General Anxiety Disorder

VanillaBeanSeed

I have suffered from anxiety, depression, and OCD for about as long as I can remember.

At times its good, and times its bad. I know people say working out helps with all this, and at times it really does.

But sometimes I dread pulling myself out of that bed, dragging myself to the gym, and going through the motions.
I hate those days. I feel so defeated. So useless.

And then I think, ok, maybe if i just go walk on the treadmill.. it'll get me out of the house.. get my moving..

Then my mind switches again - "Whats the good in that? A pansy walk? You should be doing T25! Getting all sweaty and going all out"

And then of course I bring myself down again and just stay home....


Anyone tips/tricks or just encouraging words to get me through?

Eric_DeCastro

I don't have any tips but I suffer from anxiety and depression (treated) and some days, well used to anyway, I couldn't get out to do my run but would force myself. lately I haven't felt depressed or anxiety hasn't risen. I feel like a normal person again. I guess it just takes time when your exercise becomes a normal routine, the anxiety and depression will slowly die down.

good luck, and i know what you are going through. take care.

VanillaBeanSeed

For the past 2 years I have made exercise a part of my life. I love it and hate to go without it..

But this winter is just taking its toll on me.. I dont feel like myself..

caveninit

I'm sorry you are going through this. I started having severe anxiety/depression/panic attacks a few months ago. It's a horrible feeling. I started seeing a therapist a few weeks ago and it has been really helping me. I feel like I can function again and work through my anxieties with the tools she has given me...she taught me how to train my brain to be in the moment, how to breathe through my anxieties and ground myself, meditation, etc. Of course she also works with me to get to the root of my anxiety triggers. NOT easy, but necessary. Cleaning up my diet also really helped, and getting outside for a quick walk even in the freezing cold to clear my head. My doctor did blood work and found my B12 and vitamin D was very low, so I take vitamin supplements to help with that. I hope you start to feel better.

TdaniT

For the past 2 years I have made exercise a part of my life. I love it and hate to go without it..

But this winter is just taking its toll on me.. I dont feel like myself..

I have a panic disorder and suffer from depression as well. This winter has been horrible for me as well. I have been dealing with stress at home and stress at work. I haven't lost any weight in the last three months which makes it even harder for me to want to do anything. But I am pushing. I am hoping that if I keep going, I will eventually start seeing results again. Honestly what gets me through it is guilt. I feel guilty if I don't do what I know I need to be doing. I hate that it takes that and I hope one day it just comes to me naturally but until then I push.

kellymac518

i have some of the same issues... when go through the same situation of "oh i will just walk on the treadmill" turning into "i should be working out harder" i just up the speed and do intervals of running and walking to boost the workout. its usually these days that i end up having my best workouts. if your mind is saying you should be working out harder, most likely your body will be ready for the extra push. just think of it as your body coming out of the laziness and wanting to work hard like normal.

MsSarahLouiseC

I know exactly how you all feel. It's a daily battle!

WBB55

I think it comes down to remembering... or almost FORCING YOURSELF to remember things like this:

---‘Finished last’ will always be better than ‘Did not finish’, which always trumps ‘Did not start.’--

I do roller derby. And it is amazing the women that I see and the transformation they undergo. JUST SHOWING UP EVERY WEEK is a struggle for some people. And I find their struggle more amazing than the sporty types that take to the sport naturally and instantly make friends and make the team within their first month. The girls that have to go thru 101s 3 times before they pass, now THOSE are the girls who inspire me. Because THEY NEVER GIVE UP.

What works FOR ME and my anxiety is finding someone who INSPIRES ME, since obviously I don't inspire myself.

AliceDark

I'd had bouts of seasonal depression since college. It works for me to tell myself I just have to do SOMETHING. It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be as much as I think I should do or even as much as I did yesterday, it just has to be something. Usually once I get going I enjoy it and get a good workout, so I just have to trick myself into getting through the first 5 minutes. Going to work out after work in the winter is really rough, since when my depression is active I just want to go home to bed, so I started changing into my gym clothes before I leave work. I feel stupid driving home in my gym clothes if I haven't actually worked out, so just putting them on makes me more likely to hit the gym.

As for the stupid voice in my head telling me I'm lazy and should be doing more, she's just a b*tch. It's helpful for me to think of her as the one bratty kid who is throwing a temper tantrum off in the corner alone. "You can go do T25 by yourself if you want to. The rest of us are going to take a walk." That voice is the depression and anxiety trying to maintain its hold on you, and anything you can do to ignore it, including walking for 5 minutes when it's telling you you're not working hard enough, counts as a win.

