Anyone else suffer from anxiety disorders/depression?

XxYeaIrocxX

And does it effect your diet/work out routine?


If so, how do you push past it.

XxYeaIrocxX

dang guess I'm alone on this one.

diannethegeek

Anxiety and depression? Check. But I can't honestly tell you how I've gotten past it to do the diet & exercise thing. I just jogged something into place in my head (sorry about the pun). I guess my answer would be that I have a good therapist, which is completely unhelpful, I know!

antijen

Yes to both. I use my workouts TO get past it. I don't know what I'd do without them.

MissLexiLoo

Since loosing my dad about a year and a half ago, I've struggled with depression. I find that the more I exercise the easier it is to control it. I've become really self aware of why I'm eating. If I'm eating because I'm stressed, or need comfort. It takes will power and determination to stay away from it. Sometimes I'll have a little of something, just so I don't feel like I'm depriving myself but then I literally throw the rest of it away, so I can't even get to it. Exercising for at the minimum of 30 minutes daily, 60 minutes is recommended though, releases the "feel good" chemicals in your brain to make you not feel depressed, they are actually the synthetic chemicals that are in antidepressant medications. If that doesn't work for you, I'm sorry it normally works really well for me. I just put on some music that gets me feeling good, gets me moving, and I can push through until I want to keep going longer.

Anayalata

Though not clinically diagnosed, I do have anxiety problems. I generally work out at home. When I do go outside (ie. Jogging), I tend to just put on my headphones and just focus on the running.

Diet? Nope. I think the fact that I've always been an outcast and have had very few friends has served to my benefit. (Don't have to rely on people, don't need moral support, etc.) I have very decent willpower and quite easily held to my diet.

poodlepaws

I do! Depression and Anxieties.

As long as I stay busy and keep my mind busy, I stay on track but idle days are HORRID! I want to eat everything in sight, don't care about how far I've come or anything. I just want to be a slug.

So, to solve all this, I stay as busy as possible every day. I go to the gym 6 days a week for anywhere from 1 to 2 hours and the one day I don't go, I make sure I'm constantly moving and doing something.
I will force myself to go to the gym when I'm having a bad day and usually by the time I'm done, I feel better.

lisakyle_11

Yes to anxiety - definitely. I workout to help with this -- and it DOES. Exercise is my meditation and saving grace. My family appreciates it as well...

poodlepaws

Tomorrow is always a new day is how I push past it all.

waffleflavoredtea

I have on and off severe anxiety, S.A.D., and I'm in recovery from EDNOS. haha lots of issues here. Part of what's even keeping all of my problems at bay is being able to 'let go' with exercise, so I don't usually have to push myself to feel motivated, I'm working out like my life depends on it some days.
I also forced myself to find some interests again that I could indulge in - after getting all of my issues, I lost a lot of interest in hobbies, music, or social situations. Forcing myself to get back into that made me feel a lot better.
Also, make sure you are slowing down enough to be able to have a day or more to yourself a week, it can really help with stress. I know there's other things that can help with anxiety and depression but that's all that comes to mind.
A stressed body can be stubborn to lose weight, so just try to savor everything and let yourself be in the moment, and if you don't stress out over the little things you should see improvement with time. It takes patience.

Marmitegeoff

I just get into a routine and keep going with the diet and exercise, as I know that if it slips to much I will have frther to climb out of the pit. wish i could be more helpful but I am on a down at the moment.

twelbies

I have had both.
Since I have shifted my diet to mainly organic/raw foods it has really helped with both.

