Category: Depression

Top 3 Reasons to Exercise When You’re Blue

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Exercise is known to have numerous health benefits. In the past, physicians, nutritionists, and other health experts focused their research on the effect that exercise has on weight loss, boosting endurance, and beating high cholesterol levels. Recently, there has been an emphasis on mental health.

Scientists have not discovered which specific exercises are best, but we do know that exercise helps you fight the blues in the following ways:

  • When you exercise, you increase your energy levels
  • People who exercise get a better night’s sleep which in turn improves mood
  • Exercise is one of the best distractions to help break the cycle of depressive thoughts
  • Exercise settings like gyms and sport clubs help eliminate loneliness

The Science behind Exercise and Mood Elevation

A study conducted by Psychology Today found that when a person exercises for at least 30 minutes, mood improve significantly. A group of people who had been exhibiting signs of mild depression improved when they started exercising at least three times a week. Here are three reasons why exercising when you feel blue will improve your mood:

  • You Release Feel-Good Hormones

When you exercise, your body releases several feel-good hormones. The most common are serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin is known for regulating mood, appetite, and sleep. Endorphins, on the other hand, are known to be relievers of pain and stress in the body.

Exercise breaks down the brain chemicals known to worsen conditions like depression. When you exercise, you reduce the effect that stress has on your brain. Exercising also helps curb the desire to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs.  People who exercise regularly actually report that they feel a kind of high when they exercise. Exercise also conditions your brain in such a way that when you meet a certain goal, you feel a sense of accomplishment and this feeling is what keeps people hooked on exercise.

  • You Interact with Others

There are countless exercise options for anyone who wants to boost their moods. Some of the popular options include jogging, yoga, pilates, cycling, step aerobics, kickboxing, and weightlifting. All these activities can be done in group settings. Leaving your house and getting outdoors is better for your mood than sitting inside by yourself on the couch. Many people make new friends from their exercise classes. The more you interact with other people, the more able you will be to release negative thought patterns and beliefs. Some exercises such as Zumba, cycling, and step aerobics also involve music, which is also known to be very therapeutic.

  • You Get a Sense of Accomplishment

Exercise also gives you a sense of accomplishment. When you exercise, you gain strength and endurance and can potentially loss weight. Being at a healthy body weight can improve your body image, which boosts self-esteem and reduces negative thought patterns.

Setting Up a Schedule

If you are exercising purely as a way to lift your mood, experts recommend that you exercise outside. You can try activities such as hiking, mountain climbing, jogging, swimming, snorkeling, or anything else done outdoors. If you are looking for an easy way to get over the blues and start smiling again, consider signing up for an exercise class at the local gym. Yoga is also known to have help release stress and reduce anxiety. Choose the exercise type that works best for you and see how your outlook brightens.


About the author:  

Erika Long loves corgis, curry and comedy. Always searching for the next great snuggle, flavor or laugh, she inspires people to live their best life now. When not writing, Erika can be found at her local brewery dominating Harry Potter trivia night.

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Importance of Mental Health

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mental health

When we are free of depression, anxiety, excessive stress and worry, addictions, and other psychological problems, we are more able to live our lives to the fullest.

Many research studies have shown that when people receive appropriate mental health care, their use of medical services declines. People with untreated mental health problems visit a medical doctor twice as often as people who receive mental health care. For example, let us look at anxiety. Excessive anxiety and stress can contribute to physical problems such as heart disease, ulcers, and colitis. Anxiety and stress can also reduce the strength of the immune system, making people more vulnerable to conditions ranging from the common cold to cancer. Read More

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Symptoms of Depression

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Symptoms of Depression

Depression varies from person to person, but there are some common signs and symptoms. Read below to learn about some signs of depression and so that you know when it’s time to seek help.

  • Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
  • Feelings of hopelessness
  • Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed
  • Decreased energy, fatigue, being “slowed down”
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
  • Insomnia, early morning awakening or oversleeping
  • Appetite and/or weight loss, or overeating and weight gain
  • Thoughts of death or suicide attempts
  • Restlessness, irritability
  • Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain

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Depression makes it tough to function and enjoy life like you once did. Just getting through the day can be overwhelming. But no matter how hopeless you feel, you can get better. Understanding the signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment of depression is the first step to overcoming the problem.

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Not Feeling Like Yourself? Try This Quick Depression Test To Find Out If You May Be Suffering From Depression.

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Everybody feels down or sad at times. But it’s important to be able to recognize when depression has become more than a temporary thing, and when to seek help.

The following are a list of the signs and symptoms that may be experienced by someone with depression.

  • Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.
  • Loss of interest in daily activities. No interest in former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.
  • Appetite or weight changes. Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
  • Sleep changes. Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia).
  • Anger or irritability. Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.
  • Loss of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.
  • Self-loathing. Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
  • Reckless behavior. You engage in escapist behavior such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.
  • Concentration problems. Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
  • Unexplained aches and pains. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

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Does Chronic Illness Cause Depression?

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Chronic illness affects the population worldwide and it is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. It accounts for 70% of all deaths in the U.S., which is 1.7 million each year. More than 125 million Americans have at least one chronic illness and estimates that by the year 2020, 157 million Americans will have a chronic illness.

Examples of chronic illnesses include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Many people with these illnesses become depressed. In fact, depression is one of the most common complications of chronic illness. It’s estimated that up to one-third of people with a serious medical condition have symptoms of depression.
The symptoms of depression are sometimes overlooked because they are overshadowed by the illness or dismissed as normal feelings of a person dealing with a chronic illness. Read More

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Are you depressed or just feeling down?

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Although depression is often thought of being in an extreme state of sadness, there is a huge difference between clinical depression and feeling down or sad. Sadness is something we all experience; it is a normal, human emotion. Feeling down is a natural reaction to painful circumstances. In fact, it is OK to feel unhappy at times. All of us will experience sadness at some point in our lives. However, sadness is not regular. Sadness is not an every moment of every day thing. Sadness goes away, depression does not. Depression, on the other hand, is an illness with many more symptoms than a sad mood. A person with clinical depression can feel lost in figuring out the reason behind his dark feelings. The depressed person loses interest in activities he enjoyed before. He is constantly tired, anxious, and is not sleeping well. There is significant weight changes and lack of concentration. Sometimes, he thinks it might be better if he was not alive anymore…


8 Things to remember when depressed: Read More

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