Does exercise work for you?

[casctb]

I've been told countless times exercise and eating healthy essentially cures your mood and depression.

That does not work for me. Sometimes I would feel worse or just a little bit better afterwards but nothing that is lasting.

I'm curious if anyone feels the same.

 

[schopenh]

Let me tell you about my ex. She was in denial about her poor mental health. You could not actually say "your mental health is very poor" as she would be crushed by it and wouldn't talk to you for a few days etc. One of those self-defense mechanisms to make sure people don't criticize you (there was no gentle way of putting it that worked, either). She was also very skeptic of modern medicine, but for all the wrong reasons. She was convinced that the cure to her problem was environmental, but this only stemmed from a fear of medication. She went through so many phases of strict exercise routines, gluten free diets, keto diets, nutrient rich diets, daily meditations, moving country (no joke); all these things and she'd stick to them for months and throughout the entire time I knew her, her mental health didn't improve an iota from any of that stuff (not that she wasn't constantly convincing herself it was). It stayed consistently poor. She'll be lucky if her mental health problems just spontaneously resolve. Seeing all that lead me to believe that some people can do literally nothing for their mental health problem(s), sadly.

 

[Deleted member 17949]

I wouldn't go anywhere near as far as saying it 'cures' me, but it certainly puts me in a better mood which can lead to me being more productive and feeling more satisfied with myself.

 

[Life.Journey.Unknown]

In my experience exercise doesn't cure my depression directly. But doing some fitness work makes me feel like I've achieved something. And with depression I think any sense of achievement, no matter how small, is a positive thing.

 

[ItsAllTooLate]

I get depressed after exercise. I honestly don't know why.

 

[casctb]

I get depressed after exercise. I honestly don't know why.

Yeah I sometimes get like that too. I guess comparison and the feeling of futility in what I'm doing are factors.

I remember I used to love practicing karate but I was suicidally depressed and I would compare how I was so shit to everyone else so it led me to think that my goal of being really good at it was too great of a task.

I have had moments where I enjoy it but only if I go to the gym but it's super hard to go out when you feel like shit.

 

[Gladtogo]

I do find running helps me a lot. There's something about the freedom of long distance running, being in nature, the ''runners high" and also the goals/purpose it can give you. It's one of the few reasons I'm still alive, but probably not enough.

 

[Philosykos]

I do yoga every day, some cardio and weight training about every other day. I eat healthy (but too little) and it helps me some to feel better. But no, it definitely doesn't cure anything about my poor mental health. Exercise and healthy eating are bandaids on a bullet wound.

Edit: That said, I get why therapists recommend this so often. I did the full on depression mode for a while too with heavy drinking, doing nothing but watch Seinfeld all day while eating junk food. Since I started 'living healthy', I'd say my average mood is very slightly better than it was as a couch potato.

 

[lunargreenx]

When your life is shit, running 5 km or eating a salad won't help you. Yes, it improves your mood, but what's that for when you've got shitload of other problems that create that bad mood and depression.

 

[favourite]

Eating healthier and taking long walks didn't cure my depression, but at least it didn't make it worse like laying around eating pizza did.

 

[Dead beat dad]

I've been told countless times exercise and eating healthy essentially cures your mood and depression.

That does not work for me. Sometimes I would feel worse or just a little bit better afterwards but nothing that is lasting.

I'm curious if anyone feels the same.

For me in a nutshell yes, but the chance would be a fine thing.
I'm sorry it's not working for you, but we are all different and maybe this isn't your thing, but keep in the light my friend as it will show you so much more than the darkness.
Love and respect

DBD

 

[mathieu]

I'm not sure what effect exercise has on me. I only work out when I'm feeling better. I do feel good after but that feeling doesn't last long.

 

[TotallyIsolated]

Exercise can lift your mood but it doesn't cure clinical depression.

I find that exercising is just another thing for me to fail at. I will just beat myself up about it. I'm not doing enough, or I'm doing it wrong. I wont make enough progress or get any fitter. I'm an embarassment. Everyone will be looking and laughing at me. The thought of people cringing or feeling sorry for me makes me want to cry. Plus I dont have the motivation to start doing it in the first place.

I hate being fat and disgusting, but I cant cope with even more self criticism and torture in my life.

 

[terry_a_davis]

When i was mad into the gym i had the best times of my life outside of the gym. The times when i stopped training my life would usually be less happy too. Make of that what you will.

 

[AnxietyAttack44]

No. I still make 30 000+ steps a day. Sitting down makes me feel even worse somehow

 

[favourite]

No. I still make 30 000+ steps a day. Sitting down makes me feel even worse somehow

30 000 is a nice score. I mostly make about 10 000 and I'm tired already.

 

[AnxietyAttack44]

30 000 is a nice score. I mostly make about 10 000 and I'm tired already.

I used to do alot less, but so much stress and anxiety lately is forcing me to move. And i still cant fall asleep at night. Im not sure how to relax

 

[favourite]

I used to do alot less, but so much stress and anxiety lately is forcing me to move. And i still cant fall asleep at night. Im not sure how to relax

I get it. I started walking for the same reason.

 

[beclou]

I've been told countless times exercise and eating healthy essentially cures your mood and depression.

That does not work for me. Sometimes I would feel worse or just a little bit better afterwards but nothing that is lasting.

I'm curious if anyone feels the same.

