Article recommendation

[auroracloud]

I just want to share this because I think it's important and more people could benefit from reading it.

Depression-Busting Exercise Tips for People Too Depressed to Exercise.

It talks about the difficulty of exercising when you're depressed, even though you very well know exercise is supposed to help with depression (and it does, I can say with experience, as does the writer of the article). The problem is that a lot of articles are written by people who don't realize how difficult the depression itself can make it to exercise, and the perfection-obsessed exercise cult of the current age isn't helping. But this article has a lot of tips helping at actually getting yourself to do it.

I quote: "The perfect exercise is anything that you will actually consider doing. The perfect body is a breathing one."

We don't get enough people saying that.

Do read the article if you think you could benefit from any advice on this, it's got practical advice by someone who knows what they're talking about. I've benefited a lot during the past half a year by finding a form of exercise that actually works for me so I want to do it instead of thinking I should, and adopting an "every little bit helps" approach rather than expecting myself to complete some big goals I feel I should have.

Comments

[navaan]

Thank you so much for linking this! It's exactly as you say that I know that exercise helps. And when I feel good it's easy enough to go to the fitness center and just do stuff. But when I am depressed even thinking about it makes it worse. Even thinking about all the sporty fitness nuts there makes it worse then :P So I go walking and hiking because I have someone who carefully coaxes me into it and because I have lunch break and a park near-by. But most people who give the exercise advise have no idea how hard it can be to just get up and go.

I really like the point the article makes about perfection and choosing activities for the right reasons.

[auroracloud.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you found it useful! I was hoping it would help some people to share it. It's definitely good for me to remember. Sometimes it's depression, sometimes it's exhaustion caused by stress/anxiety, sometimes both, but it can be so hard to get the exercise though you know you need it. And yes, the sporty fitness nuts make it worse. These days you get the feeling you have to do it perfectly or not at all, and constantly count how much weight you can lift and eat extra protein and be obsessed with your looks and whatever, and all that is not what is healthy.

Walking and hiking are good! I haven't got anyone to coax me out, but I always pick places to live that have good areas for walking (fields, forests, parks, whatever is convenient) because I need the fresh air and the walking in nature. So I nearly always end up doing that, at least, and it's helped me a lot when I haven't managed anything else. Currently, having found something else I really love to do helps. I absolutely can't drag myself to a gym because I'll only be doing it for knowing it's good for me, but don't enjoy actually doing it. I've tried, but just no. An article like this reminds me it's okay to do it my way and not the sporty fitness nut kind of way. (Nothing wrong with actually enjoying going to the gym, of course. I just don't.)

[navaan]

Gym has been a mixed experience for the reasons you mention. I actually like the workouts and the motions and the way I can stop thinking and just feel good. But the people, god, the people make it hard sometimes for me to be at the gym. It's become very important to me to chose the right times to go for that reason - when it's nearly empty and I can just do my stuff.

[auroracloud.livejournal.com]

For me, it's better to have something that I actually have to think about, because then it washes out the stuff that makes me anxious and/or depressed. Apparently having to coordinate both brain and body is the best for my mood, at least if it's the right sort of coordination. When I do something that doesn't require much thinking, my thoughts easily get stuck on the same unhealthy loop. But it's different for everyone. Going to the gym when it's mostly empty definitely sounds like a more pleasant way to do it!

[navaan]

That is very interesting. I think for me the exertion is really important, because it makes my head go completely silent for once, no thinking about the task and no thinking about anything else either. I only get there when my body is working full time.

[enkanowen.livejournal.com]

This is also really helpful for chronic fatigue. Exercise helps but omg trying to get out of be is so hard. Thank you for linking this!

[auroracloud.livejournal.com]

Glad you found it helpful! And yeah, sounds like another situation where you need thoughts like that - the same kind of thing, so hard to actually get yourself to do it, and helpful to have some tips on how to make it easier.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this. I could really use it.

[auroracloud.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, hope you find it helpful!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thanks

[tinny]

Awesome!

Someone on my dw-flist posted instructions for "bed yoga" a while back, and it suddenly occurred to me that I'd been doing that already - I just didn't count it as exercise.

I've since chosen to count it, and now I do it a lot more and with more motivation - win win!

[auroracloud.livejournal.com]

Yeah, bed yoga definitely counts! I end up having a kind of a morning yoga/pilates on most mornings just to wake myself up and get my back moving etc., so on days when I don't manage anything else, I remind myself at least I did that.

[imagine-peace.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, between the depression and my being lazy, I don't know when I'll exercise. Though, walking I like, and it does make me feel pretty good.

[cookiegirl]

Thanks so much for this link <3