Sorry if I have been a little MIA with my posts. I am in the homestretch of the summer term. The craziness with students has intensified. Faculty is bitching up a storm. But I must admit I am thankful for my workouts.
One of the reasons why I work out is because I suffer from depression and anxiety. It's not easy to get up and work out when you feel like curling up in a ball and hiding from the rest of the world. What I have found is that regular exercise has helped me during those times when I feel the most stressed out which often leads to the anxiety and depression. It's like I can feel the little bouncy things move around like in the Zoloft commercial! It's like I am a new person.
Now, I am not going to pull a Tom Cruise and say that exercise is the cure all for depression. I am thankful for my meds to help keep me relatively sane. But I think it has helped me find an outlet for those things that cause me strain. I am the type of person who keeps things bottled up inside. I have learned over the years to speak up when I am stressed, frustrated, angry or depressed. I have also found a positive outlet for those emotions. I often joke that one of the reason why I like to play golf is that I like to imagine the ball is one of my students or legal clients. Needless to say, I can drive a golf ball about 150 yards without a hook or slice!
Tags: Healthy Habits
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3 comments:
Thanks for posting this, SS. I have dealt with anxiety/depression, too, and I know that working out makes me feel better - this post just helps me remember that.
Yeah, it's not a case of either/or. Just because we don't believe exercise should replace medicine, doesn't take away from the fact it has long been known to have positive emotional effects. It can also improve mental alertness and energy levels. It's just that there's a natural limit to these benefits, they aren't some kind of cure-all.
I tend to think that, unless we can perceive some benefit, other than a gradual weight loss or muscle gain, it's hard to keep up any kind of exercise regimen. There has been a lot of talk here about just flat out hating to exercise and I don't believe it's possible to continue on a regular basis with something we hate. The only long term exercise program people usually stick with is something they really enjoy or at least makes them feel better while they are doing it - even if it is just emotionally or mentally. So I guess the key is to just keep trying stuff until we find something that does this.
I needed the reminder, too. It's been days since I walked and the stress has just been building with no outlet. Plus, the weather is supposed to turn nasty very soon so, if I don't go in the morning it will be a another few days more before I can. I have an elliptical, but it just doesn't give me the calm, serene feeling that fresh air and sunshine does. And that's why I never use it.
You are absolutely right, Rebecca. It is really helps to find an exercise you enjoy or can at least tolerate. Then, it becomes less of a chore. There are times when we just don't want to exercise, just like there are time when we don't want to do other things as well. You just have to find the balance.
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