Depression can be one of the most difficult experiences you can have in life. For some people depression is a one time experience that they never again have to face, these people are very fortunate. For others, depression is something that comes and goes at random, comes with the change of seasons or something they have to live with every day for extended periods.
Doctors and researchers are always on the lookout for things that effectively treat depression whether they are chemically based, therapist based or the result of old techniques becoming new. There are various eastern therapies that have proven incredibly effective, massage and relaxation therapies that help a lot and herbal therapies that have the potential to replace drug therapies. One of the easiest things you can do to alleviate depression is to get up and get moving. Depression and exercise research has found that a body in motion finds it easier to outrun depression.
Depression and Exercise
Any therapist worth their salt can tell you that drug treatments alone will not improve your depression beyond a certain point. They will also tell you that if you depend on drugs you will find that the depression returns swiftly when you are taken off of them so as to keep you from becoming addicted. You have to find alternative methods for alleviating the symptoms of depression and exercise is one of the best ways to do it. Many studies have proven that exercise is a great way to treat depression because:
It increases your sense of control over your body which relates to control over your mood (which can be quite low when depressed) and translates to control over your life
It increases self-esteem which can be a huge factor in depression
It is a distraction from the problems that may be causing depression
It improves your health, which can help lift your mood and ease symptoms of depression
Helps you increase energy during the day and sleep better at night. It is a well known fact that sleep problems are a hallmark of depression.
Exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do when you are depressed, but if you can motivate yourself enough to do a little bit each day, you will find that you can do even more the next day. Before long you may be leading the aerobics class at the gym… well maybe that is getting a little ahead, but anything is possible.
Getting Moving
It is very important that you get out of the feeling of depression and exercise can make that happen. You may feel like you have very little energy, sometimes you cannot even find your way out of the bed, but that little effort can be the first monumental step to feeling better. Keep these things in mind:
Set goals – do not try out a full exercise regimen the first day out. You should try to set goals like cleaning up a particular room in a day, then move up to taking a walk around the block and eventually you will find yourself jogging.
Do what you like – find an exercise you like. Maybe jogging is not for you, but you like to walk so you walk two blocks rather than jogging one. If there is an equipment based exercise you like, go for it at the gym. You may even find something like dog walking can give a great deal of exercise and you get to interact with man’s best friend (and maybe even get paid to do it, now that’s a mood booster).
Get social – maybe you can get a friend to help you exercise, it is always more enjoyable to workout with a friend, and they tend to be able to get you to try new things easier than if you were considering it alone and talked yourself out of it.
Be supervised – it is imperative that you be under the supervision of a medical professional for your depression and exercise treatment. You want to have someone who can keep tabs on your mental, emotional and psychological health even while you are improving your physical health and mental well being.
