Psychological Hurdles
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GravisMetus
Posts: 13 Member
Hello,
I’m sure a post like this already exist. I couldn’t find it but if you know of one please point me to it. I posted this in the intro room but got no bites.
I’m in Los Angeles. I’m a 29 year old guy and I suffer from depression and anxiety. I’ve been taking medication and going to therapy for a few years now and I’m way better than I was when I started! Woo Hoo! The last and biggest hurdle I have is my weight. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that this topic gives me a lot of stress anxiety and depressive thoughts.
I’ve found in the past that when I have support such as a personal trainer or work out friend I’m very successful. I would like to get another support group. I would like to find others who suffer from any type of psychological issues. Doesn’t have to be officially diagnosed. Also shout out to the guys who have these body image issues but are afraid to discuss them.
Anyways. Thanks you for listening!
I’m sure a post like this already exist. I couldn’t find it but if you know of one please point me to it. I posted this in the intro room but got no bites.
I’m in Los Angeles. I’m a 29 year old guy and I suffer from depression and anxiety. I’ve been taking medication and going to therapy for a few years now and I’m way better than I was when I started! Woo Hoo! The last and biggest hurdle I have is my weight. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that this topic gives me a lot of stress anxiety and depressive thoughts.
I’ve found in the past that when I have support such as a personal trainer or work out friend I’m very successful. I would like to get another support group. I would like to find others who suffer from any type of psychological issues. Doesn’t have to be officially diagnosed. Also shout out to the guys who have these body image issues but are afraid to discuss them.
Anyways. Thanks you for listening!
24
Replies
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Hello. I don't have any of the things you listed but still wanted to show support anyway. Hopefully you can find some others!
Another idea is Maybe create a private group in the group section for people with depression and anxiety to join, this way some that may be too shy to post on the general forum may feel more comfortable participating.7 -
Hello,
I suffer with Depression and Anxiety as well. Saying this I have to say that I started walking 2 years ago to help with it sometimes alone and sometimes with a close friend but when our schedules got hectic back in April I stopped going all together and I can feel a bad depressive episode coming on for me. I spent most of the morning crying so this is why I am here tonight to gain my motivation back. I have struggled with body image my entire life. You can add me if you would like.7 -
Hello!
I’m glad to find a friend on here like me looking for support! These issues are so pervasive! But I believe it can be over come.6 -
There are groups for anxiety and depression, its finding one with enough traction to stay active thats the trick. Try searching the groups section for things like mental health. Good luck. You are not alone.4
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I just wanted to say good luck. My son suffers from depression and I wish he would reach out for support like you are doing. You might also want to check out or start a meetup in your area. We have one here called Running for Depression. People with depression get together once a week to run together. It forces them to get out and around other people while releasing those endorphins that work so great against depression.9
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I have depression too. Medication and therapy have really helped, and exercise really helps my mental state a lot. I just rejoined mfp, feel free to add me3
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I belong to a CrossFit community. The coaches and athletes are very encouraging. We build each other up to achieve our fitness goals. Drop into a CrossFit box, pay the daily fee and see if it works for you.2
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i also suffer from depression and anxiety. I do not take meds, but I have been in therapy off and on for many years. Exercising for me is a great form of therapy. I always feel better after I have exercised because I know i have accomplished something. I have lost about 200 lbs, but I do not really feel a sense of accomplishment. I have a condition called lymphedema in my legs. Although I have lost weight I do not feel comfortable wearing anything that shows my legs so I wear long skirts or dresses every day. Some days I look at my body and I am disgusted that I allowed myself to get to the size I was and now I am left to deal with the after effects. Other days I am okay with my body. Most days I just try to not look at my body. Overall I am happy that I decided to take charge of my life and i did it all on my own.6
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I’m so happy some of you are speaking up. Hiding these issues we face is counter productive to the problem. And I’ve learned there is nothing to be ashamed of!12
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GravisMetus wrote: »I’m so happy some of you are speaking up. Hiding these issues we face is counter productive to the problem. And I’ve learned there is nothing to be ashamed of!
It's an unfortunate catch-22. If you're depressed, you need help, but the very nature of depression makes you ashamed and unable to talk about it so you don't get the help you need then you feel worse. I have had clinical depression and anxiety since childhood, I'm 43 now, and there were times during my treatment that I was still unable to make that next appointment or talk about new issues that came up. Fortunately, that's mostly passed and I am fairly evened out between a low dose of meds and regular lifting (with a little cardio mixed in). There are some off days where I feel like I'm working against the current, but they're not nearly as frequent as they used to be. I will always have body image issues though. I don't believe that's going anywhere, but with age I've come to accept a lot more.
It's a shame that so many of us suffer from this consuming illness, but certainly, it does help many of us to hear about others dealing with the same.
It's great you're reaching out to others. This app was wonderful for getting myself together, weight and fitness wise.3 -
Im 25 and living out in the big wide world on my own (yay for adulting)! I suffer from bouts of depression too and these often lead to putting on more weight and the circle continues, I'm currently on an up mood which is great so like you I'm trying to find like minded people to support each other!5
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Forcing myself to get out in the sun or go to the gym and "just do it" really help get me out of a funk on a day where I might just piddle around the house and be even more down. I love swimming, it feels so relaxing to be in the cool water, while also getting a good workout. I just wish it was more available. I only get 30 min at a time, and only in the summer on certain days.5
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I was actually misdiagnosed with just having Depression and Anxiety, and found out it was a much more serious issue that that..
