Exercise and depression
Mary...@webtv.net
Why is all the talk about treatment with drugs. How about
making the body healthier with exercise? That's how I treat mine, and I
feel great a lot of the time. Anybody have a similar experience, I'd
like to hear about it.
Mary Thorogood
anti...@nyet.net
Because some of us are too depressed to exercise.
us...@msn.com
Exercise is a well known help with depression. As to whether or not it can
control full blown clinical depression, I doubt it. As with so many things
there are many parts to the answer. Certainly exercise can help. Just as a
depressive must learn some coping strategies for depression other than
medication (meds are often absolutely necessary but the *total* answer
rarely comes out of a jar) we must try to establish an overall healthy
lifestyle and that includes exercise. I'm as guilty as anyone of not
getting enough but as soon as I get out of this trough I am in right now I
am determined that I will become more regular in the exercise area.
Larry Martin
Mary...@webtv.net wrote in message
<66rde9$sds$1...@newsd-161.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
P Laube
I agree that exercise does wonders for depression and for forgetting
about all the stuff going on in your life. But how do I get to the
health club, yes I'm a member when I can barely get out of my bed?
Sounds kinda like I am not really trying, but I want to go to the club.
I just can't make it riht now. How do you do it?
Sujit D. Rathod
P Laube (howi...@webtv.net) wrote:
: I agree that exercise does wonders for depression and for forgetting
actually, i had the same experience over the summer with exercise.
what i think works best is having a friend to work out with.. back when i
was starting out down this long road, someone told me you need personal
supports - things and people you can count on. heres where they come into
play. since they should know your condition, they probably know what it
will take to get you out of bed and moving (hopefully). maybe this was
just the way i am, but while i had no initiative to do anytihng for
myself, if someone pushed me, i would be much better at getting things
done, especially if they were there with me.
hope i could help you,
suj
--
***
I passed by a thousand signs
Looking for my own name -- johnny cash
Ria Strong
Mary...@webtv.net wrote:
Why is all the talk about treatment with drugs. How about
making the body healthier with exercise? That's how I treat mine, and I
feel great a lot of the time. Anybody have a similar experience, I'd
like to hear about it.
-----
Drugs are one tool for treating depression-- for some people (though not
everyone), a useful, even essential, one. They're not The Answer on their
own, however-- even for those people who respond well to them, with minimal
side effects.
Exercise is another tool for treating depression-- especially mild-moderate
depression. Doing something (anything) often reduces depression; your body
releases feel-good chemicals during exercise, increasing the anti-depressant
effect. There's actually a book about using exercise to treat depression--
unfortunately, tho, the name of it escapes me.
I find exercise useful when I'm depressed. When I'm more severely depressed,
however, it's just too hard to motivate myself to do anything. I know I'd
probably feel better if I _did_ exercise, but I just don't get around to
doing anything about it.
- Ria
Don J Sneesby
Hiya!
I've definately found exercise to be helpful to be helpful, but mostly in
combination with medication. It gets me over humps and is extremely useful in
coping with anxiety or just rough spots of depression. I don't drink or use
drugs anymore, so it's the one big tool I have to jolt my mood.
Having said that, I've found that without the meds, the depression is just too
persistent to use running or other excercise alone effectively. Also, when I'm
in a long drawn out stint of depression, (like recently being between meds)
I'm just too down to drag my butt out of the house to do it.
I'd definately recommend it though! The side effects (getting in shape
physically as well) are awesome!
DJS
In article <66rde9$sds$1...@newsd-161.iap.bryant.webtv.net>, Mary...@webtv.net
says...
>
> Why is all the talk about treatment with drugs. How about
>making the body healthier with exercise? That's how I treat mine, and I
>feel great a lot of the time. Anybody have a similar experience, I'd
>like to hear about it.
>
>Mary Thorogood
>
Neko
In article <675j2k$9...@bolivia.earthlink.net>, sne...@wolfenet.com
says...
> Hiya!
>
> I've definately found exercise to be helpful to be helpful, but mostly in
> combination with medication. It gets me over humps and is extremely useful in
> coping with anxiety or just rough spots of depression. I don't drink or use
> drugs anymore, so it's the one big tool I have to jolt my mood.
>
> Having said that, I've found that without the meds, the depression is just too
> persistent to use running or other excercise alone effectively. Also, when I'm
> in a long drawn out stint of depression, (like recently being between meds)
> I'm just too down to drag my butt out of the house to do it.
