Consider Exercise!

I have been in a bipolar depression for over a year. I tried numerous mood stabilizers and antidepressants, none of which helped, so I turned to ECT. I would say the ECT helped me progress from severe depression to mild depression. For some reason, the mild depression became what I would classify as moderate over this past weekend though.

I really wanted to share with anyone experiencing treatment resistant depression my positive experience with aerobic exercise to combat depression. Whenever I go jog/walking - - even for just a mile - - I experience a significant improvement in my mood. This morning my exercise changed my moderate depression to being in a good mood, having motivation and enthusiasm for the day! When I first woke up, I was just dreading the day and had no motivation.

Not only is exercise said to produce endorphins, norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, but it gives me a great feeling of accomplishment. I have been trying to find a job, with no luck, and I won't be volunteering for a couple of weeks yet, so I really need the feeling of accomplishment that it provides.

Anyway, just thought it was worth posting about for those of you who are not having luck with medication. It's hard work to get in shape enough to realize the benefits to mood but for me, it's totally been worth it.

I believe exercise helps too, but I can't seem to get up off my lazy butt and do it. I do some stretching for my plantar faciitis, but I used to love to walk. I even bought an elliptical but haven't really used it. It takes more stamina than I seem to have.

Gayle, my progress has been very slow, but I'm finally at the point where I'm jogging most of the mile and hardly walking at all. I want to participate in a relay run in April that has 3.4 miles as the shortest leg, so I really need to keep at it! I exercise with one of our 2 dogs each time, so they're getting in shape too!

It is also proven to promote new cell growth in the brain and have very positive impacts on the brain.

The problem with me is that I have worked construction my whole life as a plumber. I have mostly always been a foreman but still worked in the field along side the guys. I would be getting tons of exercise everyday. Up and down ladders, carrying heavy things up and down two flights of stairs all the time. Spreading water heaters and big cast iron tubs up stairs. Walking fast all over the place all day. Everyday too. When I was in high school I was in the most optimum shape possible. Running two mile a day, playing hockey everyday all winter, doing tons of push ups, sit ups, weights, stretching, all kinds of stuff.

None of that ever stopped me from going into a deep severe depression. It would just hit out of the blue.

It does help many times when I am in moderate to mild and can force myself to function. In that case it can snap me out of it. When I am severely depressed no way do I have the energy and motivation to exercise and when I do go for a walk it doesn't do any good. The depression is too powerful.

I never tried exercising when my depression was severe so I don't know if exercise would help at all when feeling that bad. All I know is right now, 3 hours after exercising, I'm back to the moderate depression. It really sucks. At least I got a good 3 hours of feeling good. Am definitely talking to my husband about fixing the stationary bike.

Alot of people say they get the short term endorphin effect but then it wears off and they are back to their mood. It has to be beneficial in the long run.

Maybe it hasn't prevented me from going into severe ones but I know for sure that exercise along with social activity has totally snapped me out of mild to moderate lots of times.

That's great you're working on the dogs health as well. I have one that could benefit from walking daily. I hope my heel heals soon so as spring gets closer we can start walking.

I seem to be one of the unlucky ones that does not get that sort of feeling from exercise. I don't drive so I have to rely on public transportation and walking/bicycle....so I get a lot of walking in. But yeah while I feel over-all better if I have not been spending multiple days lazing around...doesn't really seem to relieve the depression itself, though getting out after lazing around can get rid of the stagnant feeling.

Also haven't been able to pin-point the exact reason, but seems like I tend to be low on energy like feeling physically tired/exausted when I haven't even exerted myself. ....kind of annoying and certainly would make it hard to add on say a regular/consistent exercise routine.

when in a major depressive episode, i physically don't have the energy to exercise, nor the motivation.

Yes, social activity definitely helps too. For example, going to an AA meeting always boosts my mood (if in mild to moderate depression, not severe).

I can see how low energy could definitely put the kabosh to an exercise routine. Sorry to hear exercise does not seem to help you anyway.

I completely understand this. I didn't start exercising until my severe depression became mild due to ECT. When it was severe I was barely functioning.

I walk quite a lot, about 2 miles daily to the railway station and back and then I take my golden retriever x labrador for a good walk 1-3 miles most days. My dog is still a youngster and walks at a really fast pace, fast enough for me to get slightly out of breath. If I didn't have my dog, I'd retreat to my bed for sure.

I used to be quite a good middle distance runner, back in the day. I gave it up when my depression really hit big time and never started again. I actually find adrenaline makes me weepy, so I have to be careful what exercise I choose anything too competitive or stimulating and the tears start rolling. Also, like Gayle I have had plantar fasciitis, wow it is painful. I did buy a swimsuit in the summer, but have never got round to going to the pool. It seems motivation and fear are the barriers between me and taking more exercise. While I can't say that exercise improves my depression, it certainly keeps me functioning. So I'll keep taking a brisk walk with MY dog who is a happy soul with her head full of pink, fluffy, happy thoughts and hope some of them wear off on me.

I have never been to an AA meeting and not walked out feeling better. I don't go when severe usually. When severe it might help a little for a short time if I can actually make it there.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I enjoy extensive walking BUT it's been COLD AS HELL here. I have eating disorder issues too so exercise solves both problems briefly.

F.D.

I'm curious how much exercise you do newgal, and how vigorous it is. I walk my dog 3-5 miles a day and while it sometimes helps me feel a bit better, that's usually because it's the only time I leave the house (he bugs the shell out of me and destroys everything if I don't walk him consistently). But it doesn't really change how depressed I feel. I used to hit the gym 4 days a week for about an hour each day, doing both cardio and weight training, and that certainly didn't prevent me from falling back into a depressed hellhole. It made me feel a little better for a short time, and that's it. It seems like I have to exercise pretty intensively in order to feel any effects, and like others have said, I just don't feel like I have the energy to push myself that hard.

Alk, what really improves my mood is jogging. Brisk walking will help too, but not as much. I'm doing a couch-to-5k training program now. It's 3 times a week, a combo of jogging and walking, for maybe 25 minutes.