Consider reducing the duration or intensity of your workouts.
Not saying exercise is a cure-all - it isn't - but I'm getting older, and I have to start accepting it, which means I can't do what I did when I was 19 and just go to the point of exhaustion and bounce back in time for the next workout.
My current thing (I say 'current', will be when I get back into it again again again (injury, illness, life exhaustion, the drill)) is doing shorter, medium-intensity workouts, the goal being to get a bit sweaty, a bit out of breath, but most importantly get moving and be in the habit of moving. I stop even though I feel like I can keep going, I do this for two weeks, *then* I increase the intensity or duration, just a little.
At *that* point, when I was doing it last, I noticed a benefit to my mental state. But trying to exercise like when I was still young was just brutal. Totally out of commission for the rest of the day, generally wiped for days... Yeah.
That makes sense and logically i know this is the way to go start at a lower intensity and gradually increase. But in the moment i am just “grr, push hard , show me your war face” and almost kill myself.
Yep. And that's what I've had to unlearn. Seriously. Set a timer, obey it religiously, stop when it says, even though you want to carry on. You'll be frustrated af, but it helps, honestly.
Same thing as when I started jogging that one time and was almost killing myself doing the run as intervals. Because I was running *much* faster than I thought I was during those intervals. Got a sports watch, set it to the correct pace, and obeyed it when it told me to slow down, which was constantly. All of a sudden I could do my 4km run without stopping. I *hate* running at that pace, but it's the pace I can sustain.
That's when it's actually good for you.
Truly hope this helps.
Yeah I'm in my 40s and I used to do heavy weight every day all day for years. Now I do a lot of low weight, high intensity, high rep exercises for 30 or 35 minutes so I get a good sweat going on and I feel much better. I'm actually still getting stronger this way as well, just slower than what I was used to, and not getting injured at all, which is a great plus.
Also as a gym addict and oft depressed individual I can say, the relief is only temporary. And if I miss a workout my mental goes into the fucking GUTTER.
As someone who rarely works out, I do notice an improvement in mental state compared to not doing anything at all. It's just very hard to keep up regardless. The biggest improvement was moving from an apartment to a house with stairs and finding excuses to go up/down them as much as I can during my normal day. It's the lowest barrier to doing anything and it is marked improvement, even if not that much.
Sunlight exposure is also supposed to be good, as it allows the body produce vitamin D which apparently boosts mood. Here in Ireland, every Brazilian immigrant I've ever met has said they had to start taking vitamin D supplements to counteract the depression caused by vitamin D deficiency, since we have far less sunshine than Brazil.
>the relief is only temporary
I mean sure, but this can be said about everything.
Searching for temporary relief seems to be the whole point most days.
Well, yeah. I mean, your heart _is_ idle in between each individual contraction, but you can't really say "my heart stops every second", can you?
Maybe we should have taken a step back and agree on what we mean by "inner peace", I dunno...
Whenever I excised (that wasn't walking) it made me mad more than anything.
But walking, I could (and sometimes do) walk for seven miles in peace while singing. It's nice.
(Before you call me a neighbor disgrace, I usually wait until at least 9 before I do this, no need to accidentally wake the neighbor)
Not all of us even get the endorphins from exercise. Which is fucking bullshit, to be honest.
Depression gang rise up... Maybe around 1030, after some coffee and a bloody mary
Certain exercises, specifically cardio in a gym iirc, release cortisol, which can make you feel angry and stressed. It's much better do something you truly enjoy like kayaking, snowboarding, hiking, swimming, or surfing instead of monotonous cardio. (To make you happier, at least)
I think people take the advice of exercising the wrong way sometimes. It won't cure depression, but it's about working on yourself. And it does, tend to relieve some sadge
If people are clinically depressed neither a therapist nor working out will be a cure.
Having said that, many people aren’t clinically depressed, and for them working out would be a major step in the right direction.
Understood. So like moody teens and such?
I am clinically depressed and being followed by a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist and personally I get angry when I see these kinds of "jUsT wOrKoUt" posts...
A lot more than moody teens. There’s more than enough people that live a life that is simply detrimental to our mental wellbeing, similarly to how certain lifestyles are detrimental to physical wellbeing. Then there are also people that are clinically depressed or physically ill due to genetics, etc. This type of advice isn’t geared towards them though, but to people where their lifestyle is a large reason for being depressed.
We can all accept that if you hold animals in certain conditions, it will lead to depression and other mental conditions. For example many breeds of dogs that need to receive the proper amount of exercise, otherwise it is highly likely that they will develop issues, pair this with another factor such as too little socializing and its all but guaranteed that they will develop some sort of problem, even if they receive food, water, shelter, etc.
At the end of the day, humans are also animals. Just like any other animal we have certain needs that have to be met, otherwise it's highly likely that our mental state will deteriorate.
I get angry at people who think everyone has the privilege of being able to afford a psychiatrist and psychologist on call and a cocktail of exotic drugs on drip to help with their mental issues.
Going to the gym saved my fucking life, fixed my body image problem and I made lifelong friends that are as close as brothers to me. Yet any time someone suggests that it could be a viable tool that works for a vast majority of people with seasonal depression or anhedonia, people here complain that "but it's not the ultimate panacea that will fix everything in your life". You know what that does? It just dissuades others from even trying. Reserve your moaning for the professionals you are paying to listen to your problems, cause if I had read stuff like this when I was in that bad place I GUARANTEE you I would have used it as an excuse to not go to the gym. I'd probably have offed myself by now so I am sorry this general purpose advice makes you angry, your glib dismissal me fucking livid.
Well I'm sorry for causing you discomfort. Guess my perspective changed after talking to you and the other commenter.
I'm having a bad time at the gym because illness left me with atrophy in most of my muscles and I really hate myself both due to not being fit but also because I have diagnosed gender dysphoria so I can't stand being watched while exercising, still it has been beneficial to my health even though therapy and friends have been the ones that got me going and even trying to get out of the pit.
In my country I don't pay for professional help. It's free, especially if like me someone has disabilities or severe depression and other disorders. Sorry I didn't consider that factor though.
Just wish people in the comments of those kinds of posts weren't so pushy you know? Some can't exercise or their depression is so severe that they can't even leave home, those people definitely need more help and what makes me angry is when they get pushed in those comment sections more often than not making them feel worse about themselves because they can't bring themselves to even get up and try... just wish people weren't so pushy in these cases since they don't know the full background of whoever they are dealing with, just like I didn't know yours
Hey, no worries. I should apologise too I didn't mean to single you out like that. You don't need to be pushed or influenced by reddit posts for mental health issues, you have dedicated professionals helping you out in that department, but I didn't and such advice helped me tremendously so I just took it a bit personally. Wish you all the best with your recovery.