VanillaBeanSeed

As for the stupid voice in my head telling me I'm lazy and should be doing more, she's just a b*tch. It's helpful for me to think of her as the one bratty kid who is throwing a temper tantrum off in the corner alone. "You can go do T25 by yourself if you want to. The rest of us are going to take a walk." That voice is the depression and anxiety trying to maintain its hold on you, and anything you can do to ignore it, including walking for 5 minutes when it's telling you you're not working hard enough, counts as a win.

I like this!! )

Thank you!

Psysix

Perhaps make set times you are supposed to go for a walk or workout and tell yourself you have to go even if you don't want to. Try to get a routine and stick to the routine so that you don't even have to think about it later, you just do it.

Meushichan

Positive thinking, and setting realistic goals can help. And while that can be done by yourself, I highly HIGHLY recommend seeing a therapist/ psychiatrist/ psychologist/ etc, and probably getting on medication, at least until you can get the negative thoughts under control.

itsmedosia

I hear you, girl. I've been feeling the same since I can remember... As a small child I used to go through periods of deep depression which would bring thoughts of death. A nightmare. Of course I had no idea what it was back then. Later, in my adult life I would never admit to the way I feel most of the time and self medicate. Then, anxiety and depression became a public issue and all of a sudden it wasn't such a bad thing to admit you were suffering from them without being stigmatized. New drugs were released and even though they won't make you "normal" again, they help. They do help. When I get really bad with my disorder, I too can't do anything. I stop exercising, eating, enjoying life. If you don't take any medication at the present, please go to your doctor and get it. Those drugs make a huge difference. You just need to find the one that works the best for you.

Eleonora91

For the past 2 years I have made exercise a part of my life. I love it and hate to go without it..

But this winter is just taking its toll on me.. I dont feel like myself..

I can completely relate, even though for me it's the opposite, I feel quite good in winter, and get very depressed as spring approaches. I happen to get major depressive episodes in spring each 5-6 years and even though I've just recovered from the last episode (which happened 2 years ago), I still feel depressed with no reason at all. Just noticing the days getting longer and the weather getting hotter makes me stressed. When I joined MFP I was just trying to get better from this state of mind, which was also aggravated by my body's perception. I feel much better now but I can still have plenty of days in which I don't feel like doing anything. Exercising and eating better helped me more than I could ever say, I finally started to do something for myself which was something I never did before. Even now that's I'm on manteinance and I feel better about myself and my body, I try to remind myself that I have to exercise because it will make me feel better. I no longer feel obliged to workout or count calories or avoid certain foods, but I try to still be consistent with it because I know that it's good for me.
I haven't read all of your comments on this thread so I don't know if you've already answered this, but... it's important that you get to the root of your disorder, I did it by myself, with my friends help, but it's much easier and more efficient with a professional help. Either way you need to start to forgive yourself, and not to reproach yourself for what you haven't done yet. Try to focus on what you've actually done. I bet you've done GREAT improvements, and that's what defines us. Not our "faults" or problems. We need to carry on, and how we go on and manage with life is more important.

kjwillie

First off, I want to applaud you for being brave and sharing something so personal on the forums. It requires courage to face yourself and to admit that you're not happy. I don't have OCD, but I do understand what you're going through in some ways. I have been diagnosed with severe depression and battled my own demons with social anxiety and disordered eating. It's a daily struggle. There is no right answer. But for me, I have found that I need exercise in my life in order to feel somewhat centered and feel like I can function normally. It grounds me and gives me a purpose and goal to work towards.

I have found that the exercise needs to be intense and long enough for me to sweat and feel a burn in order to release the endorphins and have those "feel good" emotions come over me. Running, HIIT training, kickboxing and cycling are all good examples of this. I use walking to think and to listen to music or talk to those I love, but I can't use it for a mood boost as it doesn't work as well for me. It has a calming effect instead. I have also found that you need balance in your life. I struggle with this often, but I find that music, writing, connecting with people, spending time with pets, going outdoors or cooking can be cathartic. For me, it's necessary to have more than one outlet to turn to.

I feel like I've always been one of those people who quits because they're afraid of failure. I'm slowly trying to realize that it doesn't matter if you're good, it only matters that you try. I'm including a link for a video that I saw yesterday which really impacted me. It's a Nike commercial, but it's still really good. Mornings have always been really hard for me, but maybe seeing this will give me the inspiration I need to face the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPLxQD4akQ

Best of luck to you. Feel free to add me if you wish.