Did exercise help your severe anxiety and/or depression?

luckycleo777
luckycleo777 Posts: 17 Member
edited March 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Mini rant here.

Whenever there's an article about anxiety and depression, "make sure to eat right and exercise" always seems to pop up. I've also seen several studies that 'prove' that exercise is as good for depression as medication.

I've never been a terrible eater, always eaten veggies, protein, along with some processed foods. I've had GAD my entire life, 30+ years, since I was a small child, and depression since I was 12 (which I think is secondary to the GAD.)

A family health crisis at the beginning of this year prompted me to lose the extra 20lbs I'd been carrying, to start eating clean, and to exercise every day. I started with walking 2 miles, gradually upped the difficulty and now I'm running 3-4 miles several times a week. I really enjoy running, and I don't just do it because I feel like I have to, or anything. I love it.

However, my anxiety is not better. I had a horrible anxiety attack in the middle of a run last Sunday. I don't sleep better, which is another benefit exercise is supposed to have.

After my anxiety attack, I didn't feel like exercising at all the next day. Immediately, my self esteem plummeted. I had been feeling proud of myself for exercising daily, but I felt like I'd lost all the progress I had made, which I knew was ridiculous since it had been ONE DAY.

I'm sorry for complaining, I know this comes across as really whiny, I am just a bit frustrated. I'm not exercising for the mental health benefits, but it would be nice if we didn't have to constantly hear "eat right and exercise" as a cure-all for mental health issues.

If you are struggling with mental health issues despite exercise, please share your story!!

Replies

  • KcRavassa
    KcRavassa Posts: 45 Member
    I have anxiety and exercise too. My exercise is rock climbing because I love it and it forces me to be social because it's basically impossible to climb without a partner (unless you're bouldering, and even then it's good to have a spotter if you're outside). However, it didn't "cure" me. Sure I felt better exercising but I'd still get panic attacks. Counseling and zoloft have helped me combat it more than exercise did. I don't get as many attacks as I use to and I find I'm generally calmer but it's still there and I'll probably have it forever. Good luck to you, if you're not already seeing one, maybe try finding a therapist of your own and medication if you can tolerate it!
  • angermouse
    angermouse Posts: 102 Member
    I have borderline personality disorder so my mood can flip throughout the day by simple triggers. It comes in hand with social anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia and then some! not fun at all.

    I go gym 3 times a week, it doesn't cure me but it does help. its the only place I can be in a room of people and not have an anxiety attack, not sure why but im not complaining. its also helping my body dysmorphia, im not ever going to look in the mirror and love what I see but im working on it so mentally I know it can change with time.
    when I go to the gym I feel its a place I belong which bpd strips from you, you have a hard time having a sense of who you are or belonging, so it helps in that way too. I feel the fellow gym goers are my family (as I don't have that either lol )

    I have bad days too though, im not skipping to the gym all happy go lucky, most of the time I wake up thinking I wont bother today. but I go and im glad I did majority of the time.

    what helped me years ago, which I need to dust off! are my positive thinking books. the secret being one. great book.
    how about listening to some audio on youtube whilst your running? theres loads of positive/mindfulness ones on there. or when you feel like your mood is crashing put some on in the background.

    I think the media saying eat healthy and exercise is a good message, its a way of saying look after yourself/body. its a positive meassage I guess, can you imagen if the advice for depression was to grab a duvet and go hide with a box of doughnuts haha although ive been there too. I do feel better with the healthier one.

    keep going don't let a bad day put you off. <3

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    luckycleo777 wrote: »
    Mini rant here.

    Whenever there's an article about anxiety and depression, "make sure to eat right and exercise" always seems to pop up. I've also seen several studies that 'prove' that exercise is as good for depression as medication.

    I've never been a terrible eater, always eaten veggies, protein, along with some processed foods. I've had GAD my entire life, 30+ years, since I was a small child, and depression since I was 12 (which I think is secondary to the GAD.)

    A family health crisis at the beginning of this year prompted me to lose the extra 20lbs I'd been carrying, to start eating clean, and to exercise every day. I started with walking 2 miles, gradually upped the difficulty and now I'm running 3-4 miles several times a week. I really enjoy running, and I don't just do it because I feel like I have to, or anything. I love it.

    However, my anxiety is not better. I had a horrible anxiety attack in the middle of a run last Sunday. I don't sleep better, which is another benefit exercise is supposed to have.

