Unhappy Mom/Wife

Well, exercise does make your brain release endorphins. It also distracts you from the day's irritations by simply being focused on the activity. :flowerforyou:

Exercise releases natural endorphins which will make you feel good - if you do this on a daily basis - you can feel good every day.

Some people need meds as their brain chemicals are not working properly. I am on anxiety meds because I have debilitating anxiety without them - however, being on the meds has made it much more difficult to take the weight off.

As hard as it is to start exercising - when I'm done, I feel AMAZING. You can't put a price on that!

Try taking a nice walk with your kids to explore - go slow, at their pace. Each day try to walk a little longer. Then when you feel you are walking too far with them, shorten the walk to their ability and have your husband watch them at a different time and take that longer walk for YOU. That way you are getting two great walks in - one for you - and one for them.

It's little changes that add up to big losses

Yes.

Depression meds should be a last resort.

Adapt a healthier lifestyle first.

I need help..I am always unhappy and easily upset. I have an awesome husband and 2 little girls. I am also at least 100lbs overweight. I have never enjoyed exercise and lead a fairly sedintary lifestyle. I would prefer not to ask my doctor to put me on depression meds. This is what I want to know...will exercising and losing weight make me feel better? Not just physically but more importantly will I be a happier person?

You will be a thinner person if you lose weight, but you will not be any happier.

If you have been diagnosed with depression, find a therapist.

Doing something for yourself and for your own health will definitely make you feel better about yourself, but we can't predict to which degree. We should never rely on a single thing for our happiness (e.g. weightloss...), I like to think about it as an "extra" good thing that happened to my life and helped me to enjoy it better. I say definitely do it for yourself and your children, weight loss is very important while speaking about health. Anyway, if you feel like you can't do it all alone don't be ashamed to ask for help to a professional... human beings need to interact with each other and reaching for help is indispensible for us. Just do what's best for you and build your happiness step by step!

Medication for diagnosed mental disorders should be taken as appropriate, not never, and not as a last resort. Would you get a broken arm set only as a last resort? I would see a qualified mental health professional and get some help with depression. That doesn't necessarily mean medication, but can include cognitive behavior therapy.

Life does not have to be so hard.

Yes, I think exercise helps mood tremendously. It won't do much for clinical depression, but if you are experiencing situational depression, it can help. Just having that time to yourself to focus on you is wonderful, and scheduling exercise into your day can be a great motivator to get the rest of your life organized as well. Losing weight just makes you feel better physically and mentally in general, but as a mom, it's nice to be able to tick off some check boxes (do workout, logging food, staying under calories) and know that task is done for the day when so much of your day-to-day activities are endless chores like dishes, laundry, or cleaning up after people.

Yes, find a therapist. You needn't commit to taking anti-depressants. Try talk therapy first.

For me exercise is "me" time, it improves my mood, my health and my body so I do believe it is good for you. Happiness and sadness is in the way you choose to look at things. I do not like mood altering drugs but agree some people may need them. If you haven't tried the all natural approach like choosing to be happier, eating right, exercising etc then maybe you should try talking to a doctor, life is too short to be sad!

yes, it's worth a try. do it for your awesome husband and kids