Manage Your Depression Through Exercise

[Kiwi Stoker]

And then there's the issue of if you become sick or ill and cannot exercise and become depressed.

Heaps of people in my cycle club who had serious accidents (broken hips, legs etc) all said that actually NOT being able to exercise was one of the reasons they became depressed, esepecially if their injury was going to take a long time to heal or possibly mean being unable to ride again. I would like to see strategies to overcome this. Becuase once you at the point in physical health and are doing events etc it's very hard to deal with all your friends part-taking while you cannot. And I don't think doctors know how to deal with it as they say "oh go for a walk" well sorry doc, that doesn't do it for me anymore!

[Crankin]

That is very true, Kiwi. The first example, someone who is injured, and will take a long time to heal is one case. The other, someone who can never do "their" sport again, is a different problem. There are therapists who specialize in sports psychology, and they deal with stuff like this. There's a grieving process involved, especially in the second case, and it's a major life transition, so all of the issues that would be involved with that are present.
I've experienced the first, and I always looked at an enforced "break" from riding, or at earlier point in my life, from teaching fitness classes, as the time to learn something new, that met the same need. While I may not have liked it at first, I generally focused on that, and healing, so I could eventually get back to riding.
AZ, I love your husband's story. Sleep issues affect so many people, and I really didn't realize this until I did my first internship.

[soprano]

And then there's the issue of if you become sick or ill and cannot exercise and become depressed.

Yes.

I was raised by people who view depression, and mental illness in general, as a sign of weakness. Whenever I read about exercise being recommended to help with depression, I worry that the mental illness stigma is going to get that much worse, because it becomes even easier to point fingers and say, "If only you would get off your tail end and work harder, you wouldn't be this way!"

[westtexas]

And then there's the issue of if you become sick or ill and cannot exercise and become depressed.

Heaps of people in my cycle club who had serious accidents (broken hips, legs etc) all said that actually NOT being able to exercise was one of the reasons they became depressed, esepecially if their injury was going to take a long time to heal or possibly mean being unable to ride again. I would like to see strategies to overcome this. Becuase once you at the point in physical health and are doing events etc it's very hard to deal with all your friends part-taking while you cannot. And I don't think doctors know how to deal with it as they say "oh go for a walk" well sorry doc, that doesn't do it for me anymore!

I agree with this. I've been 2 months off the bike, except for two short, sporadic rides. The winter weather hasn't helped either (32F outside with 30mph winds? No thanks!). I have a lot of stress right now from my job, the possibility of moving again this summer for a new job and my loneliness due to distance from family.

This past week in PT they put me with an athletic trainer, so instead of doing these octogenarian stretching exercises, I'm doing kettle bells and squats and using the machines. It's hard work and I've never been so tired, but I love it. My mood is completely reversed. I rode this weekend with my group for the first time since November and it made me even happier. The more I exercise, the happier I am and the less my life stress affects me. It's great.