Lib_B

nope not alone. anxiety, panic disorder & depression here. cymbalta has been the best for me with the fewest side effects while taking it (coming off of it is another story!!) but at any rate, i don't think anti-depressants do you any favors with regard to weight gain.

as far as my motivation - right now, i'm kind of stuck in this vicious cycle. weight makes me depressed, weight not coming off, makes me depressed. being depressed makes me eat. eating makes me think why exercise since i'm already a failure? the combo of eating and no exercise makes the scale not move or move in the wrong direction. this makes me depressed which fuels the eating. it's a merry-go-round i've been trying to get off of for years and have yet to conquer it.

i wish i had some great advice for you, but basically if i were you, i would minimally be sure you are doing what you need to to manage it whether that is meds, therapy or a combo of the two. i'm in the process of trying to find a counselor who specializes in disordered eating. i've have a messed up relationship with food for as long as i can remember, but only in the last 7 or 8 years really had to deal with significant weight gain as a result....

amander12

i lost a daughter and i am a young mother i suffer from it everyday,,,,,im new at this site and would like to make new friends but i know how anxiety affects my everyday life i have had it for over 3 years now if you want feel free to add me...

ishtar13

You waited 3 minutes to decide you were alone? Dude, give people a chance to answer.

I'm bipolar, and medications and depression have absolutely had an effect on my weight.

I'm fairly stable on meds now, but I've been a bit down for the last week and haven't made it to the gym since Saturday. And I've been eating like crap.

I'm feeling better emotionally tonight, so I hope to have the energy to force myself to the gym tomorrow.

kr1ssy23

I have both On meds and what not...Ive pushed myself to workout and that seems to help but Im not quite where I feel I need to be. Ive noticed I have better days when I workout

brittbonshor

yes.. and i am finding it very difficult not to OBSESS over my weight and stare at thinspiration pictures all day and not do anything else... i am fixating on food and thinness and fat and weight loss and I can't seem to make myself exercise even though i know it will make me feel better.

Elf_Princess1210

Nope, you're not alone. I have post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. They all are well controlled with medications and since I feel better I have been able to exercise and eat well. Now, some days are worse than others of course but over all I have better control over anxiety and depression.

browneyez27

i do suffer from depression and anxiety and believe it or not i use them to my advantage... as someone mentioned, exercising releases those "feel good" endorphins in the brain and that helps motivate me to get my @ss to the gym ...u feel great and accomplished leaving there a hot sweaty mess, knowing you did something good

i also have a lot of anxiety, especially in public places when i feel all eyes are on me (even when they're not) ...the idea of going to a gym terrified me at first, but now i i do 4-5 cardio/hiphop/latin dance classes a week and really stopped caring about who was watching and who wasnt....

however, i still cant look at myself in the mirror when im there and have a hard time "weighing -in" to track progress because of a general fear of failure ...

guess what im saying is that doing something good for yourself ( like concentrating on your health and seeking support from others in the same boat) may be beneficial in coping with some of these issues ....do what you can, and try to push yourself just a tiny bit more each day...with improved confidence, you will soon start to change your mentality! baby steps!!!!

best of luck

kittycraft

I was diagnosed with depression in high school and quit taking anti-depressants toward the end of my senior year (honestly, they just were not for me). It's been three years and I think I'm considerably different and happier now, but I still have my down periods.

I am an emotional eater and that's been my main problem with trying to lose weight with depression. Then, after I've emotionally ate/ate something not so great, I instantly begin with the self-loathing. And since I hate myself because I ate so badly, I emotional eat some more. It's a slippery slope.

I guess the thing that has helped me the most was that I told my friend I was trying to lose weight and that I was an emotional eater. I spend insane amounts of time with this guy and eat most of my meals with him, so he's been around to say, "Okay, are you sad or hungry? Will that cookie make your life better?" It was really annoying and angering at the beginning, but now I'm really starting to appreciate the objective view on my emotions and my subsequent eating... So I guess I'm trying to recommend a diet buddy?

I have noticed though that when I'm really down, my muscles just don't work as well and working out is 10x as difficult as it usually is. It's really interesting.

spskinny

I have PPD. Exercising makes most of my symptoms shorter and less severe. I always feel better if I do. The hard part is all motivation for me. I have none, none when it hits. I try to make myself get up and workout, when I do I feel better the whole day. If its severe and I can make myself get up, I survive the day and push hard again the next day. Every day is different for me so I make the most of the good days and push through the bad ones.

