Depression and what it's really like

My GP told me to get exercise. I was just all, now look.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/newsarticle-content/-/article_display_list/14089616/exercise-does-little-to-help-depression-says-study

but whether this proves to be accurate or not, if i was a GP i wd be telling people to exercise and not smoke and etc

lol pplains

yeah, i always seem to swing back into dep when i stop eating right and exercising. i can never hold down a good routine for more than 3 weeks. whether it is the exercise or just having something to do...

suspicious of that study to say the least

Always feel a GP saying "get more exercise" is like an IT on the phone saying "Have you restarted the modem?"

NV, there's an follow-up to that study on scientific american that states that "the people in the physical activity intervention did not end up exercising more than controls": what was happening was that people were being encouraged to exercise, not actually having their exercise monitored.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2012/06/11/exercise-doesnt-help-depression-lets-take-a-real-look-at-that-study/

but, yeah, if i was a GP i think i'd be saying 'drink a reasonable amount of water, eat healthily, exercise, don't smoke, don't drink to excess' almost no matter what health issues were going on? that stuff is basic keeping-body-and-soul-together.

though, that said, i am trying to do things right right now and i don't feel better for it, only probably-not-worse.

(though i'm lucky in that when i am depressed i have pretty much no desire for alcohol or other drugs)

there's a lot to be said for not-worse! that not-worse-but-not-better period is when you let things slide because eh whats the point, but effect often not immediate

i totally believe exercise does a lot for depression, not least because a lot of depressed people worry about their bodies, lack serotonin and feel bad about not getting out of the house. exercising improves your self-image, releases happy endorphins and (if you're not doing a workout video) helps you get out of the house and connect w/ nature (if you're outside exercising) or meet new people (gym) or see interesting stuff (jogging in city)

but i also think there are probably people who already exercise a lot who are depressed, and that won't help them. and there's also sort of a plateau you reach (ime) where you can exercise as much as you want but you're not going to feel any better than you already do. in my case there were parental issues i hadn't dealt with that were just not being improved by more exercise (those issues dealt with now, thank goodness)

and i'm not kidding about exercise addiction! from wikipedia ..

Exercise addiction is thought to be related to the euphoric feelings resulting from the rapid release of endorphins that occurs during intense bouts of exercise. Although the evidence in not conclusive, there is a high correlation between exercise addiction and endorphins. Endorphins work by activating opiate receptors in the brain causing pain relief and are also correlated with causing euphoric feelings.[8] The decrease of pain and increase in euphoric feelings creates a positive feedback loop associated with exercise which is thought to be a cause of addiction. This feedback loop also helps to explain why intensity of exercise increases over time with exercise addiction. For individuals who exercise more frequently the effects of endorphins are decreased. A person with an exercise addiction will need to increase the frequency, intensity, and/or time of exercising to reach the desired euphoric feelings.[10]

but yeah, by all means, exercise!

in fact part of the reason i'm quitting my job is to cut down on my two hour round trip commute so that i can get home at a reasonable hour and have some time to exercise ... getting back on the bike regularly is my #2 or #3 priority this summer, more tennis too, and maybe try to pick up basketball again.

my life is massively better since i started exercising regularly a few years back, to some extent on a macro level, but just having something you can do that you know distracts you and brings a rush of endorphins, it's unbeatable.

for me, it's hard to tell where there is causation and correlation, if i'm using those 2 terms correctly. like, when i'm depressed i can't muster up the energy to exercise. i just think about how i should, and then feel horrible about it because instead i sit in front of the TV and eat buckets of ice cream. and when i'm feeling slightly better, i get the motivation to go the gym and then that post-exercise euphoria makes me feel even better, so maybe once you've felt well enough to go, you do end up feeling better, but i think you have to be feeling somewhat well to even go exercise, unless you've built it into your daily routine and HAVE to do it, like commuting via bike or something.

i don't get the endorphin rush thing but, yeah, it's nice to have something to do where you can distract yourself from yourself and feel like it's in a good cause.

I have a friend who doesn't even like the act of running but is doing all this jogging and marathons and shit because it helps fix her mind

theres no doubt exercise keeps people literally sane but when you're depressed going from couch -> running is seemingly insurmountable. oh and why this stupid dance we have to do with drs like 'I need to tell you the type of drug i need because by now i know but i need to pretend i don't need or want it for you to be okay with writing it.' I mean 'go execise' OKAY DOC!

When I used to get serious bouts of depression, exercising or not exercising didn't really matter and didn't change anything. Since I started meds a few years ago I find that not exercising for a week or so seems to make me feel sort of edgy and anxious and vaguely sad, but nothing like when I'd get before.

And after seeing what's happened to a relative lately I'm also really thankful that when I start to feel shitty I have no interest in booze or anything else.

I would *love* exercise to be a rush for me, but it really isnt. Its a painful diffcult thing to do thanks to fuqued up joints. But, I do persist, and I certainly always feel better after a long walk. I just wish I ever got this addictive rush ppl go on about. I dont get it with sugar either.

i dont get that rush either, i wouldn't worry about it - different people respond in different ways

for me its more about kind of idk...physical housekeeping that also has a knock on effect of some mental housekeeping - if you have joints issues, swimming is a good one to do, you also don't have to do it for that long, i try for 40 mins a day (i dont go *every* day, i aim to but it depends on schedule/busyness, i dont beat myself up if i dont go!)

not being a jerk but the rush thing only happens when you've pushed yourself a little beyond your limits ime, so if you're not getting it it may be that you need to build up to that.

No thats a fair point, and I will admit pushing myself is something i never do with exercise, so.

yeah, i always seem to swing back into dep when i stop eating right and exercising.