    After my anxiety attack, I didn't feel like exercising at all the next day. Immediately, my self esteem plummeted. I had been feeling proud of myself for exercising daily, but I felt like I'd lost all the progress I had made, which I knew was ridiculous since it had been ONE DAY.

    I'm sorry for complaining, I know this comes across as really whiny, I am just a bit frustrated. I'm not exercising for the mental health benefits, but it would be nice if we didn't have to constantly hear "eat right and exercise" as a cure-all for mental health issues.

    If you are struggling with mental health issues despite exercise, please share your story!!

    Is that really what you are reading? What I see is that "exercise may be as helpful for mild to moderate depression as medication."

    Reputable sources will not imply that exercise is 100% effective and they also use the mild to moderate qualifier (unless there is more recent research of which I am not aware.)

    Exercise does improve my mental health - I hope you find something that helps yours.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    I have had issues with depression most of my life. Exercise definitely helps me. It started with hiking. I love being in the mountains and in the woods. Partly it's being in nature, partly the hard exercise. I found that I could handle my issues much better when I was hiking a lot. I felt at peace and enjoyed life. No matter what was going on, I could handle it. I married someone who was a hiker and for years we did hikes and backpack trips every weekend. Sometimes we did long multi-month backpacking trips. I was happy then. When we were sedentary, earning money, during the week I just walked but on weekends we'd be back in the woods. I felt pretty good. Then my husband could no longer hike and didn't want me to go without him. Not happiness. So I started running. I've been running regularly for the past 7 years. On days I run, I am usually feeling pretty good. On days I don't, I get anxious and depressed. When I'm injured, I get suicidal. Cross-training helps a little, but not as much as getting outdoors for a couple of hours. So my depression isn't cured, and probably never will be, but being active at least keeps it manageable.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited March 2019
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    luckycleo777 wrote: »
    Mini rant here.

    Whenever there's an article about anxiety and depression, "make sure to eat right and exercise" always seems to pop up. I've also seen several studies that 'prove' that exercise is as good for depression as medication.

    I've never been a terrible eater, always eaten veggies, protein, along with some processed foods. I've had GAD my entire life, 30+ years, since I was a small child, and depression since I was 12 (which I think is secondary to the GAD.)

    A family health crisis at the beginning of this year prompted me to lose the extra 20lbs I'd been carrying, to start eating clean, and to exercise every day. I started with walking 2 miles, gradually upped the difficulty and now I'm running 3-4 miles several times a week. I really enjoy running, and I don't just do it because I feel like I have to, or anything. I love it.

    However, my anxiety is not better. I had a horrible anxiety attack in the middle of a run last Sunday. I don't sleep better, which is another benefit exercise is supposed to have.

    After my anxiety attack, I didn't feel like exercising at all the next day. Immediately, my self esteem plummeted. I had been feeling proud of myself for exercising daily, but I felt like I'd lost all the progress I had made, which I knew was ridiculous since it had been ONE DAY.

    I'm sorry for complaining, I know this comes across as really whiny, I am just a bit frustrated. I'm not exercising for the mental health benefits, but it would be nice if we didn't have to constantly hear "eat right and exercise" as a cure-all for mental health issues.

    If you are struggling with mental health issues despite exercise, please share your story!!

    Is that really what you are reading? What I see is that "exercise may be as helpful for mild to moderate depression as medication."

    Reputable sources will not imply that exercise is 100% effective and they also use the mild to moderate qualifier (unless there is more recent research of which I am not aware.)

    Exercise does improve my mental health - I hope you find something that helps yours.

    Reputable sources say this yes, but sadly people like to quote non-reputable sources all the time. It is very common for lay people to suggest exercise of any kind to people who have mental health issues. Hearing it and knowing that no, exercise does absolutely nothing to help your mental health issue(s), is exhausting and disheartening. Or rather, it's exhausting and disheartening to me.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    luckycleo777 wrote: »
    Mini rant here.

    Whenever there's an article about anxiety and depression, "make sure to eat right and exercise" always seems to pop up. I've also seen several studies that 'prove' that exercise is as good for depression as medication.

    I've never been a terrible eater, always eaten veggies, protein, along with some processed foods. I've had GAD my entire life, 30+ years, since I was a small child, and depression since I was 12 (which I think is secondary to the GAD.)

