Hello and welcome to the first edition of Mental Health Monday. The beautiful collaboration between !fitness@hexbear.net and !mentalhealth@hexbear.net.
Mental health and exercise go together perfectly. They are a classic combo on the level of peanut butter & jelly, pancakes & syrup, and capitalism & widening contradictions.
Exercise has been shown to improve mental health.
Pretty cool, huh? So from here on out were are going to work on the marriage of the two.
So as those who have gone through it know, it is nearly fucking impossible to exercise while in the midst of a panic attack or depressive episode. So if anyone has tips, tricks, or advice for someone dealing with anxiety, depression, or anything else that may be getting in the way drop it here.
Hopefully better advice than the meme (see how I brought that all around?)
:comfy: :comfy: :comfy: :comfy: :comfy:
:bottle: While you're around add some tunes to the community workout playlist :bottle:
:party-parrot: Then use that playlist while you workout. :party-parrot:
:haram: Check out all the changes happening starting today and say if you like it or hate it :halal:
Be kind to yourself about whatever progress you do make. Even walking for 15 or 20 minutes is much, much better exercise than doing nothing. Some days are hard and you get to your workout and can't bring yourself to give it your all. That's okay too.
I’m walking to the beach. Might spontaneously squat some driftwood idk
My only advice is to find a way to make exercising fun. It doesn't have to be heavy exercise as long as it gets your blood circulating. Skate, ride a bike, go on a nature hike, climb a cool abandoned building and smoke weed on the roof - whatever it takes to make leaving your room fun, or at least tolerable.
The other half is to stick to it. Make the decision that you are going to go out and do something, then try your best to follow through no matter the circumstances. Much easier said than done, but when it's an activity that you sort of enjoy it becomes a little less challenging. Eventually, it becomes a habit and you don't even have to sit there for two hours trying to hype yourself into getting off of the couch!
I always gave up on exercise whenever a hypomanic episode came to an end, but now that I've found some alternative ways to keep healthy I am doing so much better. I hope everyone here (and in general) finds a path that can keep them feeling okay some of the time, because I know how many of us are sick of feeling bad all of the time. Good luck, comrades!
I personally hate the gym environment and hate driving around town to one so I have found that just walking around is the best form of exercise for me. Just pick a direction and start walking that way and wander where ever you desire. Trespass on an abandoned field, open a gate, check out the gardens of those local condos, whatever seems cool. You can get a much better idea of your local community this way and it is really nice for the brain as well. It's good for your health and it's really really easy so I can do it basically everyday. The best exercise is one you can be consistent about and I haven't been able to stick to anything like walking.
I did this over the summer and found a utility access road near me that lead into a wooded area with an absolutely gorgeous view on top of a small hill. Thank you to whichever person out there cut the lock on the fence because I had a wonderful time.
What are some ways you rephrase negative into positive thinking? I've been in a rut lately and it's partly about how I see things.
I went to a therapist who really pushed CBT and it helped me a lot.
This article is pretty much what we touched on the whole time. Theres a few handouts in the "Magnification, Overgeneralization, and Other Cognitive Distortions" section and some guides that are pretty helpful of how to notice and implement the reframing.
I broke into a big spontaneous smile the last time I sprinted during a run. I can't remember the last time that happened. Don't know that it's reproducible for everyone, but it was a really nice moment. :comfy:
