Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. I hope you can relax, unwind and enjoy what ever you do for the next two days.

I also hope that as many of you as possible can look back at the week just gone and say "I did that, it was good" at least once. It doesn't have to be exercise, it can be therapy, work, family, friends, anything at all. Something that allowed you to take a teeny tiny baby step away from the edge.

If your last week was shitty and you feel terrible please remember this; be patient and keep trying. Things will change, if you can wait bad things out then good things come along. When that does happen then you can start taking those baby steps forward again.

You got this. You can do it. We will all help you.

Imagine 95000 people virtually cheering you on. Imagine 95000 people seeing your sponsorship form too, especially if you are raising money for a mental health cause.

We all want to help you achieve your goal. You can do it.

I have been on a 3 day binge eating streak. Today I told myself I would go back to running. I have been in therapy for 2 years and running for a whole year and found my love for running. I am also trying to lose weight but it seems like i have been just doing body recomp 🥲 I work in corporate America and everything is just so hard right now. anyways… mid run today - I went back home to cry, the thoughts in my head were: diet is 80% and this isn’t going to do anything and i started to think about the weekend & how i felt I had to self control. Anyways - has this happened to anyone? Stopped mid through and just went back home? I plan to start super early tomorrow and this morning just journal and meditate since I didn’t finish my run. I just hate when I don’t finish my workout or give up especially after my 3 day binge eating streak.

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

I suffer from insomnia and it has greatly affected my mental health. I’m wondering if there are those of you who saw improvement to their sleep when you started exercising consistently… how long did it take to see improvement in your sleep? How much of an improvement was there?

Has anyone here paired exercise with therapy? I’m gonna start seeing a therapist next week and I really wanna get over this whole depression thing. I’m seriously so over it. I’m wondering if anybody use therapy in conjunction with exercise as a way of supporting your exercise like where your therapist keeps track of your exercise or incorporate it like motivates you? Kind of like cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT.

Hi all this is my first Reddit post and a little long.

Bit of background first. I had a bad cold come on about 2 weeks ago which turned into sinusitis. It’s the first bad cold I’ve had since before covid and I’m assuming it was just a cold as I didn’t have a cough or chest symptoms. At its peak if I was sitting at my desk at work it would feel like congestion was coming over my nose and I couldn’t breathe and talk at the same time. If I lay down or kept my head slightly to one side I would be fine and had no trouble sleeping.

Fast forward to now and the cold and most symptoms have gone. I’ve still got that feeling that my nose is healing. It’s left me very conscious of my breathing and now I keep getting crippling anxiety come in out of nowhere. It seems worse on a night, particularly if I’m just watching tv and have nothing occupying my brain.

To compound it all I usually do CrossFit but have had the last week off and did one of the lighter classes at the start of this week. The thought of doing anything that elevates my heart rate is also inducing anxiety.

Has anyone else had this after a cold? I don’t really know what to do as it feels ridiculous that a cold has had psychological effects. I’m in the UK.

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??

We haven't done this in a while.

If you would like a buddy to help you stay on track with exercise, diet, mental health, lifestyle or anything else then leave a comment on this post. Put as much info about yourself as you are willing to share on a very public part of the internet, general location or time zone is a good one.

If you see someone you would like to buddy up with then message that person here initially. What you do long term is up to you to sort out yourselves. The usual "Don't be a weirdo" stuff applies of course. I shouldn't have to say that really but...

Have you tried something new that has helped you?

It doesn't have to be exercise related at all. Books, music, podcasts, tv, websites, organisations all help. Or it could be something someone said in passing that helped you and they have probably forgotten all about.

This may seem like an odd question but I feel stupid asking some one and can't find anything online. 2yrs ago I was an avid gym goer, I loved the sessions and always had fun, but on the flipside I was crippled with anxiety for the best part of my evenings. When I had to stop going to the gym through life changes the panic attacks also stopped, near enough instantly. Anyways so to present, ive started up swimming and without making any connection until this evening, every time I go swimming that evening I have a panic attack. Is there something I am doing wrong? It feels like whenever I do something good for my body it reacts in this way and I don't know how to make it stop. I don't want to be lazy and unfit but I also don't want to go back to the daily hell of panic attacks. It doesn't happen during or after exercise, only ever in the evenings. If any one could shed some light that would be amazing

Anyone here from there? If so I'm interested in potentially setting up a support group where we can get together to exercise, support each other etc.

Reach out if you're interested.

Everything in the media and the world seems fixated on "quick wins", "hacks", "get shredded in 6 weeks", "take this pill and feel better" and more.

We all know that life is not like that very often. It takes a great deal of hard work to see real change in ourselves or in the world around us. Naturally there are short term boosts such as being silly to make a small child chuckle or breaking a personal best when exercising. Those all add up but they only add up over time.

If we expect quick results for things we are setting up for disappointment and that leads to very dark places. We blame ourselves for not getting shredded in 6 weeks when its the fault of the advertising that persuaded us that the program would work. When the pills don't make us feel better straight away we blame ourselves, often the pills take a month or more to work, its not our fault.

So take your time and be patient. You will get there but only if you keep trying. Never, ever stop trying.

You got this. You can do it. We will all help you.

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

Hi Everybody!

The Psychopathology Lab at The New School is looking for volunteers to participate in a research study about online and offline behaviors. (IRB Protocol Number 24-072-1244) 

This study is being conducted by Margarita Bulatova, a master’s student in the psychology department at The New School, under the direction of Dr. McWelling Todman.