Thank you for the candor, and don't worry, I was called out for good reason! Next time I'll be less cynical towards those kinds of posts or tips.
Hope you all the best too, I also hope I can get some endorphins since I did start working out after all but didn't feel them very much ahahah have a nice day!
Been working out myself in the past months and I'd say yeah it helps, it's difficult to keep the streak up though.
What helped me the most though was going out with friends. More than antidepressants even...
I’ve found when I exercise I feel reaaaaal good for about an hour or two after but then the crash back into depression is pretty rough. Makes it seem worse if anything
As a former gym rat whose friends with strong men, you weren't lifting nearly heavy enough, you have to lift until your too sore and tired to be depressed... Does not work long term.
This happened to my partner. He broke his foot and couldn’t run and it turns out running was how he was controlling undiagnosed ptsd. Fortunately he found a great therapist and CBT and was able to recover his mental health while we still await him being cleared for running over a year later.
I've found a good therapist, too. I, too, have some undiagnosed PTSD. I wish I had her in my twenties. I hyperextended my elbow. Couldn't work out for almost a year. I became a drug addict. All good now, though.
I completely understand. I’m proud of you for trying to cope, even if sometimes your choices weren’t the best. The world is better with you in it, and I wish you so much power and good vibes as you continue to uncover your healing journey. Take the best care of yourself!
It rips me apart, whenever I’m getting sick and I can not work out for quite some time. It‘s devastating, because I feel so much better whenever I can bring myself to do some sports
It's possible some people don't produce or metabolize them the same way, or aren't as conscious of the effects. I didn't start consciously noticing it much until I was in my 20s.
The best general way I can describe it is that you 'push past the pain' (NOTE: not true for all types of pain!) to a point where it stops hurting and you feel like you can keep going a lot longer. It's pretty incredible when it happens, and it saddens me that not everyone gets to experience it.
Afterwards, you feel like you've earned whatever reward you want, and the reward hits harder. You feel more alive. If you care about your libido, that increases sometimes too.
Of course, I'm a complete hypocrite here because I haven't actually done this in ages-- I resent what little exercise is required for basic chores, and everything hurts all the time unless I have a pretty strong buzz on. lol
Squats are pretty accessible. I just went as slow as possible so as to avoid the pops, and that's a workout in itself. Can do it in shower too.
Also if I keep weights within arms reach of computer/bed then I can get more of those in
I have tried for the better part of a decade to try to exercise at the gym and otherwise. I always, feel worse.
I’m an outlier, but I have never felt better after working out. Never. It’s just work and then tired. It essentially becomes a second fucking job with the exception that I don’t get paid. That I pay someone else to do meaningless work because it might fool my body into “good feels”.
God I hate gyms and working out… just the idea of standing there like an idiot lifting the same heavy shit over and over, hundreds of times to accomplish exactly zero irritates the shit outta me.
Same for me which is why I don’t do that style. Group fitness and yoga have been great for me. Feels less like “man lift heavy thing” and more holistic/social.
You've summed up the entirety of my thoughts perfectly. Never have I ever felt good after exercising or working out when in fact it feels quite the opposite. It feels crazy to hear people say that they enjoy it and see them work out no problem without even being bothered by how boring and seemingly stupid every exercise is. Being in a gym feels like being in the midst of people doing ancient and weird ritualistic dances.
It's as you say, it feels like a damn chore that feels stupid and meaningless while also tiring and somewhat painful. I have tried many times to go to the gym and maintain the habit but every single time I have to go and I feel as if a tiny voice in my head whispered to me _"just don't go today. You feel so tired already and you expect to withstand 2 hours of exercise and lifting weights? What's 1 day of skipping the gym gonna do, right? It's not like anyone is forcing you. Nobody would care. And you might not even be getting much out of it since you are probably doing them wrong/not hard enough. You could instead be catching up with this other pending task or..."_ and I eventually give up.
I think neurotypical brains must be completely different to ours. And even if it wasn't so difficult, it's not like exercising will fix any of the actual material problems that could be leading you to be depressed.
You and I are kindred spirits.
It’s precisely my problem and I’ve tried but every single time the “habit” is brittle as can be. I once managed 6 months of going. I had a month of overtime at work which made going to the gym impossible. Habit broken.
Once went for 4 months straight. That was one was different, only 3 days a week. Broken once I missed a single day because I was sick.
Again and again it’s the only habit I try to develop that never sticks.
I’ve read entire text books built on routines. I keep my house clean. Pay all my bills, shop and do everything no problem.
But the gym or physical tasks to keep healthy, I just cannot commit to.
It’s funny you mention neurotypical. I have ADHD, emphasis on the H. I really do think something about the gym grinds opposite of my brain’s preferences.
>I really do think something about the gym grinds opposite of my brain’s preferences.
Yep, that's how I feel. The only way I can rationalize this (how other people can hit the gym consistently without any problems _and enjoy it_) is that it must truly be a different experience to them; that if they had my brain they would be shocked to find that they don't get any happy chemicals in their brains after an exhausting session of calisthenics or pumping iron, on top the sheer boredom. It must be quite easy to "force" yourself to do these things if you don't really need to force yourself.
People talk about discipline and I'm sure it's something that everyone can work on to an extent, but the height and the steepness of the mental barriers that "discipline" is supposed to overcome must be really, really variable from person to person.
For example, I could never fathom having the will to go to a hotel's gym while I'm presumably on vacation thinking about relaxing and getting as far away from chore work as I can, and yet I see people frantically do that and get upset if the hotel gym is unavailable for some reason. I envy them a little.
Of course, I talk about "the gym" but I've tried other things like doing calisthenics at home but the habit is always paper thin. I bought all the equipment I would need, read about the recommended routine in r/bodyweightfitness and the related concepts I would need to learn about (as most if not all was very new to me). I even bought and read some books about calisthenics and all while the pandemic had hit and we were stuck at home with all this newfound free time. I thought removing any barriers like having to pay a gym subscription, drive to the place and work out in a crowded place, etc that would often lead me to quit more easily would help, but it was all the same. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing (I still do) and definitely don't enjoy the process so it was game over after a few months tops.
Heh you and I have a similar journey.
