Champs - it's good to hear things are a bit better.
On the medication front, what works for some people seems to be much less effective for others.
Because of my ancient bones, I am still a bit sceptical about all the New Age stuff, but I have to say I am amazed by some of the results being achieved through non-clinical procedures.
For the last 18 months, my daughter has been leading a Mindfulness class in local schools with problem students, and she has had excellent feed-back from teachers and the kids themselves.
That course focuses on anger-management, but the techniques can be used for a number of different problems.
As I said, she really switched careers in the first place because her own mental health difficulties were solved by Mindfulness and Meditation, and she wanted to get involved in the wider process.
She doesn't dismiss medication at all. She thinks of the two approaches as complimentary. What she didn't like was having so many other aspects of her personality dulled by drugs.
You are also correct, though, that exercise and diet are important. Isolation is one of the most damaging factors in all depression and anxiety-based illnesses.