A light-therapy meta-analysis found effect sizes of 0.84 for seasonal depression (0.60–1.08) and 0.53 for nonseasonal depression (0.18–0.89). An individual-participant network meta-analysis of internet CBT found both guided and unguided programs better than controls; guidance was more beneficial for moderate-to-severe symptoms, PHQ-9 >9. China's nationwide 12356 psychological assistance line operates at least 18 hours daily.
Context & considerations
These are adjuncts for mild-to-moderate depression. Moderate-to-severe symptoms or suicidal thoughts warrant medical care; 12356 and immediate support can be a first step. Most exercise trials were small and could not blind participants as drug trials do. Light-therapy studies were also small and the review only covered studies through 2003. Regular sleep and talking to someone are the author's practical advice, without separate citations here. Do not turn “get moving” into a demand on someone with depression; ten minutes of walking counts.
Research & references
Noetel M et al. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-075847 ; Golden RN et al. (2005). The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidence. American Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.4.656 ; Karyotaki E et al. (2021). Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: A Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Network Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4364 ; National Health Commission of China (2024). Notice on the unified national psychological assistance hotline number “12356,” document No. 259. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202412/content_6994470.htm