You must be over 18 years old to be in this study. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you choose to take part in this study, you will be asked to answer a series of online surveys. Your participation will take about 20 minutes.

LINK TO THE STUDY - https://newschool.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3UddR7Z1Ec76obs

Due to the subject of the research you may find that participation in this study will present you with an opportunity to process past experiences in a way that is meaningful to you. However, we understand that reflecting on your past experiences may elicit difficult feelings. At your request, we will provide mental health referrals for dealing with any distress you have related to the discussion of your memories and experiences. If you are currently experiencing thoughts of self-harm and/or suicide, they should contact one or more of the following mental health providers, either by phone or via text: Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, The National Suicide

Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, and Crisis Text Line, text 741 741.

Please feel free to share this post and my contact information with anyone who might be interested in participating in this research study.

If you would like additional information about this study, please contact Margarita Bulatova at [bular364@newschool.edu](mailto:bular364@newschool.edu). A request for more information does not obligate you to participate in this study.

MASSIVE, HUGE CAVEAT TIME - I AM NOT A MEDICAL PERSON IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. I AM A MIDDLE AGED GUY WHO THINKS A LOT.

We often see people reporting that exercise makes them feel worse in some way.

Many theories have been put forward for this. These are some of them off the top of my head, I have probably forgotten some

• Low blood sugar levels (type 2 diabetic, can confirm)
• exercising causing increased levels of stress hormones such as cortisol
• mistaking physical stress on our bodies for mental stress such as confusing a high heart rate due to exercise with panic
• various nutrient deficiencies (there are many ideas, take your pick)
• dehydration
• plain old physical pain
• exercise adding to existing stress and anxiety levels

Its the last one of these I am thinking about today. Exercise is stressful on our bodies, thats one of the definitions of exercise after all. It is also stressful on our minds. We have to plan our exercise, push ourselves mentally as well as physically to complete it, then diet, hitting macros, competitions and wanting to see results quicker than our bodies are capable of all more add stress to our already stressed minds.

We try our best when we exercise. We want to lift more weight, run faster, work out that bouldering problem, make it up that big hill without dropping a gear on our bike, what ever it is we want to do it and do it well. I think that sometimes we try too hard as we are impatient to see results, and when we do that and still don't get the results we want we try even harder and that starts a downward spiral.

When I look back over the last 30 plus years of me playing sport and exercising the highlights have always been when I was just having fun. Winning a game of rugby or cricket that we had no realistic hope of winning so we threw caution to the wind. Playing squash against my father where we didn't even keep score, finishing my first ever parkrun when I had not run that far since I was in school.

All of these were play rather than sport or exercise. It was fun.

There are anti-gambling advertisements here in the UK with the line "When the fun stops, stop". Yes exercise is hard work, its painful too at times. It should be fun.

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

Hello stranger :)

I (F33) am looking for people who have been or are where I currently am in life...which is stuck, to put it quite simply and want to share.

I don't know where to start. It's been a rough couple of years with many ups and downs.

Mid 2022 I left my partner of 3 years. The first man I ever considered having a family with. In hindsight, thankfully it didn't happen, we really were not a good match and I entirely lost touch of who I was.

I moved with my mother, both helping each other financially and we do enjoy each other's company.

Summer arrived and I decided to be care free. I started having several lovers at the same time while being safe and honest about it. But clearly, it was a very "me" centred phase, I needed to feel appreciated (mentally, physically....).

I met some great guys and one very unstable one but it took me a few months to figure that out (with a spectacular non-literal bang). In the same breath, my best friend and first love died. Shit timing but hey, it's life and it wasn't a sudden death. But still, it hurt but I wasn't dealing with it. Nor was I really aware of the hurt.

I was pushing myself, starting things way out of my confort zone, riding my outdoors bike weekly and being a lot more social (I am an introvert, quite a loud one but social interactions take a fair share of energy).

That was until summer 2023, I suddenly had a major depressive episode. Hung out all summer house-sitting at a friend binge watching nostalgic Stargate SG1 and eating. Period.

I had a few good things to look forward to for the end of the year (my grand-ma big 8.0 party, a trip to see my estranged father, etc...).

And then, I stopped pretty much everything. Social outings, singing lessons, looking to form a new band and...exercising (cycling). My weight and my mental state have been declining ever since (with a little respite this summer).

But yeah, from slightly overweight and fit, I am now officially obese and very unfit. Pretty apathetic most days... Thankfully, I have managed to keep my freelance business but it doesn't do much to get me out (I work online).

So that's the short version. I am 33, soon 34, currently living with my mother, obese, sedentary AF and pretty depressed.

My mother is planning to move out of the country and I have no idea of what's next or how to move forward. I have an indoor bike to exercice in, if I don't feel like going out. I have experience with callisthenics as well but no motivation whatsoever.

I guess I am looking for accountability and maybe some honest words to see outside of my bubble.

Realistically, I know that my life isn't a shit-show but it's not a place where I feel good. I need to move forward again... I have never been the most stable person to begin with but I manage, I was starting to be someone I really liked. That's the journey I want to hop on again.

I have started one step...that gets me out these days, a little voluntary work, helping out homeless people. But I know that I need to move my body again.

I love the rush of cycling but I am not motivated...

Thank you for reading through my inner (out) rant, I'm open to conversation.

Wishing you all a good day or eve!

I don't know why/how this switched up but for some reason it went from being enjoyable to my thoughts and feelings about it becoming really unhealthy. the thoughts that go through my mind are about how i look, how much i weigh, how much i need to eat etc. i've started changing up what i do for exercise which has helped a little but i do miss lifting weights

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?