Exercise to Reduce Depression

When you have depression or anxiety, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do. But once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference. Depression and anxiety symptoms can often improve with exercise.

The physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety. It may also help keep depression and anxiety from coming back once you're feeling better.

Regular exercise may help ease depression and anxiety by:

·         Releasing feel-good endorphins brain chemicals and other natural brain chemicals that can enhance your sense of well-being

·         Taking your mind off worries so you can get away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety

·         Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.

·         Exercise and physical activity may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighbourhood can help your mood.

·         Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage depression or anxiety is a healthy coping strategy.

Some Exercise Options include:

·         Exercise is a planned, structured and repetitive body movement done to improve or maintain physical fitness.

·         Certainly running, lifting weights, playing basketball and other fitness activities that get your heart pumping can help. But you can find other ways also to exercise with some normal activities so that you dont fell the pressure of a structured routine .

·         But so can physical activity such as gardening, washing your car, walking around the block or engaging in other less intense activities.

·         Broaden how you think of exercise and find ways to add small amounts of physical activity throughout your day. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator.

·         Park a little farther away from work to fit in a short walk. Or, if you live close to your job, consider biking to work.

·         Doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day for three to five days a week may significantly improve depression or anxiety symptoms.

Steps to motivate you start exercise:

Starting and sticking with an exercise routine or regular physical activity can be a challenge for depression patients. These steps can help:

1) Identify what you enjoy doing. Figure out what type of physical activities you're most likely to do, and think about when and how you'd be most likely to follow through.

2) Get your doctors support and Discuss an exercise program or physical activity routine and how it fits into your overall treatment plan.

3) Set reasonable goals and plan your own needs and abilities rather than setting unrealistic guidelines that you're unlikely to meet.

4) Don't think of exercise or physical activity as a chore. Look at it as your therapy sessions or medication — as one of the tools to help you get better.

5) Analyse your mental blocks. Figure out what's stopping you from being physically active or exercising. If you feel self-conscious, for instance, you may want to exercise at home.

6) Prepare for setbacks and obstacles. Give yourself credit for every step in the right direction, no matter how small. If you skip exercise one day, that doesn't mean you can't maintain an exercise routine and might as well quit. Just try again the next day.

7) Motivate yourself to Stick with it come what may and give yourself an internal dialogue to go forward.