Exercise IS NOT a cure-all! (Grumble)

[Vermilion]

I'm tired of people telling me that exercise is some sort of cure-all, like I can exercise my way out of this hell that is my brain. If it were so I wouldn't be on the verge of tears less than an hour after working out for 1.5 hours. I work out 4 times a week (unless I'm ill or mental) and still wanted to kill myself, it doesn't do sh** for my MH. Yes, there are other benefits of exercise but why is it so often plugged as some sort of magical fix it all for MH? It doesn't do anything for my head. And what about when getting out of bed is a challenge, are we supposed to just exercise then? What a load of crap. It doesn't solve everything and I really wish that others would understand this, professional or not.

[Turtle]

I agree. There have been times it's helped, but times it has not - and it's certainly something I've used as a form of punishment/self destruction. My GP got very excited when I said I was running lots, told me to keep running, I promptly damaged both my knees from pushing myself too much.

I think it's just an easy fix, particularly for people who have relatively mild depression/anxiety? And the people it does help are very loud and insistent about it! It would be nice if more complex mh issues could be fixed with pilates - but unfortunately it takes more than that and the NHS is chronically underfunded.

[Vermilion]

Ah, the mild depression peeps! I have family members who often go on about how they've had depression and exercise solved everything blah blah blah. It's annoying when they think that depression is purely emotional, like we can just cheer ourselves up! I would have done so if I could! I can forgive that though but professionals should really know better. Just some acknowledgement would be helpful because I really do try and sometimes I really start to doubt myself. I know that the NHS is underfunded but do profs really need to make us doubt our own integrity? It's so frustrating because it feels like no one is listening.

[Rob]

Some people don't need exercise because their daily lifestyle is active enough, but most people in the UK would benefit from a more active lifestyle - it has beneficial physical effects across the board which might translate to feeling better mentally.

Positive thought has more impact than a lot of people credit; a recent double blind study on perceived side effects from patients taking statins shown that around half of the side effects were actually entirely psychosomatic because they'd anticipated these symptoms from reading the information sheet - the 'negative' publicity. Depression is real and exercise might or might not help alleviate it, but the relationship between good physical and good mental health means it's not surprising that suggesting exercise & positive thinking can be considered good starting points - and if that's not enough then it's time to explore more complex avenues, but always try the basic ways first.

[Tucan]

My counsellor is suggesting that I go out each day to expose myself to sunlight. Not necessarily exercise but have exposure to sunlight in a bid to stave off my annual winter depression.

[Vermilion]

I do understand why it might be recommended initially, there are certainly benefits to be had from exercising and it should be tried before things like antidepressants but I'm just fed up of the implication that it solves everything. I think that it's a useful tool to be used alongside other tools, not as the ultimate cure-all. I'll admit that I need to work on positive thinking, the 'nocebo' effect is a very real thing though I'd say that it emphasises the need for several tools to build a better MH.

I don't exercise outside that much, I'm way too self conscious and clumsy but info get outside for some daylight. I know that it's really important to get some daylight.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that exercise can be great alongside other treatments and it would be helpful if people just acknowledged that it doesn't work that well for everyone.

[Vermilion]

I'm yet to experience that post exercise 'high' that people go on about, in fact I don't feel any different after exercise other than sweaty and maybe a bit tired. What a load of crap.

[Rob]

Most people don't experience that 'high' - I certainly never did and I used to exercise to the point of needing wiping up off the floor after it was over    However, you should feel good knowing that you've exercised because it will have done you good - doesn't need to be excessive though, and preferably something that you're taking some enjoyment from

Now why don't I anticipate feeling that when I take His Lordship for a walk at midnight..