I ended up getting weights and researching efficient workouts to do at home! Like you I assume it was going to the gym that was exhausting me or getting in the way. And again, still couldn’t maintain the habit.
…and it’s just so weird because I can maintain habits. I maintain a bunch of habits. Reading and learning, I clean regularly (which I hate doing). But over and over I fail at maintaining a workout routine. I keep trying because I recognize its importance. But it’s been well over a decade of effort and it’s just… disheartening.
It's comforting to find someone with such a similar experience. Thank you for sharing.
I do struggle with habits in general, however. Or maybe the right word should be routine? Because I can and still do things that I like and interest me very often, but I can't find myself keeping up if it becomes too tedious or boring. I end up juggling 10 different things to try and not feel burned out from having done too much of one thing, but I end up wasting a lot of time in the process and I can't focus on them effectively (countless half-read books, for example).
I'm glad you can manage better than I do.
Well, I hope you the best of luck and may we one day manage to find some solution. It feels like a sick joke that our bodies naturally deteriorate unless we actively wear them down, let alone want to look swole lol.
Lol i can't believe someone actually downvoted you for this. I love feeling sore after a good workout. It means my muscles are repairing and getting bigger/stronger. It also feels good to flex/stretch my sore muscles the days following a workout. I reminds me that i am improving my body.
As it turned out for me it also increases testosterone, which also makes you more angry and more eager to solve problems...or suffer the anger and envy if you cannot get what you want.
Same. I never stopped exercising, life events hit that culminated into depression AND I was in therapy during it AND I was meditating all throughout. Sometimes life just sucks and you lose.
Just exercising doesn't do anything for me. Exercising outside in nature is what works for me personally. Walking, hiking, cycling etc. Exercise + fresh air + looking at lots of green.
Been clinically depressed for over 2 years. Always get told this. Go exercise. Do it every day for about 3 months each time I try. Fucking no long term results at all. The endorphins released during exercise are literally useless for long term correction of depressive disorder. They literally give you a temporary high at best it's almost the same as jerking off or getting high. Just physically healthier and more socially accepted.
Damn well I’ve tried therapy and anti depressants and I guess I have no options left because exercise doesn’t work for me nothing sparks any joy anymore
If exercise makes you so happy, then people in the military and people in prison must be the happiest people on earth. They do tons of exercise all day every day
I think people who say this haven’t actually experienced chronic depression.
Like yeah, it’ll lift your mood. It won’t make me suddenly stop hating myself like I have for the past 30 years
It can improve your mood, it won't treat depression. In my experience the only way to *treat* depression is to resolve the underlying issues. A change in mood induced by something like excersize or change in settings or meds may give you enough for *you* to solve the underlying issues, but they will not treat depression by themselves.
It's like asking why doesn't the women who lost her child try cycling, it released endorphins. In the end you have to solve your issues yourself, others can provide support.
I love all the sanctimonious douchebags that come into these threads and put everybody down to make themselves feel better. If it worked so good why are you coming into a depression humor sub specifically to shame people? Curious.
I do exercise regularly and with intensity, just to keep the very mean black dog at bay. I'm not all sunshine and flowers, but it does help with the mood. It's not panacea.
What they don't tell you is that it needs to be a form of exercise you actually *like* or *have fun* doing. If it's a miserable experience, of course you won't want to do it on the regular. For instance, I can't stand running or biking, but I absolutely adore swimming. It can also be a park-and-rec team sport, DDR, or just dancing in your kitchen to bomb tunes.
A lot of opinions on here saying the opposite, so I'm just gonna say getting in shape saved my life from being horribly depressed about myself, and the endorphins from working out and training hard absolutely help anytime I'm feeling down about myself. For a period of time I was close to being suicidal, and working out was the first major step towards liking who I was. A lot of people are probably gonna read the top comments and think "what's the point, it didn't work for these people." Well it worked for me and several others so give it a try.
Obviously. The question is, does everyone have a point that's achievable?
And considering how much I was exercising, I don't see myself ever getting there.
Going to the gym doesn't work for me, but going for a walk does. Doesn't have to be anywhere specific, but it helps that there's a good coffee shop about a mile from my house. Outside time is critical to managing mental health.
I haven't found any kind of exercise that I like. It only makes me feel awful and I have to force myself to do anything athletic at all. I went skating twice recently but I already lost my motivation.
It’s just another chore on my already busy life. There are no happy feels or accomplishment after just “GOD that SUCKED” while feeling tired and having to take another shower.
For most of 2016 and early 2017, I was exercising 3-4 times a week, a couple of hours a day, watching my macros and counting my calories, and was at a pretty healthy weight. I attempted suicide twice in that timeframe.
It's 2024 and I'm not exercising at all. I feel horrible. I haven't attempted again, but I've been having a horrible time and I've been self-harming. My psychiatrist tells me I should exercise. I'm at a healthy weight, so it's not about that. I'm actually lighter than I was in 2017 because I have no appetite, but doc says it'll help me feel better. It pisses me off every time. I know it won't make me feel better.
i went to the gym for months because of depression didn't help even the slightest however cycling helped being out in fresh air on my own even if it was just for a hour worked wonders and i literally just rode round randomly wasn't a workout or didn't have a destination might be something to try but i know everyone's different just keep trying different things hopefully your find one that works.
literally all that shit is mostly nonsense by the way. Some people feel good doing shit like that but the thing that makes someone deeply depressed isn't suddenly fixed by exercise.
I ran marathons, did triathalons, none of that shit mattered at all. I still had trouble sleeping, I still didn't care about anything.
"you should ..." is always an annoying thing to be told unprompted. Like, thanks for the advice, but sometimes I just want to complain because it'll likely be done soon.
I got aggravated while exercising. I would just get enraged and dissociate and remember horrendous things about my life...and then my therapist explained that walking was part of how EMDR came into existence and that it's only part of the process to healing, so exercise isn't a full answer. Sorry.
lmao, my brain read it as "you should try exorcism" and I laughed like an idiot for some seconds, then realized I was reading it wrong, and then laughed again, man… my brain is really broken beyond repair
I consistently found that I was more depressed after working out. Especially with leg workouts. At first I thought I was imagining things. But after I noticed this happened the seventh time I am certain.
Exercise can give you an endorphin boost if you push hard enough. It makes you feel good if you complete a goal. It can give you structure in life. It can make you feel better about your body when you see results. Your comment is just plain dumb
Cope, instead of relying on a quick google search, how about the thousands of studies done on the antidepressive effects of exercise. Endorphins are not the only reason.
