Staying motivated while depressed

ckemmis

How does anyone stay motivated while they're depressed? Due to depression, I've completely fallen off the wagon because I just don't want to do anything. I'll have good intentions the night before and tell myself that I'll work out the next day, plan out the exercises that I want to do, but when I wake up I just can't get out of bed. If anyone has any advice, I'll gladly take it.

TheVirgoddess

I decided I'd rather be a fit depressed person than a fat one.

Sounds harsh but it's true. I also stopped planning my tomorrows and started doing my todays.

Amyeeeeeee

Amen it's hard but life is hard and we can look good working hard.

the_great_unknown

It helps me to know that people are expecting me at the gym or at Crossfit. If you can, maybe make some personal training appointments or ask someone to meet you at the gym at a certain time. If not, I occasionally will use Facebook. If I have been really slacking off, I will tell my friends to publicly ridicule me if I don't check in at the gym.

williamwj2014

Well for one, being depressed sucks but at the same time, you still have control of your decisions. There is no other way to combat depression but to force yourself out of the house and get moving. Maybe that's not the kind of advice you want to hear but that's all you can do is force yourself to do things regardless of how down you feel. Like TheVirgooddess said, stop planning tomorrows and focus on today. Just get up and go. Don't allow your bad feelings to take over.


Also, motivation isn't what keeps people from going. Motivation isn't constant, that feeling fades. It's dedication and commitment that keeps you going in the long run.

unowho_25

Helpful hints from me would be...
don't focus on big things. Keep your daily goals small.
Stay on or under your calorie goal. If you go over don't beat yourself up about it...tomorrow is a new day.
. Don't worry about not working out...focus on the food side of things.
Part of depression is finding the future extremely hard to manage inside your mind...think about today.

oh_happy_day

It's hard. I force myself to go to gym because I never regret it and always feel better afterwards. I try to stay in my good habits and just do stuff without thinking about it - keep meal prepping etc.

Blazing_Brunette

Do it for you .. Depression is more than difficult ... You need to get up at a routine time and go to gym ...don't overthink and You'll feel better afterwards ... Sorry to hear you feel this way ..

drywall_painter

I have been depressed in the past / on meds for disthymia. Haven't been on med for 5 years because I wasn't depressed anymore. Recently when I was injured and had a lot of time on my hands I started getting depressed, going to the gym and working out definitely made a difference . Even though I knew that there were days I had a hard time going to the gym, but I usually pushed myself to go.

Azurite27

It's all about building habits. Once logging your food, pre-planning your meals (I find this really criticial with my mood swings), and exercise become deeply ingrained in your routine you'll find it difficult to not stick to your plan. Also the memory of what I used to look like is far worse than anything I can imagine and that keeps me going to never be that again.

californiagirl2012

Azurite27 wrote: »

It's all about building habits. Once logging your food, pre-planning your meals (I find this really criticial with my mood swings), and exercise become deeply ingrained in your routine you'll find it difficult to not stick to your plan. Also the memory of what I used to look like is far worse than anything I can imagine and that keeps me going to never be that again.

Not only this ^^^ but the exercise itself will alter your mood. Exercise will produce the hormones that make you feel happier. Not only that, but all the amazing health benefits of healthy food, exercise, and fat loss (if that's your goal) will make you happier and proud of yourself.

Build those habits, be patient because it takes time.

Know it's just little steps every day. Little choices every day. What we do every day is nothing drastic, but what happens in the end is AMAZING.

UpEarly

You get up and you force yourself to do your workout, go to your job, meet friends for a meal, take care of your home, do your chores, cook yourself healthy meals, etc. You won't want to and you might not enjoy it or feel good about it (even afterwards), but you're still moving forward. Sometimes you just have to go through the motions until things get better - and they DO get better - maybe not right away, but eventually. Also, get professional help (counseling and/or medications), tell trusted friends about your struggle, and just keep pushing, pushing, pushing.

This is what works for me, at least.

Amy4President

ckemmis wrote: »

How does anyone stay motivated while they're depressed? Due to depression, I've completely fallen off the wagon because I just don't want to do anything. I'll have good intentions the night before and tell myself that I'll work out the next day, plan out the exercises that I want to do, but when I wake up I just can't get out of bed. If anyone has any advice, I'll gladly take it.

I will say, as a threshold matter, that if you have not sought professional help for your depression, I would seriously urge you to talk to a professional. Depression is a medical condition that you don't just "snap" out of it and everyone's treatment for it is different. For me, medication, therapy, and exercise helps fight my dysthymia (a chronic low-grade depression). Others manage depression without medication or therapy, but I was not successful at that.

I don't like working out in the morning. I would rather have a cup of coffee and read the news. So I take a break at lunch to walk my dog. There are studies out there that suggest that a half an hour of exercise every day helps fight depression better than antidepressants for some people. I'm not out there running 5 miles. I take a nice stroll for 1.5 miles and let the dog sniff the neighborhood. But I still burn calories.

Start small. For food - track your food, drink water, and eat protein. What are you eating? Are you eating because you're hungry or are you self-medicating your depression? For exercise - take a walk in the morning for just 15 minutes, and do it again after dinner in the evening. If you get to the end of the 15 minutes and can do a little more, do it. Find a friend to go with you. I started doing it for my dog and now she cries every day for her walk so I don't have a choice.

freak4iron

Make fitness your anti-anxiety medicine... Nothing works better!