Anyone else find their mental health is NOT helped by exercise?

I've learned to like working out; I like getting stronger, looking better, seeing myself progress and competing against myself (and sometimes, other gymbros). I also have mental health issues that I've been managing with varying degrees of success for most of my life.

When I first started a "fitness journey" during COVID, I read up on stuff, talked with my ex (who was into fitness) and followed my own plan of "LIFT HEAVY GO HARD". My mental health was also DOGSHIT and I had hoped that exercise would help. I tracked calories and macros and did HII cardo and went to the gym 3-4 days a week and tried to progress every time. I also tried to use working out as a way to deal with my messed up brain.

I ended up overtraining and undereating. I lost a bit of weight, maybe got a bit more strength/definition. I lost way much more weight (and all meager gains) when I finally had a good old-fashioned nervous breakdown.

Working out wasn't the cause, but I decided to take a break after that because it certainly wasn't helping. Going to the gym and counting macros just became associated with this super dark time in my life and I wanted to get some distance while I recovered.

I've been working out for a month now with a personal trainer, still going 3-4 days a week but not trying to GO HARD and LIFT HEAVY every time and making sure I eat at maintenance with plenty of protein. I look so much better after this month than I did in a year of my COVID Shadow Rhelm routine and have progressed in ways I never could before.

My mental health took a dive this past month. Not as bad as before and working out wasn't the cause. But again, it didn't help even though I've approached it with a healthier attitude this time. So I'm still working out and doing other, different things to help my brain.

Just wanna hear from some folks who have similar experiences, because I know the advice tends to be "just keep going, it'll happen!" or "try harder!" Sometimes, it won't happen and sometimes trying harder will just make it worse (because even if you don't end up on a no-gym grippy socks vacation, you might seriously injure yourself). What are things you do besides exercise and diet, to stay healthy?