Welcome to /r/EOOD

I think the most important qualities exercise gives me are patience and humility.

I can't lift that weight yet but I will manage it in time. I can't run that fast yet but I will do sooner or later. Its pointless beating myself up for lack of progress. Progress with exercise and mental health too is not linear. Its often very, very slow then lots of things happen all at once. I can't change that. All I can do is be patient and wait and keep trying.

I am not as great an athlete as I think I am. I am not as great an athlete as I once was, and I wasn't as great as I thought I was back then too. I see better athletes than me every day. Not on TV but just in the street, just people. Of course I try as hard as I can but I know I am only human. We can't all be champion of the world. Humility teaches us more than that though. Ever wonder why the stereotype of biggest, fittest people in a gym or team being the friendliest people in there who try to help everyone is true? They know what everyone is going through, they have been there, they want to help people to avoid the problems they had.

So EOOD. What has exercise taught you? How do you apply that to the rest of your life?

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

When we are experiencing poor mental health we often tend to get stuck in our ways. We reduce our life down to the bare minimum as that is all we can cope with. If something comes along that effects our bare minimum existence we spiral down even further and before we know it we can't get out of bed at all. We cannot deal with what is going on in the rest of the world due to what is going on in our minds. We cannot adapt to the world and we cannot push through problems or bounce back from setbacks.

Nothing ever goes quite to plan in out lives. We think we have worked out how to do something but life throws a spanner in the works. It doesn't matter what that thing we are doing is. It can be a work thing, a study thing, a relationship thing, just going to the shops. There is a quote in military circles "No plan survives first contact with the enemy". Its 100% accurate. Plan all you like, something will disrupt it.

When we exercise we have to adapt to changing circumstances. Perhaps someone in the gym is hogging the equipment we want to use, so we try something else. Perhaps the gym is closed for a week so we do calisthenics at home. Perhaps we get injured so we have to adapt what we do, add in rehab exercises or scale things back until we recover. Perhaps we get sick and have to stop exercising until we are well again. Perhaps some bastard steals your bike so you run instead. We have to find a way to get some exercise in despite circumstances changing. Maybe we enjoy the new things we have tried and decide to stick with them. We don't let things grind us down, we have a good think and make new plans that account for circumstances and accept the new circumstances will change too.

Adaptability and resilience are two big buzzwords in mental health circles. Being able to cope basically. Exercise shows us how to cope.

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??

Have you tried something new that has helped you?

It doesn't have to be exercise related at all. Books, music, podcasts, tv, websites, organisations all help. Or it could be something someone said in passing that helped you and they have probably forgotten all about.

Our modern society is very fractured. We barely speak to neighbours, classmates and colleagues and friends are hard to come by. If you have to move to a new town for a job you can end up not knowing anyone outside of work.

Exercise can be a good way to get to meet people. When you are exercising alongside other people you share something in common with them. That means there is an easy way to start a conversation and that's all it takes sometimes to make a friend.

I think sports teams and clubs are the best for making new friends. Team mates support one another on and off the pitch. Even if you go to training and carry the water on match days you will be part of the team. You will be appreciated and valued by your team mates. Soon enough you will get your turn on the pitch on match day. Things like tennis clubs practically require you to talk to other players in the club league, you have to arrange matches with them. Everyone at my local parkrun is invited to the local MaccyDs after the run for a bite and a coffee. The staff don't mind all the runners turning up sweaty and muddy. Every sports team has a social aspect. Drinks in the bar with the opposition after a game is just as much part of the team as what goes on during the match. If you do a group class you can chat afterwards even if its to say "blinking flip that was hard". Places like martial arts and boxing gyms are all about supporting one another, you learn new skills and how to use them together. Hearing a gym full of people cheer when you do well is a huge boost.

The one form of exercise where social contact is not common is going to the gym and spending time doing cardio and weights. We all know how it goes, headphones on, look down, no eye contact, don't speak unless you are spoken too. I can spend two hours in a gym and not say a word to anyone else in there. I am sure I am not alone like that.

So... why not find your local beer league team and give them a go?

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

One of the most common topics posted here is how exercising makes people feel worse for a day or two after they exercise. Two people asked about it just yesterday and we often get a post a week on the same topic.

I think all I can do is to give the stock answer of a list of theories such as

• low blood sugar
• lack of hydration
• various nutrient deficiencies, everyone has their favourite one
• exercise stepping up the production of stress hormones
• plain old physical pain
• something in the workout environment firing off a trigger
• frustration in not seeing the glory of our gains as quickly as we would like

There are probably a few I have forgotten too.

Of course just like everything else with mental health its unlikely to be a straightforward answer and it might well be caused by a combination of different things.

Does anyone else have any other ideas? I have tried some searches and all google gives me are studies that say exercise is fantastic for depression. The only negative studies google scholar throws up are about exercise addiction or body dysmorphia aka "bigorexia".

It would be great to get some more information on this. Its obviously effecting quite a few people. Come on EOOD hive mind... give us answers

Just to give you guys some context: I used to LOVE going to the gym, it did wonders for my mental health.

This past summer i developed a panic disorder and possibly cptsd as well after a traumatic incident. When i stabilized and felt capable enough of returning to the gym i was hoping that it had the same therapeutic effect it always had on me, that didn’t happen.

I’ve been training for a month now and although i don’t exactly feel that bad right after the exercise, i feel like absolute shit for the next 2 days and it really affects my sleep as well.

This NEVER happened in the past, going to the gym made me so happy in the past, it was so important for me, this is why this reaction sucks so much to me…

I feel depressed as fuck and tired the days after exercising, it doesn’t feel right at all.

