Sweat It

I am a person with depression.  It is under control, most of the time, but there are times when it gets worse.  When that happens, I try to remember to get some exercise.

 

Please note:  I am not a doctor or therapist or counselor or psychiatrist.  I am a personal trainer.  What I am saying here is not a substitute for professional psychological help.  I encourage any and all depressed people to seek out whatever therapies they need, including medications, which can save lives.

 

Now that I’ve got the really important disclaimers out of the way, here’s why I exercise when I feel an upsurge in my depression.

 

Cardio exercise releases endorphins in our bodies.  Endorphins are the neurochemicals that make us feel better.  So it works like this:  we exercise, we get happy brains.

 

Another thing that exercise does for us is make us breathe.  This can be the heavy breathing of cardio or weight training, or the focused breathing of yoga or Pilates.  In either case, we have to pay attention to bringing air in and out of our bodies, which helps to ground and center us.

 

One more thing:  exercise is something we can actually do.  When we feel overwhelmed and useless and hopeless, we may feel like we can’t do anything.  Going for a walk, doing five minutes of yoga, lifting one weight is a completed task.  We are now people with agency in the world.  If we manage a whole workout, we are not only people with agency, but we are also stronger.

 

Go play.