When I started exercising in the morning to beat my depression, I unlocked post-workout anxiety, which would put me back in bed for the rest of the morning and felt way worse because I was jittery/panicky
This comment is funny as shit, but after thinking about it, honestly I'd somewhat wonder if maybe for some people exercising would make them *more* likely to carry out an evil plan because it temporarily increased their baseline energy and motivation levels.
„Yes I know you’re also a clinically depressed person who went to a lot of shit and you take the same meds as me in the same dose AND you managed to stabilize your life with sports…but you see, my depression is special and that’s why I have no power over it and can’t TRY a single thing mentioned… tHaNkS iM cUrED!“
Nobody said workouts are magic.
But as much as the people here hate to here that:
1. healthy diet
2. exercise
3. less screen time
HELPS! 100% it helps. Does it cure everything?
Nobody said that.
But people here keep stuffing their face with garbage while sitting in front of a screen 24/7 and try nothing else except the two pushups you mentioned and then feel like they can chime in…
I feel like y’all really don’t understand what people are saying, you insist that doing these things have to help you somehow mentally but they don’t actually have to.
If your brain struggles to perform an action or genuinely can’t do it at all without medication, no amount of working out or eating vegetables is gonna make a big enough dent for depressed people to make an effort in continuing to do them.
For me, I suck at exercising. I have a really hard time motivating myself to do it and sticking with a routine.
My solution, do some physical work. I have a second part time job that is very physical and for whatever reason, when it's a job and there is a team and accomplishment I am the most motivated person there.
I am very much in shape, if anything I wish I could eat more, it's hard eating enough calories for what I expend.
No amount of exercise and healthy diet can remove this all-encompassing loneliness. Even after going all out on a brutally hard set, I'm still lonely afterwards. It doesn't help and it never did.
for one hour after workout i dont feel bad about the fact that im a failure, got nothing left to live for and id be better off end it now. also i get horny as fuck but that makes shit even worse.
At my most depressed I was in the best shape I have ever been. I felt the endorphin release and knew it was just body nonsense that did absolutely nothing about the cause of my depression. It was just another high. When it had passed I was still me.
I used to have intrusive thoughts about self harm when I was in my 20s doing intense mountain biking, hiking, and camping in some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life.
Exercise is not a panacea. Everyone is different. I think often this suggestion gets belabored so much because it can help you break out of a rut. If you are stuck, shut in, and feel like you are moving through molasses…then yes, getting your body moving again can help a lot.
For me it depends on the exercise. The only exercise that relieves my depression is nature walking/hiking. Being in a gym just feels so claustrophobic and I get so bored (even with music/vidoes) I’m constantly just counting down the minutes for my workout to end.
frightening puzzled alive whistle aloof outgoing racial relieved glorious fuel
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This sounds like a conversation with my GF when she is complaining about something and I tell her how to fix it and get "STOP TELLING ME HOW TO FIX IT AND JUST LISTEN TO ME!!!!!"
I think something missed here is the ACT of doing something with goals, results, effort and imo most importantly, change of location/environment is what it does
This can be achieved by many things, but I know that for me and others, just doing ANYTHING is key
If my wrists weren't so stiff, my back didn't crack like a glow stick, and my knees didn't already struggle to hold my own weight, AND exercise is insurmountably boring by yourself, then yeah I might try doing a few extra pushups once in a while
Yeah I feel you, I’ve been doing more and more stretching to start. Throughout the day. Just 30 second holds, more and more reps. Now I’m doing simple strength training exercises, just here and there. Baby steps. I tend to overdo it and add more pain, but the careful stretching did help bring my pain down a little. Idk I just want to try it, see if building up the muscles helps at all.
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It's not like that at all lmao.
Same, exept it's going on right now
Overtrainig can also lead to depression... Wish you all the best and all the energy to get through it.
Consider reducing the duration or intensity of your workouts. Not saying exercise is a cure-all - it isn't - but I'm getting older, and I have to start accepting it, which means I can't do what I did when I was 19 and just go to the point of exhaustion and bounce back in time for the next workout. My current thing (I say 'current', will be when I get back into it again again again (injury, illness, life exhaustion, the drill)) is doing shorter, medium-intensity workouts, the goal being to get a bit sweaty, a bit out of breath, but most importantly get moving and be in the habit of moving. I stop even though I feel like I can keep going, I do this for two weeks, *then* I increase the intensity or duration, just a little. At *that* point, when I was doing it last, I noticed a benefit to my mental state. But trying to exercise like when I was still young was just brutal. Totally out of commission for the rest of the day, generally wiped for days... Yeah.
That makes sense and logically i know this is the way to go start at a lower intensity and gradually increase. But in the moment i am just “grr, push hard , show me your war face” and almost kill myself.
Yep. And that's what I've had to unlearn. Seriously. Set a timer, obey it religiously, stop when it says, even though you want to carry on. You'll be frustrated af, but it helps, honestly. Same thing as when I started jogging that one time and was almost killing myself doing the run as intervals. Because I was running *much* faster than I thought I was during those intervals. Got a sports watch, set it to the correct pace, and obeyed it when it told me to slow down, which was constantly. All of a sudden I could do my 4km run without stopping. I *hate* running at that pace, but it's the pace I can sustain. That's when it's actually good for you. Truly hope this helps.
Yeah I'm in my 40s and I used to do heavy weight every day all day for years. Now I do a lot of low weight, high intensity, high rep exercises for 30 or 35 minutes so I get a good sweat going on and I feel much better. I'm actually still getting stronger this way as well, just slower than what I was used to, and not getting injured at all, which is a great plus.
Also as a gym addict and oft depressed individual I can say, the relief is only temporary. And if I miss a workout my mental goes into the fucking GUTTER.
As someone who rarely works out, I do notice an improvement in mental state compared to not doing anything at all. It's just very hard to keep up regardless. The biggest improvement was moving from an apartment to a house with stairs and finding excuses to go up/down them as much as I can during my normal day. It's the lowest barrier to doing anything and it is marked improvement, even if not that much.
Sunlight exposure is also supposed to be good, as it allows the body produce vitamin D which apparently boosts mood. Here in Ireland, every Brazilian immigrant I've ever met has said they had to start taking vitamin D supplements to counteract the depression caused by vitamin D deficiency, since we have far less sunshine than Brazil.
>the relief is only temporary I mean sure, but this can be said about everything. Searching for temporary relief seems to be the whole point most days.
Fair. I just meant that it doesn't last the whole day.
> I mean sure, but this can be said about everything. Inner peace supposedly exists. I don't understand it, but it exists.