This is my experience, too. When I'm severely depressed, exercise (or
anything else for that matter) is not the first step out of the pit. If
I don't have meds to create that first step out of the depression, I
can't get out of it to do anything else. I've explained it to friends
and family that way, often -- that meds are (for a lot of people anyway)
the only way to climb far enough out of the despair to even think of
doing exercise and other "normal" activities. Once you're there, though,
I agree that exercise is a great *part* of an overall healing lifestyle.
neko
--
Rosencrantz: Shouldn't we be doing something... constructive?
Guildenstern: What did you have in mind? A short, blunt human pyramid?
-- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (mid 1960's)
kuroneko A T raindogs D O T net
Bob M
I agree, I do both. But I *need* them both. I would feel lousy if I
went say, 48 hours w/o running or lifting, but god only knows what would
happen if I went 2 days w/o my meds. They are both important sez I.
Bob
arthur
In article <671b18$6ch$1...@news.alphalink.com.au>, "Ria Strong"
<str...@madnation.org> wrote:
>
> Drugs are one tool for treating depression-- for some people (though not
> everyone), a useful, even essential, one. They're not The Answer on their
> own, however-- even for those people who respond well to them, with minimal
> side effects.
>
> Exercise is another tool for treating depression-- especially mild-moderate
> depression. Doing something (anything) often reduces depression; your body
> releases feel-good chemicals during exercise, increasing the anti-depressant
> effect. There's actually a book about using exercise to treat depression--
> unfortunately, tho, the name of it escapes me.
>
> I find exercise useful when I'm depressed. When I'm more severely depressed,
> however, it's just too hard to motivate myself to do anything. I know I'd
> probably feel better if I _did_ exercise, but I just don't get around to
> doing anything about it.
>
> - Ria
My experience has been similar. It seems that regular exercise,
especially running, can boost my mood and sense of well being to a level
impossible with meds alone. Exercise provides some great mental benefits
like increased energy, reduced anxiety, improved sleep, better stress
tolerance, and welcome physical benefits.
Also, dedicating time to exercise in a busy schedule is one way to
demonstrate to yourself and to others that you are valuable and deserve to
take good care of yourself.
It seemed to work so well I thought meds weren't needed anymore.
Unfortunately, after a couple months off meds I lost the energy to
exercise and had to go back to get started on them again.
Arthur
_________________________________________
Remove "z" from address to reply.
Got enough guilt to start my own religion.
"Crucify" Tori Amos
Robert W. Cunningham
arthur wrote:
>
> In article <671b18$6ch$1...@news.alphalink.com.au>, "Ria Strong"
> <str...@madnation.org> wrote:
> >
> > Drugs are one tool for treating depression-- for some people (though
> > not everyone), a useful, even essential, one. They're not The Answer
> > on their own, however-- even for those people who respond well to
> > them, with minimal side effects.
> >
> > Exercise is another tool for treating depression-- especially
> > mild-moderate depression. Doing something (anything) often reduces
> > depression; your body releases feel-good chemicals during exercise,
> > increasing the anti-depressant effect. There's actually a book about
> > using exercise to treat depression-- unfortunately, tho, the name of
> >
> > - Ria
>
> My experience has been similar. It seems that regular exercise,
> especially running, can boost my mood and sense of well being to a
> level impossible with meds alone. Exercise provides some great mental
> benefits like increased energy, reduced anxiety, improved sleep,
> better stress tolerance, and welcome physical benefits.
>
> Also, dedicating time to exercise in a busy schedule is one way to
> demonstrate to yourself and to others that you are valuable and
> deserve to take good care of yourself.
>
> It seemed to work so well I thought meds weren't needed anymore.
> Unfortunately, after a couple months off meds I lost the energy to
> exercise and had to go back to get started on them again.
>
> Arthur
There is a hierarchy I'm beginning to see that works for me, and it also
appears to work for many of us. I feel a need to organize the many
things I can do to help manage my depression, and I also need to become
better able to know what to do first, to prioritize and select between
competing alternatives. So I've evolved the following hierarchy. It
works for me, and from what I've heard from other depressed individuals,
it works for them as well. Here's the list:
1. Diet/Nutrition
2. Pets
3. Exercise/Activity
4. Drugs
5. Psychotherapy
These are in a rough order that relates beneficial effects to costs,
risks and hassle factor. They are also in an order that encourages the
depressed individual to be as independent as possible.
Improving one's diet is easy, since we already eat every day. Making
better food choices and taking minor supplements has a good, but not
always huge impact on depression. In particular, reducing fats and
refined sugars seems to help in the long run, and eliminating any
vitamin deficiencies is always a winner. For myself, I avoid beef,
deep fried foods and dairy, and opt for a vegetarian diet when it is
easy and convenient, though I still eat chicken or fish a couple of
times a week. I take a normal multi-vitamin, not mega-vitamins or any
supplements that do not meet a known and well understood need. I do not
take ginseng, ginkoba, garlic, St. John's Wort, or any similar potions.
