Exercise can help your mental health! please read and reply

[Sadpup]

Its true for me anyway.. after a hardworkng excersise,my anxiey completely disappears, but comes back next day lol

[Laura Palmer]

It definitely does help your mental health and certainly helps with my depressions but I'm not sure it helps a whole lot with my SA and I have general anxiety, too, however, I'd say the general anxiety impoves more than the SA. When I'm healthier I do feel more balanced and my confidence and self esteem do improve which in turn helps with my anxiety but it's still there; even when I feel more confident I can still be kind of socially inept, at times. Perhaps, I just deal with it better since my mood is lifted and I feel stronger, physically and emotionally. :hmmm:...Perhaps, I need to test this anxiety thing out again; it's been a while since I've been superfit and healthy!

I've gone through phases in the past where I have been extremely healthy with my diet and exercise and I always felt amazing, then I would get addicted to the high, but at least it was a healthier one! I haven't had an extended period of high mood in a long while, so I'm trying to get fitter and eat better again, as it's easy to slip into bad habits, right? The more rubbish you eat, the more you crave it. My moods have worsened a lot in last 3/4 years, so I need to be more savvy with my lifestyle and sleep patterns (erm...it's 2.30am...I suck!) to try and control them and prevent relapse, as I've had bad experiences on meds and want to avoid them if, at all, possible...well, unless I get sectioned in the local psyche hospital, which I strongly want to avoid as I sometimes work shifts, there!

Yes, exercise does help improve mental health, so keep on running ...cycling, swimming, dancing, hiking, skiing, tobogganning...

Edit ***

I forgot to say what I actually do, ha ha. Well, I have actually never been to a gym in my life and I don't feel they are necessary, although, I've always been somewhat in good enough shape; sometimes, more than others. I go hill walking, and luckily enough I'm in Scotland so there's no shortage of mountains/hills here. I cycle, but only in quiet country paths, as the thought of cycling in busy traffic terrifies me, especially now that I live in the city centre. I used to swim but the council have closed most of the pools, now. I also do pilates which is great for toning my entire body and relaxing me. I have a machine but left it at my folks when I moved out as my mum uses it, and it kind of makes a squeaky noise like people are humping on a bed, haha,; it's ok in the house but too noisy in the flat. So, I just do pilates on the mat and watch an instructor on the Body In Balance channel (there's loads of different fitness programmes) on sky - it's cheaper than classes...well, I'm just a poor, self-financing student. Oh yeah, I also like to have good dance, whether that is out and about - booze always helps, of course, but that's just once in a while, or just in the flat to music. It's free, it makes me feel good, and nobody can see me.

I should really join some classes to mix with people etc but I'm too skint, right now. I'll have to wait til the bank account builds up a bit first. I quite fancy bellydancing, though. ha ha.

[pigstar]

Yeah, it helps a bit. Same as eating right and getting sunlight - anything that keeps you physically healthy helps a bit. I'm a bit wary of the attitude that it cures everything though, because it doesn't do much to fix psychological or practical problems. At best it makes them a little easier to handle, but it won't fix them.
(I'm trying to make myself feel better for spending most of the last few days on the sofa...)

[helenjane]

Originally Posted by Ashtray88

I found that when I started going to the gym, my mental health improved dramaticaly. My mood was lifted, my depression is no longer so severe. My suicidal thoughts are virtually gone. I still get bad patches here and there, but it does help. Much better than prozac anyway.

This is very true, i used to go to a gym and it pretty much transformed me and thats not even being dramatic, it helped with both my depression and anxiety and it made me feel stronger mentally, i did more things because i had more energy and i got alot more out of life, i dont understand really why i stopped going, i think i stupidly thought that these feelings would last even if i stopped going to the gym which was a very foolish thing to think
i am determined to start doing exercise again and to get some exercise equipment so that i can do exercise at home but id like to start going to the gym at some point again.

[Nadia A]

Swimming is helping me at the momment! I go when it is really quiet at 6am!

[R1chy]

I go to the gym most days and I guess I've never felt like freaking out however it hasn't helped my social anxiety. I keep my head down and work out listening to my tunes.

[Matt_1983]

Id say that excercise is the number one thing that has helped my social anxiety over the years. Ive gone through periods of going to the gym 3 times a week and also had a few years when ive done nothing. Its not a coincidence that the better times in my life have always coincided with times when ive been regularly working out. Its not just the effects that the excercise has while youre doing it and immediately after, but also as you lose weight and get in shape it can only make you feel more self confident and better about yourself.

When i work out in the gym the main motivation for me is that i know that it will have a big effect in lessening my anxiety.

[Sparkie]

I recently started exercise again and I must say the effect it has on my mood as opposed to how I feel if I don't do any exercise is quite substantial! Its not doing much for my self image though but with time I hope it will help in that area too though it never really helped in the past, I always find something wrong with myself... Ugh.

Sparks.