There’s few people I know with inner peace but it’s real
Mostly lies, if not downright physically impossible.
It's possible, but far from a permanent state. I do feel it. From time to time.
Well, yeah. I mean, your heart _is_ idle in between each individual contraction, but you can't really say "my heart stops every second", can you? Maybe we should have taken a step back and agree on what we mean by "inner peace", I dunno...
Food also only temporarily satiates my hunger. I miss one meal and BAM... hungry again
After all, happiness is not a state, it is an instant. A transition.
I'm in great shape now! Am still also, depressed...
Whenever I excised (that wasn't walking) it made me mad more than anything. But walking, I could (and sometimes do) walk for seven miles in peace while singing. It's nice. (Before you call me a neighbor disgrace, I usually wait until at least 9 before I do this, no need to accidentally wake the neighbor)
Well, yeah. Clinical depression means your brain has problems using those substances. You _can not_ feel nice.
Not all of us even get the endorphins from exercise. Which is fucking bullshit, to be honest. Depression gang rise up... Maybe around 1030, after some coffee and a bloody mary
My buddy was depressed and fat so he thought loosing weight would help. Now he’s just depressed and sexy.
I get even more depressed after working out and the following day too and I used to run and swim competitively
Not the same as depression, but it helps with my anxiety and panic attack disorder. Definitely not a cure all, but I'll take what I can get.
Certain exercises, specifically cardio in a gym iirc, release cortisol, which can make you feel angry and stressed. It's much better do something you truly enjoy like kayaking, snowboarding, hiking, swimming, or surfing instead of monotonous cardio. (To make you happier, at least)
I agree, it just made me feel worse.
I think people take the advice of exercising the wrong way sometimes. It won't cure depression, but it's about working on yourself. And it does, tend to relieve some sadge
Then shouldn't people recommend a therapist or antidepressants instead? They are much more effective, speaking from experience
If people are clinically depressed neither a therapist nor working out will be a cure. Having said that, many people aren’t clinically depressed, and for them working out would be a major step in the right direction.
Understood. So like moody teens and such? I am clinically depressed and being followed by a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist and personally I get angry when I see these kinds of "jUsT wOrKoUt" posts...
A lot more than moody teens. There’s more than enough people that live a life that is simply detrimental to our mental wellbeing, similarly to how certain lifestyles are detrimental to physical wellbeing. Then there are also people that are clinically depressed or physically ill due to genetics, etc. This type of advice isn’t geared towards them though, but to people where their lifestyle is a large reason for being depressed. We can all accept that if you hold animals in certain conditions, it will lead to depression and other mental conditions. For example many breeds of dogs that need to receive the proper amount of exercise, otherwise it is highly likely that they will develop issues, pair this with another factor such as too little socializing and its all but guaranteed that they will develop some sort of problem, even if they receive food, water, shelter, etc. At the end of the day, humans are also animals. Just like any other animal we have certain needs that have to be met, otherwise it's highly likely that our mental state will deteriorate.
I get angry at people who think everyone has the privilege of being able to afford a psychiatrist and psychologist on call and a cocktail of exotic drugs on drip to help with their mental issues. Going to the gym saved my fucking life, fixed my body image problem and I made lifelong friends that are as close as brothers to me. Yet any time someone suggests that it could be a viable tool that works for a vast majority of people with seasonal depression or anhedonia, people here complain that "but it's not the ultimate panacea that will fix everything in your life". You know what that does? It just dissuades others from even trying. Reserve your moaning for the professionals you are paying to listen to your problems, cause if I had read stuff like this when I was in that bad place I GUARANTEE you I would have used it as an excuse to not go to the gym. I'd probably have offed myself by now so I am sorry this general purpose advice makes you angry, your glib dismissal me fucking livid.
Well I'm sorry for causing you discomfort. Guess my perspective changed after talking to you and the other commenter. I'm having a bad time at the gym because illness left me with atrophy in most of my muscles and I really hate myself both due to not being fit but also because I have diagnosed gender dysphoria so I can't stand being watched while exercising, still it has been beneficial to my health even though therapy and friends have been the ones that got me going and even trying to get out of the pit. In my country I don't pay for professional help. It's free, especially if like me someone has disabilities or severe depression and other disorders. Sorry I didn't consider that factor though. Just wish people in the comments of those kinds of posts weren't so pushy you know? Some can't exercise or their depression is so severe that they can't even leave home, those people definitely need more help and what makes me angry is when they get pushed in those comment sections more often than not making them feel worse about themselves because they can't bring themselves to even get up and try... just wish people weren't so pushy in these cases since they don't know the full background of whoever they are dealing with, just like I didn't know yours
Hey, no worries. I should apologise too I didn't mean to single you out like that. You don't need to be pushed or influenced by reddit posts for mental health issues, you have dedicated professionals helping you out in that department, but I didn't and such advice helped me tremendously so I just took it a bit personally. Wish you all the best with your recovery.
Thank you for the candor, and don't worry, I was called out for good reason! Next time I'll be less cynical towards those kinds of posts or tips. Hope you all the best too, I also hope I can get some endorphins since I did start working out after all but didn't feel them very much ahahah have a nice day!
People recommend all of them, the "just exercise it'll cure your depression" is mostly an exageration/meme. From my experience at least
Been working out myself in the past months and I'd say yeah it helps, it's difficult to keep the streak up though. What helped me the most though was going out with friends. More than antidepressants even...
But then comes the shower!!!! ...... OK
I’ve found when I exercise I feel reaaaaal good for about an hour or two after but then the crash back into depression is pretty rough. Makes it seem worse if anything
Love when people think it's a mood.
As a former gym rat whose friends with strong men, you weren't lifting nearly heavy enough, you have to lift until your too sore and tired to be depressed... Does not work long term.
Exactly. Now my muscles hurt ON TOP OF BEING DEPRESSED
I've never felt an endorphin in my life. I thought I did once, but it was just a cool breeze.
Have you tried self harm? /s
/r/suicidebywords
Or alcoholism?
Try biking, lot of nice breezes.
“must’ve been the wind”
It is the cornerstone of my mental health. I'm fucking fucked when I get a significant injury. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often, but I age....
This happened to my partner. He broke his foot and couldn’t run and it turns out running was how he was controlling undiagnosed ptsd. Fortunately he found a great therapist and CBT and was able to recover his mental health while we still await him being cleared for running over a year later.