I also drink less than two cups of coffee each day, smoke only rarely,
and never snack on anything other than fruit between meals.
Getting a pet, especially if you live alone, is absolutely the best
and easiest therapy available. At a minimum, it provides an animate
object in your environment that needs some care and attention, providing
an impetus to get out of one's head or bed and do something. Since I
have severe allergies to cats and dogs, have no interest in reptiles or
birds, and find most small rodents (hamsters, mice, gerbils) to be
extremely stupid, I was pet-less until a friend got a rat. That same
day I got one too. Rats are very smart (smarter than a horse and more
trainable than a cat), portable (mine loves to ride on my shoulder or in
a jacket pocket), trainable (in the first week, mine started to come
when called), clean (no bath ever needed, easily potty trained, the
urine and feces are scentless, and the feces are hard pellets - no
mess), and omnivorous (they can eat what we eat, and what's bad for us
is bad for them).
Exercise requires time, schedule, and consistency commitments for
maximum benefit to be obtained. Pairing up with a friend is the easiest
way to build the necessary habits and to avoid initial injuries. If you
can stick with it, sustained aerobic exercise has huge benefits, as
others have mentioned in this thread. But even regular sports and other
physical activities (other than 12-ounce curls and thumbing the remote)
have great benefits. While I have no regular exercise program, I am in
good shape and am not overweight. I strap on my RollerBlades whenever
an opportunity arises. As a paraglider pilot, I frequently hike large
hills with a 45 pound pack on my back, then launch and fly for hours at
a time. I find I am unable to be even slightly depressed when I'm
soaring with falcons and eagles. I used to run and bicycle alot (50
miles running a week, 5 hours bicycling, several 10K races each year),
but my joints started to hurt, and when I cut back I found all the fun
soon departed. I tried a gym membership, but I found that environment
to be boring and depressing. So I occasionally skate and fly, and play
other sports once in a while.
I place drugs next for many reasons. They have the highest risk of
harmful side effects, high cost, unpredictable results, and uncertain
long-term benefits. But when they work, they can be a huge help. I,
myself, have had only minimal benefit, but I continue to examine the
possibilities. None of the SSRIs helped me, and I have decided to avoid
Lithium and MAOIs due to the risks, side effects, and hassles. I am
presently taking Ritalin, and it is a slight help. I am considering
moclobemide, an MAOI-like drug that does not have any of the dietary
restrictions associated with MAOIs. I do see a psychiatrist at least
once every three months, for med checks and to assess my current
condition and progress.
I place therapy last only because of the massive cost and commitment
needed for years at a time to achieve good lasting results. Most of us
are not independently wealthy, and few insurance plans provide for long
term out-patient mental health care. I am talking about conventional
psychotherapy here, the "talking cure". I do not include cognitive
therapy or its siblings, which can almost be self-learned, and have a
good short-term effect, but have little proven long-term benefit.
I prefer to start at the top of the hierarchy and proceed down, but
never stopping any higher level item once it has been successfully
started. No matter what else I try, I will always maintain a good diet.
And I will always have my rat (her name is Lursa). I exercise
occasionally, but with no regular schedule. And I do take medication,
but none has been a "silver bullet" for me. Therapy is way beyond my
ability to afford, and would be tough to schedule on a consistent basis
(my work has me traveling alot).
Overall, my depression is fairly well "managed", in that I am able to
lead a relatively normal and productive life. There are many other
factors that have helped my depression, but do not fit cleanly into my
hierarchy.
I am self-employed, so when a severe depression episode comes I have the
flexibility to deal with it rather than suffer through it. This has
proven to be extremely important, and has allowed me to lead a much
happier life, though certainly a less wealthy one. The stresses of
working for myself are, for me, far less than those I experienced while
an employee. Best of all, there are no office politics, I do not worry
about promotions, and when I want a vacation or a pay raise, I give
myself one (subject to the realities of the market, of course).
I have also made a conscious effort to eliminate "bad" relationships in
my life, those that cost me more than I had to give. And I have
gathered a circle of supportive friends and family who know all about
me, and love me anyway. It is a "given" that "bad" relationships
(romantic, friendship, or family) can cause depression, and "good" ones
can have extremely positive effects. My only complaint is that I have
been unable to sustain any personal love relationship. I just haven't
had the long-term energy to make things work to the point of reaching
the altar (and beyond), though I got damned close a couple of times, and
continue to have hope for the future.
There are some very beneficial aspects to being single: I have to
really like myself, as I am, so that I can stand to be alone and still
enjoy my time. I do not want any other person to "save" or "complete"
me, though I would love to have a "partner". I also have to be fairly
self sufficient, with no person at hand to serve as either a crutch or
as a target of blame - I am completely responsible for who, what and how
I am.
