Just asking

Isaac_AG":1qsxg0cp said:

Many thanks for your support it's important to me but I can never understand this exercise helps thing, I was such a fit healthy person and each time I've fallen I have become almost incapacitated where small movements become great achievements, so the idea that exercise helps depression is like saying just buck up and pull yourself together, when your really that low a walk from the back room to the front room is like climbing Mount Everest, it's like your carrying earth on your shoulders and everything is in so much pain that just going to the toilet is a mammoth task. The last bout I was like a tramp just not living on the street and peeing my pants, I just took it out on myself and when I collapsed they gave me transfusions, once I refused and they had the blood and although when I was unconscious they did it anyway they were never nice to me again for nearly wasting the blood. No, exercise does nothing when your that down.

Alison

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Al, you're looking at it from the wrong perspective...

...it's not the actual exercise that helps, it's the achievement of doing something that feels beyond you that does that; first the walk from the back room to the front, then from the front room up the stairs, then maybe getting as far as the back door.

They are all little achievements that, put together, make you feel that just maybe you can go just one step further the next time...

...don't look upon them as individsual failures, consider it progress

The actual exercise does help. It is a physical reaction that is happening. You don't need to think about it for it to work its magic.

I have never suffered depression, but I know damn fine exercise boosts just about everything that needs boosting about a human being.

But as I said when really down it's like I'm carrying not just the world but the universe on my shoulders, depression is not just mental it is really physical to, not just self destructive but crippling so exercise is like torture, it's not just emotionally hard it it physically painful.

Alison

Is not exercising not also torture?

As someone who works within Mental Health (first within secondary care at a CMHT, now within Primary Care), I'd advise you NOT to ignore it, but to do something about it straight away. You mention that you've been sectioned before, so I'm sure that you'd like to sort things out before the possibility of it getting to that stage again.

Speak to your GP. He should be able to refer you to your local Primary Care service which can offer support, advice and signposting to any self-help groups or therapies which will help you.

It's been mentioned above, and I'll re-iterate that exercise is also a great way to tackle the early signs of depression. No amount of prescribed medication can beat getting out on your bike, taking in lungfuls of fresh air and getting away from everything for a few hours!

The exercise Alison is also a mental diversion because it removes you from the home and allowing your mind enough time to be distracted from the usual beating yourself up at home whilst mentally bored and unchallenged.

Most of those with mental health have low distractions so that enables the mental self harming most will do. Getting out of the house shows you have the strength within you to fight it even by just walking out of the front door. If you have some favourite music that you put on and it brings a smile to your face then that is because it has distracted you from negative thinking much as getting out of the house will do.

I'm not sure about others but generally to be sectioned for 4.5 months is a very long time in modern standards and as such I can assure you that you are very much on peoples radar and will be accutely aware that you may ask for help. Never be to afraid to do so, if your car was going wobbly you would understand it's importance and get it sorted so why shouldn't you be important enough to recieve the same treatment?

The services are there, please use them