    A family health crisis at the beginning of this year prompted me to lose the extra 20lbs I'd been carrying, to start eating clean, and to exercise every day. I started with walking 2 miles, gradually upped the difficulty and now I'm running 3-4 miles several times a week. I really enjoy running, and I don't just do it because I feel like I have to, or anything. I love it.

    However, my anxiety is not better. I had a horrible anxiety attack in the middle of a run last Sunday. I don't sleep better, which is another benefit exercise is supposed to have.

    After my anxiety attack, I didn't feel like exercising at all the next day. Immediately, my self esteem plummeted. I had been feeling proud of myself for exercising daily, but I felt like I'd lost all the progress I had made, which I knew was ridiculous since it had been ONE DAY.

    I'm sorry for complaining, I know this comes across as really whiny, I am just a bit frustrated. I'm not exercising for the mental health benefits, but it would be nice if we didn't have to constantly hear "eat right and exercise" as a cure-all for mental health issues.

    If you are struggling with mental health issues despite exercise, please share your story!!

    Is that really what you are reading? What I see is that "exercise may be as helpful for mild to moderate depression as medication."

    Reputable sources will not imply that exercise is 100% effective and they also use the mild to moderate qualifier (unless there is more recent research of which I am not aware.)

    Exercise does improve my mental health - I hope you find something that helps yours.

    Reputable sources say this yes, but sadly people like to quote non-reputable sources all the time. It is very common for lay people to suggest exercise of any kind to people who have mental health issues. Hearing it and knowing that no, exercise does absolutely nothing to help your mental health issue(s), is exhausting and disheartening. Or rather, it's exhausting and disheartening to me.

    Speaking very generally, the average person can be really thoughtless when it comes to discussing anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. It may be based in misinformation and not deliberate, but it's really common for people to be like "Try to practice mindfulness" or "Have you tried yoga?" or similar stuff.

    Exactly - People (of various ages and backgrounds) say it all the time, as if I wouldn't have thought to try any of those things in the more than 15 years that I've been diagnosed with depression (which I've likely actually had for over 20 years)...
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Not severe. I deal with low-level anxiety (recommended that I take medication if heading into an unusually stressful situation, but otherwise not. Can often snap myself out of it if I recognize what's going on at the start). I've found that exercising has reduced the frequency of my attacks, but again, they've never been that severe to start with. It's one more coping strategy in the arsenal. Agree with everyone else saying it's a help not a cure.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    luckycleo777 wrote: »
    Mini rant here.

    Whenever there's an article about anxiety and depression, "make sure to eat right and exercise" always seems to pop up. I've also seen several studies that 'prove' that exercise is as good for depression as medication.

    I've never been a terrible eater, always eaten veggies, protein, along with some processed foods. I've had GAD my entire life, 30+ years, since I was a small child, and depression since I was 12 (which I think is secondary to the GAD.)

    A family health crisis at the beginning of this year prompted me to lose the extra 20lbs I'd been carrying, to start eating clean, and to exercise every day. I started with walking 2 miles, gradually upped the difficulty and now I'm running 3-4 miles several times a week. I really enjoy running, and I don't just do it because I feel like I have to, or anything. I love it.

    However, my anxiety is not better. I had a horrible anxiety attack in the middle of a run last Sunday. I don't sleep better, which is another benefit exercise is supposed to have.

    After my anxiety attack, I didn't feel like exercising at all the next day. Immediately, my self esteem plummeted. I had been feeling proud of myself for exercising daily, but I felt like I'd lost all the progress I had made, which I knew was ridiculous since it had been ONE DAY.

    I'm sorry for complaining, I know this comes across as really whiny, I am just a bit frustrated. I'm not exercising for the mental health benefits, but it would be nice if we didn't have to constantly hear "eat right and exercise" as a cure-all for mental health issues.

    If you are struggling with mental health issues despite exercise, please share your story!!

    Is that really what you are reading? What I see is that "exercise may be as helpful for mild to moderate depression as medication."

    Reputable sources will not imply that exercise is 100% effective and they also use the mild to moderate qualifier (unless there is more recent research of which I am not aware.)

    Exercise does improve my mental health - I hope you find something that helps yours.

    Reputable sources say this yes, but sadly people like to quote non-reputable sources all the time. It is very common for lay people to suggest exercise of any kind to people who have mental health issues. Hearing it and knowing that no, exercise does absolutely nothing to help your mental health issue(s), is exhausting and disheartening. Or rather, it's exhausting and disheartening to me.

