Comedian Gary Gulman has been open about his experience with anxiety and depression on stage, in interviews and on social media.

In 2018, Gary Gulman became an Only A Game favorite when he joined us to share the story of his experience playing football at Boston College — and how it ultimately led him to a therapist's office.

Gary Gulman returned to Only A Game to talk about strategies for staying mentally healthy during this pandemic.

KG: Gary, so good to have you back.

GG: Oh, it is a pleasure to be back. And I'm honored that I'm a favorite. That is a really great compliment.

KG: You are absolutely a favorite. So there are really three main things that I know about you. I know that you're a comedian.

GG: Yes.

KG: I know that you're a sports fan.

GG: Huge.

KG: And I know that you've been very open about your anxiety and depression. So, not to put too fine a point on things, but you're a comedian with currently nowhere to perform. A sports fan with no traditional sports to watch. How are you holding up?

GG: I am holding up very well, considering. I don't know what led me to do this. I think it was an interview that I had to give on on CNN.

I made a list of all the things that I had done at the beginning of my recovery from my depression, things that were working. I made the list, so I had them all in front of me, and I was able to continue to do them on a daily basis. I guess it goes to the vigilance that I swore that I would keep, once I recovered from my depression and anxiety episode that lasted for two and a half years.

KG: Well, obviously, everyone is keyed in right now on best practices for hand-washing and social distancing and all those other strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But why is it important to pay attention to mental health right now as well?

GG: Well, I think that, if you are a human, then during these times you get stressed out and you get anxious and you get sad and you get depressed. And those are normal reactions. But it's also important to be aware [of] what is actual mental illness, what is affecting your outlook and your chemistry.

So, when I think you see those symptoms, then it's time to reach out to a therapist. And in the past, when I've had short stints of not feeling like myself, I have consulted with my psychopharmacologist, my psychiatrist, who has, in one case, upped the dosage of a medicine that I took. And I found within four or five days that that was all that was necessary.

KG: So tell me about that list you've made. What have you been doing these past few weeks to safeguard your mental health?

GG: Right. I think when this happened, I was concerned that I wasn't going to be seeing enough people, and that I wasn't going to be having enough conversations. And I found this app on my phone that I hadn't used in a long time. It was actually the "phone" app. And I'm happy to report, one, that it's still in working order. And two, that for the most part, especially with FaceTime and Skype, you can really make connections. And at the very least, get out of your head for a little while. But also, I've had some really deep conversations with friends and family and sharing some of the fears and concerns...but also laughing and reminiscing.

And the other thing is that I've been exercising regularly. And we have to be careful about social distancing. Luckily, I'm staying in a suburb outside of Atlanta. So I have I have a lot of room to jog and walk and get outside. There were a couple of days I played basketball by myself, but then I was concerned that I was encouraging other people to play basketball — that they would see me and they would feel safe coming out to play basketball. So I stopped that.

But I have been really good about running almost every day. That is an anti-depressant in itself. Just the getting the heart rate going. And it doesn't take that long to get the antidepressant effects. I think it's the act of putting on your outfit and your sneakers and getting out there. That's really the hardest part, and that really gives you some inertia that can really help you through the rest of the day.

The other thing that I think should be adhered to during this: don't spend all day watching or listening to the news, especially if you're prone to catastrophizing and worry and anxiety. I think it's helpful to avoid. You will hear if there is a cure, because everybody will be cheering and running around the neighborhood.