What helped you Heraclitean?
I'l give some background info, what you need to know to judge and draw your own conclusions:
From the age of 14-19, I went from being a straight-A student at one of the country's (not USA) top secondary schools, to being "average". This was because I suffered a pretty severe case of what in retrospect I believe was depression, with depersonalization and derealization. As was to be expected, my memory and abstract thinking capacity tumbled. The reasons for this are not to be found in chemical imbalances in the brain, but in unfortunate family/social circumstances, coupled with a string of personal losses which overwhelmed my already rather delicate nervous system for many years.
At the age of 19, I discovered philosophy and it turned my world around. I started to build my character, using the ethical and intellectual insights brought to us by some of the luminaries of that discipline to climb out of depression by carrying out a severe introspection and "burning" all that was sick within my soul, gradually but surely. I started to acquire distance and indifference to that which was causing me to suffer, and this gave me the breathing space I needed in my mind to begin my road to recovery.
I started my journey with physiological improvement at this age too, taking ginseng, which effectively wiped out my depersonalization and restored my memory so that I started to shine at University, and the "old me" was resurfacing again. Amazed by the improvement brought about by a "lowly" root, I started to investigate feverishly, to the point where investigating life-enhancing techniques and habits became my new hobby. I moved onto Fish Oil, which also had a fantastic effect on my depression and derealization, and I finally started to feel a little bit normal for the first time in years. Since I was in South America at this time, where nootropics and functional foods practically don't exist (it is a poor and conservative part of the world) I stuck to Fish oil and Berocca for a few years, and together with the character building which I was engaged in by reading and thinking philsophically, the dark years of my first youth started to seem like a distant memory.
I also ventured into pharmaceuticals, but always, without exception, found them as nothing more than short term band-aids and abandoned them after a few weeks, even if they were useful at first. Under the rubric pharmaceuticals, I include Modafinil, Hydergine, Piracetam and Deprenyl, all of which could be acquired where I was living at the time in any neighborhood pharmacy without prescription (illegally of course).
I then moved to the UK, which is where my family is originally from, and started to incorporate the health foods which were not available in South America into my diet. This had a tremendous impact on my health, as did leaving behind a toxic environment and starting afresh in a place where I could choose who to associate with. I was lucky that I found an excellent partner for myself, who has been instrumental to my full recovery and flourishing.
Right now, I just use "functional foods" on a daily basis, such as Cacao, Grape seed extract+resveratrol, Green tea, Pomegranate, Turmeric, High quality Cod Liver Oil, Marmite (for B-vitamins), Coconut oil, rinsed and roasted nuts, kefir, eggs and liver. All this I eat on a daily basis. I also have taken up the practice of meditation and prayer, with the purpose of being more mindful about "forgivefulness" (towards myself and others), Perseverance, and Detachment. This is today my staple for vitality and mental and physical health, and at 25 I now feel better than I ever have before in my life, even before my downfall at 14.
The only major fault is the lack of exercise right now. I will remedy this ASAP, and will endeavor to add this to my staple regime to the best of my abilities, as I know from past experience that it is a critical piece of the puzzle.
I only use pharmaceuticals sparingly and occasionally now. I am fond of Noopept, I think that it is quite benign if cycled, and do use it for a few weeks at a time. The other racetams I found too stressful to be of any long term use, but I recommend them for students during the month before finals, particularly Ani+Oxi. The only "vitamin" supplement I take is Uridine, sublingually, 2x a day, although I will supplement for a few days if my diet has been sub-par for whatever reason.
In summary, what helped me was, in the form of advice:
a) An "attitude adjustment", passionately destroying what is sick in you so that your natural strength comes to the fore.
b) Exiting toxic environments as soon as possible, and surrounding yourself with excellent people (or an excellent person) whenever possible. Don't take s*** from anybody, don't let anybody guilt trip you, and when you are with an individual who is bent on manipulating you, just avoid them and never engage in their game. This requires the development of a certain psychological acumen which can be strengthened by purposeful, cool-headed observation.
c) Using functional foods to ensure adequate supply of bioavailable vitamins, minerals, benign phytochemicals, a good ratio of fats, fiber, and gut flora. Give your brain and body the raw materials it needs. Supplement your diet if it is not good for whatever reason, as this is much better than simply being nutrient-starved, but try and procure your nutrition via food if and when possible.
d) Avoid alcohol like the plague, and be sparing with you use of stimuants such as coffee (I can tolerate Cacao and green tea smoothie). Avoid recreational drug use because it is a massive gamble and it almost never ends well. Having said that, the only time I took LSD, at age 21, was a fantastic experience, so I can't say this without feeling like a hypocrite. Statistically speaking, though, most people I know who indulge don't become better people, almost always the opposite happens.
e) prayer and meditation, focusing on whatever it is that is holding you back.
f) Certain pharmaceuticals as needed, particularly racetams, which I consider benign if used on an as needed basis. Avoid SSRI's and stimulants like amphetamines and methylphendiate like the plague. I expect to receive flack for saying this, because these toxins seem popular among many members of longecity even though their deleterious effects have been studied and are well known. They are in no way compatible with life-enhancement... they are compatible with self-delusion, though.
g) Rest and leisure. Unfortunately our modern ethos forces us to feel guilty if we are not constantly doing something or being productive, as if we were tools. This is anathema to life, is slavish, and is absolutely contraindicated unless your goal in life is to become a drone. For those of you who aspire to "transcend", active leisure with a good conscience is imperative, to the extent that your obligations allow you to do so, of course. I post this on this board because I notice people here tend to be much more "exceptional" than in other arenas of life, and active leisure is a precondition for the exceptional to flourish.
That's all for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Hasta luego.