    Speaking very generally, the average person can be really thoughtless when it comes to discussing anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. It may be based in misinformation and not deliberate, but it's really common for people to be like "Try to practice mindfulness" or "Have you tried yoga?" or similar stuff.

    Exactly - People (of various ages and backgrounds) say it all the time, as if I wouldn't have thought to try any of those things in the more than 15 years that I've been diagnosed with depression (which I've likely actually had for over 20 years)...

    I had someone tell me that I could get rid of panic attacks by limiting my caffeine. Yeah, I wish.

    I try to remember they really don't understand the difference between regular anxiety and, you know, capital-A anxiety.

    (Not to say that other people don't see a real link between their anxiety and caffeine consumption, but it helps to remember that most people who are dealing with anxiety or depression have already tried most of the informal solutions that are floating around out there).
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    luckycleo777 wrote: »
    If you are struggling with mental health issues despite exercise, please share your story!!
    I've mentioned this many a time here, but yes I have depression and anxiety. The anxiety is significantly easier to deal with than my depression. My depression is treatment resistant and essentially the only reason I'm as functional as I am is through therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. I was first diagnosed when I was 15, but I've had symptoms since I was probably around 10, if not younger.

    Exercise has never helped and sometimes it makes it acutely worse. There are quite a number of athletes, including elite athletes, who have a history of mental health issues. I currently have Clara Hughes' memoir on my to read list.
  • obeaner2
    obeaner2 Posts: 10 Member
    No, exercise and eating right did not help my anxiety and depression, medication did. My doctors were first focused on getting my medication correct and then moved onto diet and exercise. What I ate or how much I exercised could not correct the chemical imbalances, again, only medication.

    Once I was in a healthy place mentally, I found it so much easier to focus on diet and exercise. Counting calories no longer seemed like a major stressor and I had to energy to go to the gym.
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    Eating better and exercise has helped so much with my depression and anxiety. The endorphin rush after a great workout helped me more than any antidepressant did.
  • wyeth84
    wyeth84 Posts: 35 Member
    I eat extremely clean, count my calories diligently and I exercise regularly (former professional athlete). None of these helps with my anxiety per se, but I know that when I make the time to work out I feel good about myself and my appearance, and that helps my general sense of wellness.
    AND when I make myself go to the gym even if I don't feel like it, it forces me to snap out of the repetitive thoughts/preoccupations to focus on the actual exercises, so it does help.
    Some times it's just for the duration of the gym session, some times it does lift my mood and helps me put things into perspective and feel less "squashed" by life, so in this sense it works for me. However, like most, I find it really hard to find the motivation to actually get up and work out on days when I'm antsy AF (and most likely got zero sleep because of it!).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2019
    I've never heard that exercise and eating well is a cure for anxiety and depression. I have heard that it can help ease the symptoms of anxiety and depression. I have generalized anxiety disorder and while it does kick up now and then with mind racing and occasional panic attacks, my episodes are much less frequent as a regular exerciser than when I didn't exercise. Note also that I've been diagnosed as mild to moderate, not severe...though I have had some severe episodes, but they are exceedingly rare.

    It also may be a matter of what you're doing. Going to the gym to lift is just kind of meh to me but I do it because I like the aesthetic results and I want to maintain muscle mass as I age...I only go 2x per week as that is what is recommended by the AHA. Cycling on the other hand is absolute therapy. I love it, and nothing puts me in a better mood than getting out on my road bike or hitting the trails on my CX bike and enjoying the beautiful scenery with the sunshine on my shoulders. Birds chirping away and other critters darting here and there...love it. It very much calms my mind...the gym, not so much.
  • CharlieCharlie007
    CharlieCharlie007 Posts: 246 Member
    It got rid of my chronic migraines. So thats a win. I know thats not depression, But....it is head related.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    i've heard people say it cured their depression or anxiety or both
    exercise has had no effect on either my depression or anxiety.
    though i do take a tough run to break down my walls so i can face down feelings. but they are just feelings-not my depression or anxiety
  • llUsernamell
    llUsernamell Posts: 12 Member
    My short answer is no, it did not help my depression. And I was exercising a lot- at home, at the gym, outside.
  • gcminton
    gcminton Posts: 170 Member
    For most of my life I've mainly had depression but also have anxiety and yeah, diet and exercise make a difference. I've noticed that what I eat plays a huge role in my mental state, far more than exercise does, but I'm honestly finding that very frustrating.