Also, it’s important to clarify that i have been eating and hydrating well and very similarly to what i used to do in the past so i do not think it is related to nutrition or hydration, i think it is much more complex than that unfortunately.

I study neuro and cognitive psychology and it is known that anxiety disorders greatly affect the nervous system in a negative way, one of those mechanisms has to do with the way the amygdala and the hippocampus are affected when exposed to cortisol and other hormones for long periods of time (which may happen sometimes when your anxiety is out of control). How does this connect to exercise? Well, when we exercise we release cortisol along with some other hormones that are also released when we are anxious, could it be that my central nervous system is fucked and therefore reacts badly to any oscillation? This is just a theory of mine so take it with a grain of salt.

Have you guys experienced something similar? If so, what have you done about it that helped? I’m really struggling with this, i appreciate any help, thank you.

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

Mental illness lies to us. It lies non-stop 24/7. It tells us lies about ourselves first and foremost. It tells us we can't do things, we are no good at things, we will never get better at anything, that we are a bad person, that we are worthless.

Those thoughts and many more like them are not your thoughts.

You can do things, you are good at things and will get better at them too. You will learn new things as well. You are a good person and you bring wonder and joy to the world by just being you.

Don't listen to the lies. Trust yourself. Be yourself.

You got this. You can do it. We will all help you.

I can not figure out what is happening. The workouts are nearly exactly the same. Low effort 30 minute walk on treadmill and 2-3 (light) weight lighting on exercises. (Workouts are “low effort” because I have ME/CFS and have to be very careful)

Sometimes the effects are noticeable happiness after. And other times it’s extreme sadness. The times that are extreme sadness usually turn into even worse depression the following day.

I eat a stable keto diet (for mental health reasons, not weight loss reasons) so it should be blood sugar reasons. And also stay hydrated.

I struggle with bad enough depression as it is, this extreme (unpredictable) change in mood is making me afraid to keep working out.

Of course I LOVE when it makes me feel good but the times it makes me feel worse is terrifying

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

I just got over some hayfever recently and I want to know if it’s okay to work out. I have asthma, and sometimes asthma can be triggered by hayfever. But I don’t seem to be coughing or wheezing at the moment. Would it be alright to work out or should I do seated workouts instead?

I'm using dumbbells and resistance bands at the moment. Or should I give it a miss tonight and train tomorrow instead?

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

3 and a half year ago i had a depressive episode.Dovtor prescribed med after made that had only side effects.The med where making me so much worse.I was also on benzodizapines for the anxiety.I almost ended up in the hospotam so the doc gave up on me.I had to go trough benzo withdrawls and i survived but that made e more depressed.I had to do it all on my own and working even when the withdrawls where exrtemly bad.I ended up severly mentally and phisically burned out.I was also survivmg on juck food and not getting much movement.They told me i should just get used to living a depressed life.Doc actually told me that.I camt live like this anymore.I am scared and i made some changes for the past 2 months.I stopped junck food amd skippong meals and increased my protein intake a lot.Added fruit and cut gluten.I started eating healthy.I did not even have the strenght to flex a muscle but now i can.I still feel enhausted tough.I have slow reflxes and braing fog from the depression.I have anhedonia that the meds gave me ironicly.I feel like there is no point.I started doing light exercises in the morning and simple workouts for about 20 min.I was also thinking about adding a multivitamin and some methylated b complex because i do hava e mtfhr mitation.I take a rest day if i feel sore from the day before.I have a huge amout of money for a naturopath that told me not to work out at all and told me i habe adrenal fatige.I also wanted to joon a jim even jist to walk of cycle.I also lowered my carbs to a minimal but somethimes i dont feel ok and try adding a bit with my food.I also lost some weight i was 63 kg and now i am 56.I really want to make some progress but this naturopath did not help me at all.I even did a blood pannel and they told me my hormones r ok.I feel.I am also looking into neuroinflamation and mitohondrial function.I can figire this thing out.I dont know where to start from.I avtually need to be doimg tjings to inrrase energy and maybe even a little bit of my cortisol. Sorry for the spelling everyone.English is not my first language and brain fog is killing me.

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??

Anyone know the stats on the effectiveness of anti depressants for anxiety and depression versus regular exercise?

Would love to hear your thoughts and experience. Thank you 😊

i lift 4x a week. i’m good about going regularly but only because i feel immense guilt and self hatred if i don’t. it’s so odd because going to the gym doesn’t actually make me feel any better- if anything, i get all self comparison-y and sad and loathe myself more. it doesn’t seem like there’s a good outcome for me here. i either don’t go and feel like shit, or go and feel like shit.

i’ve heard all the “comparison is the thief of joy” and “you should only compare yourself to past you” and “don’t compare yourself to other people you’re at a different place in your journey your life and body are different” and rationally i know all these things. but i can’t internalize them any harder than i’ve already internalized things like “no amount of effort will ever make me happy with myself” and “i’ll never be good enough” and so on. if there is a way to change my mind about that stuff, it’s not happening anytime soon.

so im just wondering. did anyone here ever have like a switch flip where they realized they liked going because it made them feel good? because right now im convinced thats not true, nobody actually thinks that way, and if they do they’re lying to themselves. i really want to enjoy going to the gym because i know it has health benefits but i can’t get past the shallow vain and envy and jealousy and just hatred hatred hatred. has anyone here had better luck?

Have you tried something new that has helped you?

It doesn't have to be exercise related at all. Books, music, podcasts, tv, websites, organisations all help. Or it could be something someone said in passing that helped you and they have probably forgotten all about.

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.