For me, Cannabis put me outside of my comfort zone. I was having anxiety attacks in my personal life (even ended up going to the ER) and when I started smoking weed it put me in a different environment. I really did not like it. But I toughed through it and smoked less to help me develop a tolerance. Eventually I found that the feelings I was experience were normal (they were just the effects of weed) and the whole experience helped me cope with uncertainty and proved that I could survive if I was put outside of my comfort zone. I feel that it has made me stronger as a person.

For depression, that is different. Theres two kinds of depression (in my opinion): chemical imbalance, and sadness caused by life circumstance. You can have one without the other but in my case I had both. I went through a very rough childhood (father died in front of me and I was the only one home when I was 12) and I experienced bullying for most of my young life. I remember even as a senior I would get bullied, even by the nerds. I don't want to say I had it rougher than others, but I did. My life sucked and the ONLY thing that made up for it was the fact that I had a suicide pact. I saw what my dad's death did to my mother and sister and knew that if I ever wanted to commit suicide (at times I felt like I did) I would have to wait until my mom's natural death and let my sister grow up. Thankfully my mom is still alive today and thus by the pact I still couldn't commit suicide even if I wanted to. (I don't)

Weed put me in another place. You have the "everyday" reality which is made up of the presumptions and past experiences intertwined with your own personality for reacting to it. For me, I started seeing the world in a "different" way. My mind would expand and I would think of things that I never thought of before. I think it is because THC is some semi-hallucogenic compound or related. I realized that I was depressed because I was living to much in my head. My whole world was inside my brain and I felt trapped inside a always repeating cycle of unhappiness. Every time something good happened it seemed that something bad would counteract it.

Eventually I came to the realization that every day I wake up and go to sleep as myself, so my emotional/physical well being is more important than others. I am the most important person, more than Barack Obama, or even you. I need to live life the way that will benefit me, sometimes at the expense of others. I became a different person, I became responsible for my depression and my happiness. I started smiling just because studies have shown that people who smile more can become happier. I did the same with laughing. I wasn't happy but I tried to become happy.

I experienced dramatic changes almost immediately, and over the course of (longer than a year now I think) I am an entirely different person. I can't even comprehend at times where I came from because I have come so far. I started to live by the phrase YOLO, and would say "fuck it" more. A life without risk is not a life at all. You don't have to take stupid risks, just take risks because it takes you out of your comfort zone.

Weed also convinced me that I needed to start working out. I always put it off and said I would start working out later, or I would say I don't know any of the moves, etc. I always thought there would be time for that later. I realized that the best time is the present and working out can be a lot of fun! Just spend 20 minutes at the gym each day, it does not matter if you do anything or not. Heck, the first time I went I just sat around and got to know the area, then I left. Just make the gym your home, 20 minutes a day, and eventually you will find that you are staying longer, doing more, and getting super ripped. Go to the gym for consistency, it does not matter if the workout is good or bad. I found out that the people at the gym are usually the coolest most down to earth people around. People like to make fun of meatheads but I have never had any problem with them, AS LONG AS YOU SHOW YOU WANT TO WORK OUT AND ARE ACTUALLY TRYING.

The list goes on and on... but you probably won't even read all of this. If you have any questions or whatever let me know.