    The few times I've gone a more restrictive route with my diet (low carb, paleo/primal, keto) it damn near did "cure" me. The problem with that is staying very restrictive is hard and I'd backslide and my depression would get worse, leading to more poor food choices and round and round we go.

    Currently I'm trying to climb back out of my most recent backslide so I can work on figuring out what, exactly, exacerbates my mental health issues (Carbs in general? Unlikely. Wheat? Grains? Some common additive you frequently find in wheat-based products? Something else entirely?) and what kind of diet I can sustain. I know my dad has problems with wheat-based food, and shows signs of depression so there could be interesting hereditary factors at play.

    It sucks. Everyone struggling with these kinds of problems has my sympathy for sure. There are so many subtle differences and causes for depression and anxiety that there is no one solution, but a huge part of our society behaves like there is.
  • BattyKnitter
    BattyKnitter Posts: 503 Member
    Healthy eating and exercise HELPS my depression and anxiety but it by no means CURED it. I still get very, very bad days. I'm also unmedicated which probably doesn't help.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Exercise / just about any exercise helped me during my depression. Getting out of bed, getting dressed, actually leaving the house and just going for a little walk was for me virtually impossible for a long time. (Our dear son George Paul's death shortly after he was born.) Tablets are nor always the answer, healing from within is a long term effort and exercise always made me feel better. Now the next challenge: Losing about 80 kg (175 pounds) of weight which I have gained during my depressive years.
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    When my depression and anxiety have been bad, exercise was no help. It was a huge struggle to attempt anything, and I felt worse / completely exhausted afterwards. And then I felt even more bad about myself for not even being able to manage a walk a few times a week.
    So, completely the opposite effect really.

    When I am feeling okay, I enjoy exercise and feel the benefits of being active, but when I am in the pit, it doesn't help me get out.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I've never heard that exercise and eating well is a cure for anxiety and depression. I have heard that it can help ease the symptoms of anxiety and depression. I have generalized anxiety disorder and while it does kick up now and then with mind racing and occasional panic attacks, my episodes are much less frequent as a regular exerciser than when I didn't exercise. Note also that I've been diagnosed as mild to moderate, not severe...though I have had some severe episodes, but they are exceedingly rare.

    It also may be a matter of what you're doing. Going to the gym to lift is just kind of meh to me but I do it because I like the aesthetic results and I want to maintain muscle mass as I age...I only go 2x per week as that is what is recommended by the AHA. Cycling on the other hand is absolute therapy. I love it, and nothing puts me in a better mood than getting out on my road bike or hitting the trails on my CX bike and enjoying the beautiful scenery with the sunshine on my shoulders. Birds chirping away and other critters darting here and there...love it. It very much calms my mind...the gym, not so much.

    Yes, doing about anything outside lifts my mood than doing about anything inside.

    I work from home and did yard work at lunch time. Yard work makes me happy :smiley:
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Exercise and eating better certainly helps...and I do find taking a walk or doing yoga definitely helps (certainly more than snacking). Cure it? Nah. But I feel better.
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    edited April 2019
    i suffer from often debilitating depression and anxiety. exercise does not help except for that time i am exercising and for a little while after. i hate the gym and have to really force myself to go but at least 5 times a week. and i work really hard there and i am too focused on hating being there than my anxiety (usually...but there have a been a few occasions that i have broken down in the middle of a run). it absolutely does help me with sleep. it also burns some of that extra energy and sadness i feel like i have no where to put. one thing that i have found that helps me where prescriptions made me worse is with this that my naturopath gives me. but you can get it other places. i think whole foods carries it. it helps when things get extra bad. and a bottle lasts for ever. my dr calls it grief drops but i think its for 'Hysterics' which is what a panic attack certainly feels like.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=reckeweg+47&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI15DT-6_hAhVRaq0KHUXjCFgQ_AUIDygC&biw=1455&bih=688#imgrc=12bqRzI1B6IJtM look into it. everyone i know i've suggested to try it find it really helpful.
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    i have also read a few articles that following a low carb way of eating (which i have for over 9 years) may contribute to depressive episodes. i haven't really looked into this.

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