It helps short term. Yoga has helped me a lot when I'm feeling down. If you want a buzz, try wild swimming

 

[Throwawaysoul]

I have too much social anxiety to go to a gym. I hate being around people taking pictures of themselves and I have a fear of being filmed. I don't understand "form" and I don't want to hurt myself. YouTube and blog posts don't help because I have trouble learning. There needs a be a gym for oddballs. I don't understand people's addiction to the gym. They act like if they miss a day or two the world will fucking end.

Walking helps. I try to walk 3 miles a day. I go super early when no one is around. Once I stop walking, i'm back on the couch and all the self loathing starts again.

 

[casctb]

I have too much social anxiety to go to a gym. I hate being around people taking pictures of themselves and I have a fear of being filmed. I don't understand "form" and I don't want to hurt myself. YouTube and blog posts don't help because I have trouble learning. There needs a be a gym for oddballs. I don't understand people's addiction to the gym. They act like if they miss a day or two the world will fucking end.

Walking helps. I try to walk 3 miles a day. I go super early when no one is around. Once I stop walking, i'm back on the couch and all the self loathing starts again.

Social anxiety really kept me from doing any type of exercise in a public area so your fears are something that I understand. But walking is nice, especially when the weather is nice and minimal people around where it's quiet.

 

[Wonderland]

I've been told countless times exercise and eating healthy essentially cures your mood and depression.

That does not work for me. Sometimes I would feel worse or just a little bit better afterwards but nothing that is lasting.

I'm curious if anyone feels the same.

Well for me it is literally the only thing that keeps me going. One day at a time.
Best of luck!

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

Cures? No. Stabilizes? Maybe.
I don't do much exercise. My job is very physically demanding, so at its core it's akin to... well, core exercises, I think. Powerlifting primarily, and a lot of walking. My sweatcoin app registers about 30000 steps on average, but since about half of it is underground where connection is poor, I estimate its close to the 35000 region. I also walk a lot on my own, primarily on weekends. I'm addicted to walking. The inside of my knees, some spots below the knee cap itch if my body doesn't think it walked enough.
I live in an urban areas, so there are no natural hikes for me to go on save for a building site about 2km from where I live. It's a "natural" hike in the sense it feels like walking through a desert. A desert full of cannibals because they stare at me passing by on my way to the hospital the same way women describe rapey guys staring at them.
But when I don't go to the hospital, there's another bike I take on a path towards the beach. It's about 25km long by rough estimate (I measured it using the ruler thing on Google maps). I take this hike when I'm experiencing a surge in seizures.
The mundanity of repeating the same movement a bajillion times combined with carryingy weight does seem to have a small calming effect, albeit it's also negated by the fact my legs beg for amputation.

 

[enjolras]

To me, long strainous physical activity outdoors is the only sleeping pill that works and make me feel rested at wake. I suffer from insomnia & delayed sleep phase disorder. Benzos (make me sleep too long) & hypnotics (make me feel like shit & incapacitated the next day) don't work on me for restorative sleep. Also, I believe that exercice helps to dissociate the mind from the body independently if you're too weak to sustain both efforts at the same time. It can as well strengthen will & decisional power. Next, there's the sense of achievement which can encourage to become more of a do'er generally and pushes towards a virtuous circle. Lastly, it can break the routine to enjoy more the alternate duties.

 

[terry_a_davis]

I have too much social anxiety to go to a gym. I hate being around people taking pictures of themselves and I have a fear of being filmed. I don't understand "form" and I don't want to hurt myself. YouTube and blog posts don't help because I have trouble learning. There needs a be a gym for oddballs. I don't understand people's addiction to the gym. They act like if they miss a day or two the world will fucking end.

Walking helps. I try to walk 3 miles a day. I go super early when no one is around. Once I stop walking, i'm back on the couch and all the self loathing starts again.

I think you'll find a few people in the gym aren't the most confident of people, that's why some of them start training, to improve their looks and confidence. I bet if u stuck it out for a month or 2 you'll get to know faces and they will with u and you'll start exchanging hellos and brief conversations. If you don't get a good vibe from 1 gym try another if there's a few in your area, they aren't all the same. Form describes how well you perform the exercise, the actual movement, it's speed, and whether you have done it correctly.

"Good form" is when everything is done well, so if you are squatting, you start at the top of course with the barbell behind your neck, the slowly and in full control bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then at that moment, pause briefly, then slowly lock out your legs again so that you are now upright. "Bad form" would be dropping really quickly, not going very low so doing half a movement etc. Form is all about doing the exercise correctly. To not hurt yourself always warm up by doing a few mins of stretching the body part to be exercised. If you are new, just do a little at first and gradually increase the amount of exercise you do over a few weeks.

 

[drivingaround]

I definitely don't find that exercise or healthy eating "cures" my depression or anxiety. It does help a bit. When I've binged on food in the past I get instantly suicidal, basically. Usually if I can't be bothered to exercise, or make proper food, it's a sign that depression is getting much worse.

 

[Brokenwithbpd]

I never have energy to workout :(

 

[Mo61]

I never have energy to workout :(

Same .

 

[JoeFailure]

There's no one thing that fixes anything, but exercise can definitely help. It's probably when I feel best or most confident that I can somehow recover from this. There are a lot of mental health benefits from it.

Someone mentioned above that people freak out when the gym is closed for a couple of days or they can't go...it's probably because it's something that's propping them up from things like anxiety and depression. Obviously it's more mild if that "solves" the issue, but it can definitely help.

 

[WillOxyWork]

Exercise has helped me a ton in the past - some people find it very beneficial for mental health. Before gyms closed for covid, I was in really good shape and always looked forward to my workouts. Unfortunately, it's been hard to get back into working out now, especially now that I feel my health declining.