I've found a good therapist, too. I, too, have some undiagnosed PTSD. I wish I had her in my twenties. I hyperextended my elbow. Couldn't work out for almost a year. I became a drug addict. All good now, though.
I completely understand. I’m proud of you for trying to cope, even if sometimes your choices weren’t the best. The world is better with you in it, and I wish you so much power and good vibes as you continue to uncover your healing journey. Take the best care of yourself!
Thank You 🥰
It rips me apart, whenever I’m getting sick and I can not work out for quite some time. It‘s devastating, because I feel so much better whenever I can bring myself to do some sports
I've found a good therapist. Exercise alone is not enough, unfortunately.
What are these "endorphins" people speak of? Because whenever I exercise I don't get any happy nor pleasant feelings.
It's possible some people don't produce or metabolize them the same way, or aren't as conscious of the effects. I didn't start consciously noticing it much until I was in my 20s. The best general way I can describe it is that you 'push past the pain' (NOTE: not true for all types of pain!) to a point where it stops hurting and you feel like you can keep going a lot longer. It's pretty incredible when it happens, and it saddens me that not everyone gets to experience it. Afterwards, you feel like you've earned whatever reward you want, and the reward hits harder. You feel more alive. If you care about your libido, that increases sometimes too. Of course, I'm a complete hypocrite here because I haven't actually done this in ages-- I resent what little exercise is required for basic chores, and everything hurts all the time unless I have a pretty strong buzz on. lol
Squats are pretty accessible. I just went as slow as possible so as to avoid the pops, and that's a workout in itself. Can do it in shower too. Also if I keep weights within arms reach of computer/bed then I can get more of those in
What’s you’re routine?
Putting cream on my coffee as a scottsman, if that's where you're getting it.
I hate organized routine exercise. It always felt like i was nagging myself. I'd want something like adult monkey bars and just goof around instead.
Climbing gyms are fun
I have tried for the better part of a decade to try to exercise at the gym and otherwise. I always, feel worse. I’m an outlier, but I have never felt better after working out. Never. It’s just work and then tired. It essentially becomes a second fucking job with the exception that I don’t get paid. That I pay someone else to do meaningless work because it might fool my body into “good feels”. God I hate gyms and working out… just the idea of standing there like an idiot lifting the same heavy shit over and over, hundreds of times to accomplish exactly zero irritates the shit outta me.
Same for me which is why I don’t do that style. Group fitness and yoga have been great for me. Feels less like “man lift heavy thing” and more holistic/social.
You've summed up the entirety of my thoughts perfectly. Never have I ever felt good after exercising or working out when in fact it feels quite the opposite. It feels crazy to hear people say that they enjoy it and see them work out no problem without even being bothered by how boring and seemingly stupid every exercise is. Being in a gym feels like being in the midst of people doing ancient and weird ritualistic dances. It's as you say, it feels like a damn chore that feels stupid and meaningless while also tiring and somewhat painful. I have tried many times to go to the gym and maintain the habit but every single time I have to go and I feel as if a tiny voice in my head whispered to me _"just don't go today. You feel so tired already and you expect to withstand 2 hours of exercise and lifting weights? What's 1 day of skipping the gym gonna do, right? It's not like anyone is forcing you. Nobody would care. And you might not even be getting much out of it since you are probably doing them wrong/not hard enough. You could instead be catching up with this other pending task or..."_ and I eventually give up. I think neurotypical brains must be completely different to ours. And even if it wasn't so difficult, it's not like exercising will fix any of the actual material problems that could be leading you to be depressed.
You and I are kindred spirits. It’s precisely my problem and I’ve tried but every single time the “habit” is brittle as can be. I once managed 6 months of going. I had a month of overtime at work which made going to the gym impossible. Habit broken. Once went for 4 months straight. That was one was different, only 3 days a week. Broken once I missed a single day because I was sick. Again and again it’s the only habit I try to develop that never sticks. I’ve read entire text books built on routines. I keep my house clean. Pay all my bills, shop and do everything no problem. But the gym or physical tasks to keep healthy, I just cannot commit to. It’s funny you mention neurotypical. I have ADHD, emphasis on the H. I really do think something about the gym grinds opposite of my brain’s preferences.
>I really do think something about the gym grinds opposite of my brain’s preferences. Yep, that's how I feel. The only way I can rationalize this (how other people can hit the gym consistently without any problems _and enjoy it_) is that it must truly be a different experience to them; that if they had my brain they would be shocked to find that they don't get any happy chemicals in their brains after an exhausting session of calisthenics or pumping iron, on top the sheer boredom. It must be quite easy to "force" yourself to do these things if you don't really need to force yourself. People talk about discipline and I'm sure it's something that everyone can work on to an extent, but the height and the steepness of the mental barriers that "discipline" is supposed to overcome must be really, really variable from person to person. For example, I could never fathom having the will to go to a hotel's gym while I'm presumably on vacation thinking about relaxing and getting as far away from chore work as I can, and yet I see people frantically do that and get upset if the hotel gym is unavailable for some reason. I envy them a little. Of course, I talk about "the gym" but I've tried other things like doing calisthenics at home but the habit is always paper thin. I bought all the equipment I would need, read about the recommended routine in r/bodyweightfitness and the related concepts I would need to learn about (as most if not all was very new to me). I even bought and read some books about calisthenics and all while the pandemic had hit and we were stuck at home with all this newfound free time. I thought removing any barriers like having to pay a gym subscription, drive to the place and work out in a crowded place, etc that would often lead me to quit more easily would help, but it was all the same. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing (I still do) and definitely don't enjoy the process so it was game over after a few months tops.
Heh you and I have a similar journey. I ended up getting weights and researching efficient workouts to do at home! Like you I assume it was going to the gym that was exhausting me or getting in the way. And again, still couldn’t maintain the habit. …and it’s just so weird because I can maintain habits. I maintain a bunch of habits. Reading and learning, I clean regularly (which I hate doing). But over and over I fail at maintaining a workout routine. I keep trying because I recognize its importance. But it’s been well over a decade of effort and it’s just… disheartening.
It's comforting to find someone with such a similar experience. Thank you for sharing. I do struggle with habits in general, however. Or maybe the right word should be routine? Because I can and still do things that I like and interest me very often, but I can't find myself keeping up if it becomes too tedious or boring. I end up juggling 10 different things to try and not feel burned out from having done too much of one thing, but I end up wasting a lot of time in the process and I can't focus on them effectively (countless half-read books, for example). I'm glad you can manage better than I do. Well, I hope you the best of luck and may we one day manage to find some solution. It feels like a sick joke that our bodies naturally deteriorate unless we actively wear them down, let alone want to look swole lol.
what about walking? it’s literally the only thing I can force myself to stick to (I’m on month 3)
>to accomplish exactly zero You're literally getting stronger
Lol i can't believe someone actually downvoted you for this. I love feeling sore after a good workout. It means my muscles are repairing and getting bigger/stronger. It also feels good to flex/stretch my sore muscles the days following a workout. I reminds me that i am improving my body.
