- Routine as an antidepressant - Normally I’d argue that routine helps me mentally because I stay on track with eating healthfully and exercising, which gets me feeling physically well but not joyful in any way. Lately I’m trying to go out more: seeing shows, going out dancing, visiting with friends, and it has given me more emotional highs. Then in the days following I have pretty low days. I’m finding myself chasing every social event with another, and the resultant high feeling again. I have heard antidepressants described as a bit numbing. They take out the extreme low mood, but at the cost of any high emotion. Where does the balance lie? Why is it so difficult to be happy with boring life sometimes and still accept it? Why can’t an ecstatic mood be its own reward without an emotional crash afterward?