I also derive substantial benefit from social activities and dramatic
performances. I date about once a week, and go to many live theater,
music, dance and art performances. For some reason, I get little
pleasure from movies. The live human element seems to be important to
me.
I suppose there should be a "lifestyle" entry in the hierarchy to handle
things such as career choices, relationships and hobbies, but I'm not
sure how to define it, or where it would be placed, since it is such a
general notion. But I would place it above therapy, and maybe above
drugs, since it improves self sufficiency. But it would be below diet
and pets, since it is far more complex and difficult to figure out what
can and should be done, and how to make changes happen.
My little hierarchy does help me put many things (but not everything)
into perspective, and it also serves to remind me what is truly both
easy and effective.
Anyone else have a similar hierarchy? Or want to recommend some changes
to mine?
-BobC
Stuck in the 60s
Thanks for your story. I relate to a lot of what you wrote.
Stuck
costumr
Robert, you sound really admirable in your program. It sounds really
inspiring and I can relate to it. I haven't been as successful as you in
coping. I work in a profession that depends on a lot of politicking and
erratic hours. It's hard to campaign for work when you're feeling low
and then the rigors of long hours and raging egos can wear one down.
Exercising is hard to get motivated. I used to cycle a lot and felt
great from it. But its an expensive hobby. I work out at home when I can
motivate myself. I definitely feel better when I do. I've fallen so far
down in the hole that I haven't cleaned my apt. in months. I'm working
for small goals. I've lost so many friends to death, marriage and
whatever, it's hard to keep a support group around me. I have 2 friends,
a couple, who have really gone above and beyond to give me emotional
support, but they have lives, too, and I can't expect them to do
everything.
Depression has probably been a factor in my so-so ability to maintain
constant work, which means money is always a problem. It's seems as if
it's a race to see which part of my life falls apart first--car, home,
work, social life, love life, sanity. The oddest thing about all this is
that basically I'm an optimist. I always think it's going to get better.
I've tried counseling several times, and I've spent the last 2 years
trying to find a med that works to no avail. But I still feel that I
will find the key to the puzzle and work it out.
By the way, even tho I'm terrified of heights, gliding sounds like
ecstasy.
Well, I've rambled on in reference to your posting. Thanks for
listening. I won't give up if you won't. (and not even if you do)
Robert W. Cunningham
costumr wrote:
>
> Robert, you sound really admirable in your program. It sounds really
> inspiring and I can relate to it.
I probably painted too rosy a picture. While what I said is literally
true, I still have massive problems with depression.
My income has dropped by nearly 80% over the past three years, since
part of how I "cope" with work problems is to work less. Somehow, I
have never failed to pay any of my bills, and I still maintain a good
standard of living. While my life does have its occasional pleasures, I
have had an especially prolonged and deep depression episode for the
past four months (since late August). There are many days when I don't
even get out of bed.
Yet, even given all this, when I sit back and look at myself and my life
I find I am happy to be alive. Somehow, I truly love this wretch that I
am, flaws and all. There is no way any string of bad days can dilute or
erase the pleasure of a few good moments. That's not to say I am merely
awaiting the next good moment. No, I'm so weird that even the worst of
my bad days are cherished as blessings. I'd rather be on this earth
crippled than not on it at all. And I tend to be less crippled each
year.
I spent Thanksgiving alone, mainly due to bad planning. It hurt, and I
wallowed in it. But I still smiled to myself when I considered just how
much I had that I am truly thankful for. I literally made myself
mentally list some of the things, and it went on and on and on. And
many of the things on my list could not possibly have ever existed
without the existence of my depression, and among those things are some
of the parts of me I love the most.
For me, that's the most important exercise of all: My mental exercise.
-BobC
Robert W. Cunningham
VegasChris
>No, I'm so weird that even the worst of
>my bad days are cherished as blessings. I'd rather be on this earth
>crippled than not on it at all. And I tend to be less crippled each
>year.
>
>I spent Thanksgiving alone, mainly due to bad planning. It hurt, and I
>wallowed in it. But I still smiled to myself when I considered just how
>much I had that I am truly thankful for. I literally made myself
>mentally list some of the things, and it went on and on and on. And
>many of the things on my list could not possibly have ever existed
>without the existence of my depression, and among those things are some
>of the parts of me I love the most.
>
>For me, that's the most important exercise of all: My mental exercise.
>
>
>-BobC
I really admire your spirit. Glad to hear that someone else is winnig the
battle against depression.
chris
Vegas...@aol.com
where do we go from here?