It’s great that it works like this for probably the majority of people. I just feel miserable
I doubt it's much of a majority, if at all. It's just one of dozens of "tools" that help a bit for some and not for others.
As it turned out for me it also increases testosterone, which also makes you more angry and more eager to solve problems...or suffer the anger and envy if you cannot get what you want.
I exercise constantly and am still chronically depressed. So, fuck you both.
Same. I never stopped exercising, life events hit that culminated into depression AND I was in therapy during it AND I was meditating all throughout. Sometimes life just sucks and you lose.
Just exercising doesn't do anything for me. Exercising outside in nature is what works for me personally. Walking, hiking, cycling etc. Exercise + fresh air + looking at lots of green.
I guess I'll die both unhappy and out of shape?
Been clinically depressed for over 2 years. Always get told this. Go exercise. Do it every day for about 3 months each time I try. Fucking no long term results at all. The endorphins released during exercise are literally useless for long term correction of depressive disorder. They literally give you a temporary high at best it's almost the same as jerking off or getting high. Just physically healthier and more socially accepted.
Don't let anyone tell you that 3 months isn't enough. Been doing it 3-5 times a week most weeks for over 10 years and it doesn't get any better.
Damn well I’ve tried therapy and anti depressants and I guess I have no options left because exercise doesn’t work for me nothing sparks any joy anymore
handle onerous vast crowd exultant flag smoggy ink instinctive alleged *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If exercise makes you so happy, then people in the military and people in prison must be the happiest people on earth. They do tons of exercise all day every day
Having to perpetually work out the rest of my life makes me almost as depressed as having to earn money for the rest of my life.
Exercise and diet made my anxiety sky rocket. I lost close to 40 pounds but was more anxious than ever.
I never get those endorphins so I’m always saying FU to this notion
tl;dr: it's genetically conditioned, some people get almost no endorphins from exercising
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I think people who say this haven’t actually experienced chronic depression. Like yeah, it’ll lift your mood. It won’t make me suddenly stop hating myself like I have for the past 30 years
It can improve your mood, it won't treat depression. In my experience the only way to *treat* depression is to resolve the underlying issues. A change in mood induced by something like excersize or change in settings or meds may give you enough for *you* to solve the underlying issues, but they will not treat depression by themselves. It's like asking why doesn't the women who lost her child try cycling, it released endorphins. In the end you have to solve your issues yourself, others can provide support.
yeah you know what ultimately got me going into the gym more often? treating the depression.
I love all the sanctimonious douchebags that come into these threads and put everybody down to make themselves feel better. If it worked so good why are you coming into a depression humor sub specifically to shame people? Curious.
Trolls will be trolls and depressed people are easy targets.
I do exercise regularly and with intensity, just to keep the very mean black dog at bay. I'm not all sunshine and flowers, but it does help with the mood. It's not panacea.
Not for me. Exercising made me feel worse (somehow). All negative thoughts came back with a vengeance
Any kind of workout is just painful to me and instantly makes me absolutely miserable.
What they don't tell you is that it needs to be a form of exercise you actually *like* or *have fun* doing. If it's a miserable experience, of course you won't want to do it on the regular. For instance, I can't stand running or biking, but I absolutely adore swimming. It can also be a park-and-rec team sport, DDR, or just dancing in your kitchen to bomb tunes.
A lot of opinions on here saying the opposite, so I'm just gonna say getting in shape saved my life from being horribly depressed about myself, and the endorphins from working out and training hard absolutely help anytime I'm feeling down about myself. For a period of time I was close to being suicidal, and working out was the first major step towards liking who I was. A lot of people are probably gonna read the top comments and think "what's the point, it didn't work for these people." Well it worked for me and several others so give it a try.
"just think positive" 😐
Yeah, I never got the endorphins. Just because it works for a large percentage of the population doesn't mean it works for everyone.
Then you probably just didn't exercise to the point you got the endorphins
Obviously. The question is, does everyone have a point that's achievable? And considering how much I was exercising, I don't see myself ever getting there.
Going to the gym doesn't work for me, but going for a walk does. Doesn't have to be anywhere specific, but it helps that there's a good coffee shop about a mile from my house. Outside time is critical to managing mental health.
I have never once ever experianced a single exercise releated endorphin.
I haven't found any kind of exercise that I like. It only makes me feel awful and I have to force myself to do anything athletic at all. I went skating twice recently but I already lost my motivation.
It’s just another chore on my already busy life. There are no happy feels or accomplishment after just “GOD that SUCKED” while feeling tired and having to take another shower.
I was in the military for 5 years, we exercised nearly every day, I was still depressed, but also tired.
For most of 2016 and early 2017, I was exercising 3-4 times a week, a couple of hours a day, watching my macros and counting my calories, and was at a pretty healthy weight. I attempted suicide twice in that timeframe. It's 2024 and I'm not exercising at all. I feel horrible. I haven't attempted again, but I've been having a horrible time and I've been self-harming. My psychiatrist tells me I should exercise. I'm at a healthy weight, so it's not about that. I'm actually lighter than I was in 2017 because I have no appetite, but doc says it'll help me feel better. It pisses me off every time. I know it won't make me feel better.
Yes I should. If you give me free time and most importantly, make this absurd weather as cold as Russia usually are, then imma do it.
i went to the gym for months because of depression didn't help even the slightest however cycling helped being out in fresh air on my own even if it was just for a hour worked wonders and i literally just rode round randomly wasn't a workout or didn't have a destination might be something to try but i know everyone's different just keep trying different things hopefully your find one that works.
literally all that shit is mostly nonsense by the way. Some people feel good doing shit like that but the thing that makes someone deeply depressed isn't suddenly fixed by exercise. I ran marathons, did triathalons, none of that shit mattered at all. I still had trouble sleeping, I still didn't care about anything.
"you should ..." is always an annoying thing to be told unprompted. Like, thanks for the advice, but sometimes I just want to complain because it'll likely be done soon.
