If you struggle with feeling hopeless, sad, or otherwise mentally fragile, you’re not alone. Depression is officially at epidemic levels, dramatically impacting hundreds of millions of lives. With its symptom-based medicine approach, conventional medicine tackles depression completely wrong. Rather than determine what actually creates that depression, many doctors immediately reach for their prescription pad. But what if there way another way to treat this epidemic?On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Mia Lux, a stand-up comedian, personal growth junkie, former high-school teacher, and recovering lawyer. Mia originally got into stand-up comedy as a way to learn how to fail—a sincere effort to overcome the perfectionist practices that kept her in perpetual burnout as a lawyer and high school teacher. In the process, she wound up working in the personal development space, originally as Director of Content for global transformational education company Mindvalley, and eventually stepping into her role over the past 5 years as host and facilitator, specializing in top wellness/personal development events around the world.Mia always kept a toe in comedy, and found that laughing is just more effective than lecturing. Her newest project, The Conscious-ish Show, is the baby of both worlds: a Late Night style talk-show that takes on topics that really count—health, self-love, depression, sex, spirituality, and more. It is Mia’s mission to make the world's most powerful ideas more accessible by making them truly enjoyable; if you're laughing, you're learning!In this episode, Dhru and Mia take a deep dive into the topic of depression. Mia openly shares her own personal struggle with depression, and the importance of understanding the emotional, psychological and physical causes of it. They discuss the best ways to support someone who is depressed, and some of the key ways to begin to heal. They also talk about understanding what’s really underneath perfectionism, how to get out of your own way, and how to stop people pleasing. Mia also explains how healing laughter and comedy can be.In this episode, we dive into:-Mia’s personal story of depression and being suicidal (2:31)-What can be done about depression (9:31)-What to do or not do if someone in your life is depressed (12:14)-Fear of failure (20:01)-What’s underneath perfectionism (20:42)-How to stop people pleasing (27:34)-The top regret of the dying (31:50)-How to get out of your own way (33:37)-The healing power of laughter and comedy (37:25)-How to intentionally and mindfully create an extraordinary life (46:31)-Self-love and understanding the language you use with yourself (47:36)-Lucid dreaming (49:01)-Where to learn more about Mia (59:55)For more on Mia Lux, be sure to follow her on Instagram @consciousish and @mymialux, and on Facebook @consciousish and @mymialux. Check out her website www.consciousish.com and https://www.mialux.com.Lastly, check out this article from the New York Times Magazine, about an Army veteran who was thought to have depression and PTSD by leading military doctors and commanders; turns out his symptoms were really caused by chronic lead poisoning.