I can never work out if that's the case for me or if I stop eating right and exercising because I'm on a down-swing.

keep a lil food diary!...and like a mood one too, it will answer that question

I can tell usually because I stop exercising when the weather turns shitty, which in England happens on the regular, and then the bad mood comes in the week after. This thread inspired me to go for a run earlier though! And I will try to learn some in-door activities for if it gets rainy.

trayce that sux abt yr joints but there must be some sort of low-impact exercise you can handle? yoga?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPvmIxu-LSA

classic

So it turns out one can be completely unhappy for only so many years before it turns into capital-d Depression.

i am not surprised.

how's it going?

The days just keep going by. House payments and birthdays are mile markers. I get up, sit in this chair and stare at this screen all day, then I go to bed. It's not good that my work space is my entertainment space. I hate where I live, I hate my work, I hate what boredom/comfort eating has done to this bag of skin I wear, I don't have enough of an attention span to read a book, I've realized that I'm not as nice a guy as I used to think I was, my wife and I are getting on each other's nerves a lot more, sex life 98% finished... I'm sure there was something else, but I can't think of it. Anyway, I've hit the point in the last few months where I just shut down emotionally. Turned the sign on the window around from OPEN to CLOSED.

This may sound really weird or sarcastic, but I mean it 100% sincerely, Mookie -- thank you for asking.

I'm sorry, Wm. Not gonna even suggest anything because you are a grown man and know there are ways to tackle it, but I am just sorry.

I've been quietly thinking of what I could say that would make any difference, and sadly I never thought of anything, but I have been thinking of you and your wellbeing WmC. That's gotta be worth something. Not as much as actually saying something though. Here's to shaking off the shit and feeling better, however it happens.

That's gotta be worth something.

It's worth a huge, huge something. Thanks, LL and L.

More and more I think that "happiness" and a not-depressed basic state require self-delusion. I'm okay with that, I understand this is why mental health is work and a personal responsibility--because it's not easy, esp if you have a clear-eyed view of this fucked up world full of assholes, p much. I tend to think that depression is an appropriate response to living in the world. It's just not a very satisfactory one.

i was kind of thinking about what to say -- i actually woke up early today (which is wildly out of character) and was thinking, well, dude hates ms and works remotely, maybe he should move somewhere *good*.

of course i am familiar enough with the subject that such suggestions are wild flights of fancy far easier to suggest than implement.

do you see your daughter much? what does she think?

anyway, best wishes

Anyway, I've hit the point in the last few months where I just shut down emotionally. Turned the sign on the window around from OPEN to CLOSED.

Jesus. I understand this feeling all too well...

i was kind of thinking about what to say -- i actually woke up early today (which is wildly out of character) and was thinking, well, dude hates ms and works remotely, maybe he should move somewhere *good*.

I think about this all the time. I could live anywhere! But I'm shackled to this fucking place because it seems to be the only spot on earth where my wife doesn't want to kill herself. We moved back here in 2001 because she "wanted to be closer to family," but really the only family is her brother, who we see about twice a year even though he lives a whopping half mile away. She just hates cities, and I love them. Every time I make noises about moving, she says "well how do you know you'd be any happier somewhere else?" But this is veering off from depression-thread stuff to family-problems-thread stuff.

W, tho we converse mostly about baseball, I wish you better days.

well

(oh man i am completely kickass at practical solutions that would be so far beyond me personally)

i don't want to poop on yr wife, but you have done your decade-plus and you are miserable. if you are aware of something that would make you happy (i am not, which is a problem), i would suggest doing it.

I know they're just 1's and 0's here, but (hugs) for u, W

you will find yr way, I think

I tend to think that depression is an appropriate response to living in the world.
--how did I get here? why am I in the whiskey aisle? this is all so (Laurel)

I agree with this. Sorry to hear abt yr problems WMC, even tho I don't really know u. It sucks to feel trapped and unsure whether any changes you make will be effective. In my case the uncertainty lies in the fact that no matter how much you change, you will still be yourself...will I be depressed no matter where I go? Sometimes I think that would be even more depressing, to make this big change only to find that nothing has really changed. But on some level I think that is my fear talking to me.

Thank you all -- it feels good to unload a bit and not be told I'm the most miserable poster on ILX.

nah you're awesome apart from the braves thing

hahaha, thanks dude

Sometimes I think that would be even more depressing, to make this big change only to find that nothing has really changed.

I have lived in 6 cities in the last 8 years, and this is truer each time. Which is not to discount the fact that some places suck and others don't. Your day to day can change and significantly improve (or get worse) with a move, but it doesn't touch the core stuff at all. Can't run from yourself, etc.

Sending good thoughts, WmC. It's not much but if you need a bottle of sriracha or something I'll be happy to ship it along.

really sad to hear you're feeling this way WmC, you seem like a good dude.

what is your wife's definition of 'country'? could there not be some sort of compromise?

xpost -- Can you believe The Great Satan (Walmart) sells that stuff here in Amory? And I can get the other Huy Fong products at Kroger in Tupelo. High cotton! (Thanks, Ned.)

just1n3, our little NoCal adventure was sort of a compromise, but it didn't work out at all -- Redding at 80K people was still too big for her, and 225 miles was too far from the Bay Area for me to be able to really enjoy the music, art, baseball, etc as much as I wanted. I managed about three trips down per year during the 3+ years we lived there. This booming metropolis of 6500 is where she wants to be.

wmc, i send you kindest wishes, and i think it sounds as if it's your emotional and mental health's turn to be given a higher billing. i really hope things improve soon.