Exercising with Mental Health Problems

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  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Med-resistant dysthymia (which is a lifelong persistent depression vs. the major depressive episodes) and social anxiety here.... Exercise is the HARDEST thing for me. I have had breakdowns just sitting in my car outside of the gym because I can't force myself to get in there, and most days I feel pretty dang accomplished if I have clean socks on. Group activities are a NO GO, and I tend to just....quit.... everything I try to do alone at home and go back to bed. Daily routines are extremely difficult for me to stick to because I just flat out don't have the energy, motivation, or general willingness to persist at things that make me feel even more miserable than I feel when I wake up. Haven't found my sweet spot yet at all. When I have bouts of double depression (major depression ON TOP of my usual dysthymia) it's even harder.

    I don't have any helpful advice, but I want to thank you for posting the question because it's gotten some suggestions I haven't tried yet and seeing other people post on the topic does make me feel like I should keep trying.

    Good luck. <3
  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
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    yesimpson wrote: »
    That does sound really difficult.
    I don't know what options you have locally, but one of my friends actually runs exercise classes specifically for people with anxiety issues. The idea is that it's a safe space for people who recognise that exercise helps them manage their symptoms, and she also includes relaxation time at the end. There might be somebody running something similar near you. Going for walks with your sister sounds like a good idea too - maybe she could come round and encourage you to do exercise videos together or routines from YouTube?

    I really have to go look for one of these. My city kind of sucks when it comes to support, so I doubt there's anything like it here, but I'm definitely going to look. That sounds really nice.

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