How to Manage Depression with Exercise

By Suzette Annan

If you’ve struggled with depression the chances are that you’ve  heard the well meaning advice to exercise.

This probably made you want to roll your eyes; how could you possibly muster up the energy to exercise when even getting out if bed felt like too much?

I felt exactly the same way, until I realised that I would have to fight my depressed brain, and just throw myself into it, if I wanted to feel better.

Forcing myself to get out of bed and head to the gym has transformed the way I manage my depression and changed my life for the better.

It is well known that exercise can improve symptoms of depression.  Research published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal found that even modest exercise, can be as effective as therapy and medication in treating depression. 

That’s all well and good, but in order to reap these benefits, you actually have to start which can feel impossible when severely depressed.

I really struggled to motivate myself in the beginning. When my mood was seriously low the temptation to hide from the world underneath my duvet was difficult to resist. My bed was like a sanctuary, protecting  me from a life that I hated. Effectively sleeping  my life away, allowed me not to live it.

In reality my bed was more like a prison, keeping me stuck where I didn’t want to be. I wouldn’t  even be sleeping, but rather wasting time ruminating over bad decisions, and beating myself up over them.

Quite frankly, I couldn’t go on the way I was. We are either growing or deteriorating, and I was clearly doing the latter. I needed to make a change. According to the counselling technique Motivational Interviewing (MI), pioneered by psychologists William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, the motivation to change has to come from the individual; and only when they’re ready.

Thinking about what my life would be like if I didn’t take action made me  more than ready to exercise. It is now a key tool in my recovery. Here is how it helped.

Now, I get up…

Exercise has given me a reason to get up. I set my alarm to get my workout done first thing in the morning. I used to press the snooze button; staying in bed for hours thinking  about my problems.

Naturally, this made my mood very low, which would set me up for a terrible day ahead. It is paramount to start your day with action when  you’re depressed. When your alarm goes off, don’t press snooze, GET UP even if it takes every fibre within you to remove yourself from your bed. You have to do it and you will feel better for it.

When I stay in bed much longer than I should I end up feeling ashamed and disgusted with myself. If I get up and head to gym instead, those feelings are replaced by a sense of accomplishment and self-respect.

Me time…

Workouts are a time when you can focus solely on yourself; a time for self-care and truly loving yourself.

Depression often makes us neglect  our self-care. When we take the time to care for our bodies we are telling ourselves that WE MATTER.

Something we don’t believe when very depressed. Exercise is essential to looking after our bodies and our minds and we need to look after ourselves in order to feel good.

The release…

Whenever I am feeling very angry and upset exercise really helps me to release those negative emotions.

Thinking about traumatic experiences during my session makes me run faster,  push harder and lift heavier. I channel all of the negative energy bubbling inside me, and turn it into positive energy through a workout which is like therapy for me. 

After a good workout I am left feeling so much more  chilled out. All of the endorphins released act as a natural antidepressant. This leaves me able to go about my day feeling a lot lighter.

Improved self-esteem

Low self-esteem is a hallmark of depression. Feeling like you don’t quite measure up can make every area of your life difficult.

Relationships, employment, finances and achievements are all affected negatively, and this might make you feel like a failure. I know I have felt like this.

It was only when I committed to exercise, and saw my fitness improving that my self-esteem began to also improve. I gained self- respect as I proved to myself that I could commit to something and reap the benefits. This slowly made me believe that I am worthwhile person which worked wonders for my depression.

So the next time you hear the well-meaning, but annoying advice to exercise, resist the temptation to roll your eyes.

Exercise can help you reclaim your life from the grip of depression, and move you closer to where you want to be .

Author Bio

Suzette is a certified Personal Trainer with years of experience supporting others as a Mental Health Recovery Worker. Interested in the relationship between physical and mental health, she writes about fitness as a recovery tool.

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