Good luck!

TanyaCurtis

I just think positive, as much as I can! Push through it, u'll feel better after a workout anyways (: Dint dwell on those stupid negative thought, learn to be in control of ur thoughts!

lelstar

Yes and yes, I refuse to take meds. I picked something I had always wanted to do, ballroom dancing, and decided it was time to do something for myself. I had anxiety attacks the first couple of times but I kept going. One of my instructors said he was surprised I came back with all the negative self talk but that it showed how strong a person I was. I was lucky enough to fluke a couple where the husband had struggled with depression and the wife was a councillor so they were very helpful. On the weight side I really only made progress after I started dating my partner, he is very supportive

Misha41810

dang guess I'm alone on this one.

You aren't alone...Honestly, the best thing is to try to stay focused...working out can actually help make you feel better. I know how hard it is to stay focused especially on *bad* days but you have to push yourself.

Jodiekate

Hi, I've suffered with depression for over 10 years and have never got very far with any of the diets I have tried in the past as the whole process really got me down.

However, this past few months I have been focusing purely on eating well and getting more exercise in order to improve my health. Obviously this has the added benefit of making the weight come off but I have taken the focus away from the scales which then means that I can't see that number as a failure.

I have also got a set routine for exercise and stick to it strictly, no more can I be bothered, if it's my day to go to the gym, I go. This has really helped with my depression, exercise really does work as a treatment! I wish I'd known this years ago. I have now managed to cut down my medication by half and really feel that I have a chance of coming off it completely.

turtlexiii

Alone? Never! There are millions of us.

My issue is that I have absolutley no motivation. My depression, and my job, take every ounce of my energy. I have none left to exercise. I know they say if you exercise in the morning you will have more energy and feel better for the entire day. However, I have no motivation to get out of bed. Why bother? Its exhausting?

I know it would be a good thing, and good for me, and blah blah blah, but that doesn't get me to move.

The only reason I joined this site is because my sister is getting married in August, and I ordered my dress in the next smaller size. I had to have the external force to get me to lose weight. I dont have that inside of me. How do I find that?

DerDude

Depression, yes.....the evil ones. Stayed in clinic for weeks and learned how I can manage it with working out and meditate.
So my workouts give me a lot power to stand strong against my depression if it comes back.....sometimes it will...
And now, as I am more focused on my health and on my mind I´m feeling strong and don´t have fear to watch the face of the beast!

mollsred06

trichotillomania....AND i find that working out actually helps it...or any kind of anxiety that im having. it goes away the more active i am

Eskimovm

Yep, Both.

I'm on medication but every now and then I have a panic attack or don't feel like me. I try to do slow breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth until it passes.

Panic attacks, anxiety attacks, depressive states and suicidal thoughts suck :grumble:

slkehl

I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Symptoms started around my freshman year of college when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and continued long past her recovery. I'm on Celexa, which helps tremendously. I feel like my old self again.

There are some symptoms that come up once and a while. Ruminating is a big one for me-thinking the same negative things over and over and working myself into a really anxious state without getting anywhere. I try to recognize it when it happens and journal about how I'm feeling, which helps me process though the thoughts or go to a friend to talk it though. Exercising and sleeping right also take of the edge. If I'm feeling the least bit anxious or am going into a situation where I might be, I stay away from caffeine. Thanks for posting, good to hear everyone else's coping strategies!

kokaneesailor

Major Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder here. For the most part I do pretty good. A solid grip on clean foods helps as well as a healthy exercise regime.

I find having a solid support network of friends is key to getting over the bad days. Every once in awhile a bad day comes out of the blue and lays me low for a day or so, then I bounce back. MFP has been a great help to me because I have some really fantastic friends that help me through my darker moments.

Your not alone.