Just a simple question to those of you suffering from depression, anxiety or are just going through a tough time. Now or sometime in the past.
Have you tried exercising, and did it help? What kind, and how did it make you feel?
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It has. Easier to go to sleep after exercising and so. But the most major benefit is that I got out of the house and did something. Felt great!
Hiking helped me a lot. I was out in the wilderness, touching grass, actually doing something for my health. Exploring the Alps was one of the best ideas I have ever had.
A little TMI but glad you are enjoying hiking!
I have family members who suffer from several mental health issues - depression, anxiety and related. They have all found exercise helpful. Doesn’t really matter what kind- yoga, cross fit, swimming, running - just establish a routine, do it a few times a week. It made a big difference for them (or going for a walk - what ever works for your fitness/health level)
Yes.
Also, don’t take anyone else’s recommendation; any kind of movement is exercise, so figure out what you want to do. Any activity counts as exercise, so bike or swim or swing a broadsword or a katana or a baseball bat. Even singing counts as exercise and joining a chorus is a great way to get out and meet people.
Singing is great for having something to do, but the physical health benefits are nowhere near the same as actual strenuous exercise
Poster is going through a tough time. Small steps might be all they can take.
Running helped a lot. Maybe not at the beginning but later on. It makes me feel happy
Yes, without a doubt.
A few months ago, a new gym set up near where I live - like, five minutes walking distance away.
We took a tour of it, and saw that it’s a really nice facility. The ventilation and spacing of equipment is good (for avoiding disease), the variety of equipment is good, and it just seems like the ideal gym.
So my family and I thought, “Why not? Let’s get a family membership.” Now I head down there most mornings, spend an hour or so exercising, and then walk back, sometimes with coffee from a nice nearby cafe in hand.
I hadn’t noticed the slow decline in how I felt about my body and my life. I’ve always been a pretty fit guy, but the pandemic made me more sedentary than usual, and it was slowly affecting my self-esteem and mental health.
And I didn’t realize that until the effects of working out regularly showed up and I started looking and feeling better again. It was a “boiled frog” situation.
That gym moving nearby might have saved my life long-term, because I don’t know how I would have gotten the impetus to go to a more distant one otherwise.
It’s just been a few months, but I’ve already put on visible muscle and lowered noticeable belly fat substantially. And more importantly, I feel stronger than I have for several years. Like, lifting things is easier, carrying furniture is easier, just… moving is easier. I probably weigh more, because muscle is denser than fat, but I feel lighter.
It’s a good feeling. It’s clearing away a brain fog I didn’t know I had. My software work is improving, I’m writing again, and I’m re-engaging with hobbies and interests that had fallen by the wayside.
If you can’t or don’t want to get a gym membership, learn some body weight exercises, find a park you can jog at… Do something physical every day. Your brain and body are one system, and keeping all of it tuned and maintained is important for mental health.
Definitely. It’s not like it’s all pink clouds and roses but it absolutely helped.
it helped for the first weeks, then I was back to baseline (suicidal)
Yeah… all it takes for me is one missed exercise session to kill my routine and put me back to baseline.
Same. The novelty of “doing something for yourself” or “keeping yourself busy” or whatever bullshit friends, family and therapist wanna call it wears off quickly. I still go for jogs, but not as a daily routine anymore because it doesn’t do much. I will just feel awful while jogging, so what’s the point.
Last New Year’s, when watching the fireworks from my balcony, I have sworn to myself that this will be the last time I see fireworks.
I cannot fix my problem. I tried many times, got told I was in the wrong for trying, now I have given up and that’s apparently wrong as well.
Sorry for the rant.
I think I understand you well, sorry you feel that way
Absolutely. No question about it.
If fact I find that exercise is the only thing that brings instant relief. There’s not a single time I’ve went to the gym feeling shitty and came out not feeling better. I believe it’s scientifically proven that exercise is as good or better treatment for depression than anti-depressants.
Yes. Exercising fixed my depression when nothing else could.
Yes. Every single time. Even if it is just walking around the block at a swift pace a few times a week (light to medium exercise). Usually the depression reduces after the 3rd or 4th time, sometimes sooner: fewer negative thoughts, less anhedonia, more motivation, less negative attitude, etc. If I keep at it, usually I actually can find myself in a good mood. Why the hell do I stop exercising then? I’ll have to get back to you on that.
I used exercise to cope with overwhelming gender dysphoria before I was able to transition.
It was incredibly helpful, and I got super fit, but it’s also easy to overdo it, and balancing that can be a challenge when you’re using it as a coping mechanism
I’m sorry you had to go through the hard times, but I’m glad you found something that helped and were eventually able to get to where you needed to be. Congrats!
Heavy lifting specifically works wonders for me.
Yeah, it helps keep me sharp and alert. Also, emotional regulation.
Diet is probably more important for me. But exercise is definitely beneficial to my mental and emotional health.
Yes. Just being in better shape helped my confidence a lot. I went sort of all-in on getting into shape and worked out fairly religiously for a while. It SUCKED at first but once it became routine it got a lot easier. I did all sorts of exercise, weights, cardio, etc…. One side benefit is that I didn’t get sick (a cold or anything!) the entire time I was working out like crazy. My life circumstances changed a couple years ago making that much time a practical impossibility, but even a few years on, I’m still down a bunch of weight which helps!
