Exercising

[Prince Buster]

It was a real struggle at first, but I am starting to notice the benefits of going to the gym regularly. I was told it was good for serotonin levels and must admit I do feel better mentally after.

The downside though is that sometimes it wipes me out and I am also suffering from various pains in my right foot and also below my right shoulder.

Has anybody else started exercising in an attempt to battle their depression/anxiety? All responses eagerly awaited!

 

[starfish]

dolores

i try to go walking each day to help with stress

 

[quality factor]

Yes I too walk the dog every morning and it does help for a while after.
The services here have groups for swimming, netball, tai chi and badminton. I've had a go at all of them but prefer my morning walk.

QF.

 

[telemetry9]

Strenuous and aerobic exercise releases a band aid of chemicals and covers over the depression with serotonin. There are a number of things that I have learned about exercising after many years of working out etc...

These are my own experiences after over 20 years of living with depression and trying just as much as I could to whip it into submission. I don't say this is right for you or what you should be doing - just my experience is all.......

1. to get the same effect as that first few times after strenuous exercise you will have to begin to do more each time in order to gain the same benefit of that chemical lift of serotonin.

2. serotonin is a chemical and some people can become addicted to it - just like any chemical addiction. You can begin to become afraid of experiencing your underlying depression and so do more and more to avoid that brain chemical reality. This can be a rocky road and a growing sense of failure when you begin to lose that serotonin "effect" you first had - Despite pounding your ass like a bat out of hell.

3. people self medicate with illegal drugs when depressed or alcohol as the feelings of euphoria and calm are a result of serotonin being released by these compounds. Large amounts are released but less and less on each subsequent hit.

4. exercise can become another "stick" by those who don't understand depression and believe sufferers are just lazy or need a "good shake".

I just want to say that a regular dose of gentle exercise and especially being outside in nature or somewhere you feel comfortable at the same time can have a much more holistic benefit and not just a chemical one. This has been my experience; but of course I have to be well enough in order to get the benefit of that or it actually makes me feel worse or as having failed in my endeavour to make myself feel better.

It's about finding that balance that is right for you. Don't let anyone divert you from your personal journey or what you feel is right for you. So keep onwards if you feel you are on to something.

Robert.

 

[TOONAFISH]

hi i started excercising after my first hospital admission. one hour of high impact aerobics, 2 hours of gym, 2 hours of yoga/ pilates.

i think it has done me so much good. the excercise makes me feel good, gets me fit, helps me get my figure back, i meet people, it gives me routine and a sense of achievement.

i see what previous post saying about getting addicted but you doent have to do cardio stuff. even swimming gently or doing yoga can have mental health benefits. i would def recommend it to everyone who has depression

 

[KP1]

Exercise has never helped my mental health. Infact its just made me feel fat,unfit and even more useless and then a failure again when I give it up.
Sorry to be so negative.
KP

 

[telemetry9]

I'm afraid I've been at the end of the "get your ass in gear" type of therapy by a social worker who visited me when I was very ill.

Quite ironic - that I used to work in health care and health promotion in the west of Scotland (which involved promoting exercise). Of course in this guy's arrogance he wouldn't have had the empathy to understand that I was overweight following being very ill for a long time. He could only judge me in that moment as an overweight person who needed to exercise. I could hardly leave the house at that point.

Humiliating so it was - and it still makes me angry to think about him and his idea of "help" I've heard that he has been promoted and is now a mental health care manager. Lovely....

Now he'll be spreading his wonderful empathy and understanding to all those mental health care workers he advises. I've probably exercised more in my entire life than he could ever envisage me doing in my "really fat" moment.

arghhhhh!!!
robert.

 

[telemetry9]

Housework is a great way to exercise and also achieves something positive. A clean house.
It's good for when you are too ill to leave the house. Even doing a little of something each day can have a big effect. Like cleaning one part of a room or ironing only one or two items of clothes each day - by the end of the week that will add up to a whole lot of laundry.
That small sense of achievement is great therapy and it's real! Not just chemical. It's also incremental.

robert.

 

[Prince Buster]

Hi Robert and thanks for your input.

My joining a gym is just one part of a holistic approach I have taken as I attempt to improve my health - don't worry there is no danger of me becoming some sort of gym addict!

I have always enjoyed cycling and have now found a way of doing it all year round and one which elimates the dangers of the roads in London.

By the way, good advice about the housework. I find it somewhat calming for some reason.

 

[telemetry9]

gym addict.lol.

Now I've written about the said addiction to the gym - I wonder how many of those creatures there really are. It was part of my own experience however - so I can hopefully claim it as my own with a wee bit of authenticity.

Cycling is great.

Robert recommends:

handheld dustbuster above 9volts

cordless electric sweeper to replace the menace of the hoover



all the best
robert.

 

[geekchic182]

I've only recently been diagnosed and as im only 17 I took it upon myself to find an alternative 'cure' (whilst the medication takes its time to work) as quickly as possible because I'm doing my A levels and I have very little time to recover slowly. I found joining the gym to exercise has given me something to do and I nearly always feel accomplished when I leave. I try not to do too strenuous exercise as I feel very achy afterwards and I hate feeling tired, but I found that just walking to the gym was enough to help me feel relaxed and the benefits of the exercise at the gym were a bonus. Of course the sauna and hydrotherapy pool are an added relaxation bonus too!

 

[Prince Buster]

Glad to hear it is benefiting somebody else too.

 

[timamu]

Can I say what a nice positive topic this is. I especially agree with telemetry9...

I just want to say that a regular dose of gentle exercise and especially being outside in nature or somewhere you feel comfortable at the same time can have a much more holistic benefit and not just a chemical one.

I always try to walk to work if I can, 30 mins each way. Also do pilates once a week.

 

[Prince Buster]

We are all here to help each other. Welcome on board.

 

[telemetry9]

Of course we have forgotten the old classic ----- the "good shake".....

the "good shake" is still considered valid by many of today's mental health care practitioners. It doesn't actually work on the person suffering from depression and it may even be enough to push them into further despair and feelings of worthlessness but it really makes the advisor feel a heck of a lot better.

The "good shake" has transmogrified into "get yourself down to the gym" and is now considered practically a cure for depression by modern advocates of the "good shake" philosophy.

Intolerance is still held as a virtue towards the mentally ill by many people (even those who actually work in this field); and the "Good shake" is a wonderful way of bypassing understanding and empathy amongst the intolerant and impatient. They hold true to the "good shake" mantra and find it jettisons many of a depressed person out of their sphere altogether. The prolonged absence of the depressed individual after said advice being considered a "Success" on behalf of the practitioners of the "good shake" philosophy - of which there are no short a number.

So to all you "good shakers" out there - keep up the good work as you gain so much from your wonderful sharing and giving means of helping those who are vulnerable. Perhaps one day those who suffer from depression will no longer require the "good shake" mantra and simply gain the strength to "get on with things" like everyone else seems to do.

Until then we are grateful for all those who chose the "good shake" way of dealing with people who might have inadvertently chosen depression as their illness of choice.

Bless each and everyone of you.

Robert.