I have tried a few times to taper off Venlafaxine with no success. Looking back I think the problem was twofold: I tried to do it too quickly (1-2 months), and expected things to somehow be different despite having made no other changes (lifestyle, job, etc).

This time is different. I'm now in a job that I find rewarding, started resistance training 4 days a week 2.5 years ago, changed my diet (mostly to support my fitness goals). I'm also taking it slow, halving the dose and taking several months to adjust to the new normal, whatever that looks and feels like.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. (True for both the fitness and mental health goals).