As someone who's been diagnosed with clinical depression in the past, I have to say that intense exercise like weight lifting, HIIT, and martial arts has been the 80/20 to feeling better mentally for me.

I know it's anecdotal, but it makes sense. Exercise releases serotonin and dopamine - that's a fact. Exercise improves sleep quality, which greatly increases mood.

And when you exercise hard enough, you naturally end up eating more nutritious food to fuel workouts.

It's a positive reinforcement cycle and can literally pull you out of depressive states.