There's never going to be one factor that gets you out. It's a combination of tools working together that makes it livable. For me it's meds, exercise and social contact.

Meds might help your present chemical situation but they're not going to change the mental ruts & habits your brain has formed (eg. I'm stressed, I want a cookie/beer/etc. I made a mistake, I'm so stupid).

Therapy can help you understand and notice those patterns, why they formed, and what you can do to gradually correct them, but you'll have a hard time if you're going uphill against your brain chemistry.

This book really helped give me a framework for understanding the exercise part of it: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Full-Engagement-Managing-Perfor...

And of course, like physical pain, in some situations mental illness is a signal the body is sending that something in life isn't right. I've had some serious depressive episodes evaporate as soon as I broke off a toxic relationship (personal or professional).

Happy to chat more in private if you want.

I would say look at

http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Full-Engagement-Performance/...

I was surprised that was his answer to burnout. I read The Power of Full Engagement (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743226755) and it really helped frame the problem for me. Taking vacations is definitely going to be difficult for a founder, but you can build recovery into your daily schedule and it really really helps.

Meditating, playing an instrument, making art, exercising and playing sports, lunch with a friend - you can do these for half an hour, an hour a day and they yield results.

The problem is the half-assed work/activities.

I think you have to be fully engaged in any activity you are making. If you want to relax, relax in a full paced way. Not worrying about the work you have to make. If you must work, work in a fast-paced way, and make the job done.

The worst kind of works is the one multi-tasked. You dont get in a 'flow' state that is necessary for the most jobs people here in hacker news makes.

Two books are very good in the matter, The power of full engagement http://amzn.to/vdS1Tc and Flow http://amzn.to/t2bed6

Forget about the spammy title, this is an amazing book on copy writting:

Cashvertising: http://amzn.to/nrwKnf (all links have my affiliate link. On my way to richness baby! ;)

I'm currently reading this one, so far so good:

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything http://amzn.to/nGEnkv

This is a small list of books I want to read:

The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us http://amzn.to/oiEIDs

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength http://amzn.to/qTNpgB

Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup http://amzn.to/njSDPh

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement http://amzn.to/okuaFh

The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal http://amzn.to/rptuZ9

The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home http://amzn.to/oaIDgu

This guy also wrote an awesome book:

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Full-Engagement-Managing-Perform...