I'm open with having had an ED, and struggling with personality disorders. I fight with myself every day and it's exhausting. Sometimes I just lay in bed all day and want to sleep, without eating or willing to care for myself. But I think of those close to me, and it motivates me to just get up and try and pull myself together. Some days are going great, but like.. one little thing that goes wrong just tears me down so much, it's unbearable sometimes.
Everyone stay strong .8 -
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I’ve been working through clinical depression since I was in middle school. Eating right and moving more are the number one things that help, but the first things to go when I feel like crap. So logging in and tracking everything keeps me consistent and I get my mindset shift here too. Tracking keeps things objective. Sometimes I can see that none of my good habits help at all... but that’s okay, I can also see that I’m being proactive anyway, even if that just means logging in. And that helps me ride the ups and downs better. Seeing the streaks of good habits build up even when I’m down helps me bounce back faster. I agree w/you @GravisMetus, it’s awkward to share. I do try to keep hush about it because I don’t want to bring others down. But it’s worth talking about in the right circles so thanks for posting.5
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Have dealt with clinical ( major depression) for many years. Medicine made ME worse. I am not advocating not taking meds because for some people they are life savers. I just wasn't one of those people. When i started walking 50 something nights ago, and kept it up, it was the first absolute game changer for me and did more for me than everything i Have ever tried. It took a couple weeks of consistency to see a difference but wowwww what a difference. I know I'm not cured but i don't label myself as depressed anymore. I am more than that label. Better to say you have frequent depressive moods or episodes than to label yourself. Just my 2 cents. You are on the right track and i commend you. We can win this.5
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Showing some love! I am working through some things too, obesity being one of them. You are strong enough to break your last chain.2
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I definitely have battled with bouts of depression, anxiety, body image issues, and impostor syndrome fairly extensively. I've never been officially diagnosed with anything or seen a professional about mental health since elementary school, when my parents had me speak with the school psychologist about how hard I was being on myself about grades (at age 8). I was also mild-to-moderately overweight for the majority of my childhood, and that definitely had an effect on my self esteem as an adolescent and into adulthood.
Coincidentally, I'm also 29 and I'm easily in the best shape and look better now than at any point in my life. Still, I struggle with focusing on what I perceive to be huge flaws in my body and physique; both about areas I have control over attempting to change, and those I do not. I also continuously find myself internally harping on "why didn't you start lifting sooner? You idiot, you'd be so much better off it you'd started at [insert younger age] than waiting until 26" and the like.
The short list of things I commonly think about being not "enough":
- lean
- muscular
- tall
- handsome
- confident
- competent in social interactions of any kind
- competent in my job/should've picked a more lucrative career
- organized
- financially savvy
- thoughtful
- creative
- generally attractive
I've been happily married for 5 years, have a good group of close friends, and have no real interest in making more IRL, so I'm not sure why a number of those factors that drive others' perceptions and opinions bother me so much. Still, they fester. I'm flattered as often as I'm perplexed when I catch my wife leering at my arms, or when she tells me in proud disbelief how hot I've gotten. I've never been adept at taking compliments.
I've found the time I spend exercising, mostly lifting, to be one of the most effective escapes. The area in my basement with my bench/weights feels like a sanctuary most days. Though, it's still not a complete bastion from my negative thoughts; it's adjacent to other areas of the basement I desperately need to de-clutter, my lift numbers should be higher, etc. I work out alone so it's easy to become immersed in thought. I've tried music, podcasts, streaming shows, and silence and none of them make me immune to my thoughts wandering to anxiety and/or negativity-inducing places. Sports talk podcasts probably help me the most, keeping my attention focused on the superficial topics being discussed.
I can't claim to have any good advice beyond you're not alone in struggling within your own mind. I've found that knowing yourself better and identifying tendencies is at least half the battle to managing your thoughts.
Feel free to add me and good luck in your weight loss pursuits.4 -
GravisMetus wrote: »Hello,
I’m sure a post like this already exist. I couldn’t find it but if you know of one please point me to it. I posted this in the intro room but got no bites.
I’m in Los Angeles. I’m a 29 year old guy and I suffer from depression and anxiety. I’ve been taking medication and going to therapy for a few years now and I’m way better than I was when I started! Woo Hoo! The last and biggest hurdle I have is my weight. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that this topic gives me a lot of stress anxiety and depressive thoughts.
I’ve found in the past that when I have support such as a personal trainer or work out friend I’m very successful. I would like to get another support group. I would like to find others who suffer from any type of psychological issues. Doesn’t have to be officially diagnosed. Also shout out to the guys who have these body image issues but are afraid to discuss them.
Anyways. Thanks you for listening!
Hi.
At my heaviest I was diagnosed with anxiety, I also had bouts of depression. So yeah, I get it. With the weight loss, the anxiety is mostly gone (still shows up every once in a while, but only in when I'm already under stress and in a large crowd) and haven't had a bout with depression for almost a year. (Probably self-medicated with my workouts - I get depressed, I go for a run to clear my head).
Feel free to add me.
PS: even dealing with both, I have managed to lose nearly 180lbs (+350 to a bit under 175).2 -
I also deal with major depression as well as anxiety. Exercise is so helpful in keeping my mental health manageable, but I have a hard time making that happen without the support of others. At the same time, the depression and anxiety cause a fair amount of avoidance and isolation, making it hard for me to get that support unless the other person gets it and encourage me/holds me accountable. Right now, I have a pretty great boxing gym that has helped on all fronts, and it's always helpful to see these posts Things are a little rougher than they've been in a while, and body image issues had been a relative non-issue in the past but seem to have crept in over the last couple of years.
@GravisMetus : I'm glad you are doing better, and thank you for starting this thread3
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