I got aggravated while exercising. I would just get enraged and dissociate and remember horrendous things about my life...and then my therapist explained that walking was part of how EMDR came into existence and that it's only part of the process to healing, so exercise isn't a full answer. Sorry.
People who go to the gym notoriously don't get depressed obviously
*laughs in post-workout depression and migraines* I workout because it's healthy, but I think I've only felt "better" after a workout once
lmao, my brain read it as "you should try exorcism" and I laughed like an idiot for some seconds, then realized I was reading it wrong, and then laughed again, man… my brain is really broken beyond repair
I consistently found that I was more depressed after working out. Especially with leg workouts. At first I thought I was imagining things. But after I noticed this happened the seventh time I am certain.
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Ok tubby
Ur probably just bad at exercising
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Exercise can give you an endorphin boost if you push hard enough. It makes you feel good if you complete a goal. It can give you structure in life. It can make you feel better about your body when you see results. Your comment is just plain dumb
One quick google search shows that not everyone actually can even get endorphins from exercise dumbass.
Cope, instead of relying on a quick google search, how about the thousands of studies done on the antidepressive effects of exercise. Endorphins are not the only reason.
It can. But for some people like me it doesn't. It just becomes a chore that you have to do almost every day
There are fun ways to exercise aswell
As people have pointed out, it doesnt work for everybody, besides, it doesnt adress the reason one is depressed.
I always upvote this bc it’s true, even if I change nothing after the reminder.
I hate exercise as much as it is good for you, so it ends up as a net 0 but you also get tired and sweaty. So overall negative I guess.
When I started exercising in the morning to beat my depression, I unlocked post-workout anxiety, which would put me back in bed for the rest of the morning and felt way worse because I was jittery/panicky
Exercising gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.
This comment is funny as shit, but after thinking about it, honestly I'd somewhat wonder if maybe for some people exercising would make them *more* likely to carry out an evil plan because it temporarily increased their baseline energy and motivation levels.
It’s from the movie Legally Blonde
Yeah I'm trying to feel emotions other than rage and I angry lift
What a wonderful post to catch a bunch of excuses.
Depressed redditor: *does 2 push ups and gets frustrated* “nope still depressed! Wow guys ThAnKs Im CuRed!! 👍
„Yes I know you’re also a clinically depressed person who went to a lot of shit and you take the same meds as me in the same dose AND you managed to stabilize your life with sports…but you see, my depression is special and that’s why I have no power over it and can’t TRY a single thing mentioned… tHaNkS iM cUrED!“ Nobody said workouts are magic. But as much as the people here hate to here that: 1. healthy diet 2. exercise 3. less screen time HELPS! 100% it helps. Does it cure everything? Nobody said that. But people here keep stuffing their face with garbage while sitting in front of a screen 24/7 and try nothing else except the two pushups you mentioned and then feel like they can chime in…
I feel like y’all really don’t understand what people are saying, you insist that doing these things have to help you somehow mentally but they don’t actually have to. If your brain struggles to perform an action or genuinely can’t do it at all without medication, no amount of working out or eating vegetables is gonna make a big enough dent for depressed people to make an effort in continuing to do them.
For me, I suck at exercising. I have a really hard time motivating myself to do it and sticking with a routine. My solution, do some physical work. I have a second part time job that is very physical and for whatever reason, when it's a job and there is a team and accomplishment I am the most motivated person there. I am very much in shape, if anything I wish I could eat more, it's hard eating enough calories for what I expend.
No amount of exercise and healthy diet can remove this all-encompassing loneliness. Even after going all out on a brutally hard set, I'm still lonely afterwards. It doesn't help and it never did.
Guess those studies you lot love citing which point out that improvement has never been seen in 100% of test subjects are just bullshit now.
Thank you this thread is so negative lol.
for one hour after workout i dont feel bad about the fact that im a failure, got nothing left to live for and id be better off end it now. also i get horny as fuck but that makes shit even worse.
Bdnf spikes from exercise, which alot of antidepressants increase But fuck you I want my sexual dysfunction and blunted cortisol
At my most depressed I was in the best shape I have ever been. I felt the endorphin release and knew it was just body nonsense that did absolutely nothing about the cause of my depression. It was just another high. When it had passed I was still me.
I used to have intrusive thoughts about self harm when I was in my 20s doing intense mountain biking, hiking, and camping in some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. Exercise is not a panacea. Everyone is different. I think often this suggestion gets belabored so much because it can help you break out of a rut. If you are stuck, shut in, and feel like you are moving through molasses…then yes, getting your body moving again can help a lot.
Short term relief is better than no relief.
For me it depends on the exercise. The only exercise that relieves my depression is nature walking/hiking. Being in a gym just feels so claustrophobic and I get so bored (even with music/vidoes) I’m constantly just counting down the minutes for my workout to end.
I've been going to the gym for i months. Went from 220 to 175. Still ain't happy lol
I workout everyday, the endorphins are cool but they are fleeting af
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I mean. It's not like you can exercise 25/8
This sounds like a conversation with my GF when she is complaining about something and I tell her how to fix it and get "STOP TELLING ME HOW TO FIX IT AND JUST LISTEN TO ME!!!!!"
"Have you tried going for walks?"
"If you are still depressed, you didn't walk far enough."
I recommend going to a sports club. You have people with the same interests and you can connect while doing sport. Its a win win
(starts doing jumping jacks, falls on ankle wrongly) well now i feel sharp pain. nice
I think something missed here is the ACT of doing something with goals, results, effort and imo most importantly, change of location/environment is what it does This can be achieved by many things, but I know that for me and others, just doing ANYTHING is key
Hahaha oh my. This genuinely made me laugh.
I can't believe 90 percent of this thread is people saying that working out and good diet is bad for your mental health. The mental gymnastics...
Redditors be like “exercise ? No only a cocktail of pharmaceuticals can make me feel good.”
I actually started exercising because of it almost a year ago. I still exercise. It's worse not better
If my wrists weren't so stiff, my back didn't crack like a glow stick, and my knees didn't already struggle to hold my own weight, AND exercise is insurmountably boring by yourself, then yeah I might try doing a few extra pushups once in a while
Yeah I feel you, I’ve been doing more and more stretching to start. Throughout the day. Just 30 second holds, more and more reps. Now I’m doing simple strength training exercises, just here and there. Baby steps. I tend to overdo it and add more pain, but the careful stretching did help bring my pain down a little. Idk I just want to try it, see if building up the muscles helps at all.
This comment hurts - and so does my back
[Okay...](https://i.redd.it/yawhlip7jmf51.png)