We understand that exercise can be a mood booster, helping you to feel better once you get your blood pumping and your muscles moving. We have only recently started to understand how exercise can prevent depression and other mental health issues.
When you work out, you aren’t just working on your body, you are working on your mind as well, and I want to show you how that happens.
Any Exercise Will Help with Depression
The small amount of study that has been done to link exercise with treating depression shows that any kind of exercise will be good for treating this problem and preventing it. Whether you are hiking, swimming, biking, or lifting weights, you are helping your mind stay out of a depressive state. Whether you are working out indoors or outdoors, you are keeping your mind strong and healthy.
Exercise is not currently considered a first-line treatment for dealing with depression. That could change as more studies are conducted, but right now, experts recommend exercise as an add-on, or something to be used in addition to medication and therapy.
Obviously, you will want to examine what is causing the depression and deal with that as soon as possible. You may need to take time off from work and even give over the house chores and other responsibilities at home to people who can handle those things for you. Think about hiring cleaning experts to tidy your home so you don’t have to be stuck at home alone when you are dealing with depression. Consider taking time off from your job as you cope, but also consider adding a regular workout to your daily routine to help with the fight. No matter what kind of exercise you choose, it will help.
Regular Exercise Adds Regular Benefits
You want to be careful about getting into the mindset of doing exercise once or twice and that will cure you. Depression may feel like it has gone away, but it can come back very quickly, so it is wise to keep up the exercise for a while.
Remember that exercise doesn’t just help you with the depression you are feeling now, but it can also prevent depression from seeping in for the future. A regular workout will do you a lot of good. It gets you moving and focusing on something other than your depressive thoughts. It gives you goals to work toward and helps you to stay motivated. It breaks up the monotony of your day and energizes you, and all of that is good for your mindset.
Keeping up with the exercise will help to establish a healthy routine. It gives you something to anticipate each day, and that will be really helpful. Regular exercise also strengthens your body, which allows you to accomplish more and see your gains over time. That’s great for your mental health as well, as it is a form of self-improvement, and it builds your self-confidence up.
What Helps the Most
I mentioned already that any kind of exercise will be good for your depression and regular exercise is very beneficial, but there are some specific things you can do that will help with your mental state. Working out with a partner or a group adds a social component to your exercise. The social connections we build and strengthen will keep our mind sharp and in good health.
It is also great to work out outside when you can, as fresh air and a change of scenery are good for your mental health as well. That isn’t always possible, especially if you live somewhere that gets very cold during the winter, but try to work out outside when possible.
Also work out somewhere that you feel safe. Even though you are exerting your body, your mind should be at ease.
Change up your workouts every so often. This not only improves your muscle development and keeps you from plateauing, but it also keeps you engaged and prevents you from getting into a rut. By making your exercising interesting with occasional changeups, you will have something to look forward to.
Don’t overdo it when you are working out, especially when you first start to exercise. Take your time and pace yourself so that you don’t exhaust your body too much. Be careful about pushing yourself, because you can get injured and have to spend a while in recovery if you aren’t careful.
The Change Will Happen
If you start exercising regularly, you will notice something change about the way you think and how you move through your environment. You may start to look for exercising opportunities, and you should look for those. When you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk instead of taking a car. If you are able to, fit in a little workout at your job, whenever you are taking a break. Exercise doesn’t have to consume your life, but it can definitely change it for the better and become an important part of how you think and live. You might just find that you latch on to exercise as an escape from your day-to-day routine, and you will probably feel really good afterwards.
If You Are Depressed, Get Help
Serious depression is not something you want to try to handle on your own. It can lead down a dark path if it goes unchecked, so definitely get some help and reach out to friends and professionals when you feel very depressed.
Your health professional may recommend exercising as a way to cope, and if you stick with an exercise program of some kind, you should start to see a difference in how you feel and think over time. Even a single session of 15-30 minutes of exercising can make you feel much better, as that activity increases your heart rate and makes you feel more alive. If you don’t believe what I’m telling you and what the research shows about exercise and mental health, then test it out for yourself.