[Adam S]

*diaryON
I was struggling with depression all my life , sometimes I couldn't even get out of the house.

I noticed that working out was like a cure for my depression and it changed my life , my problem right now is that when I stop training , I go back to my old self , no ambition , fear from going out in public ...

the only other cure for my depression is alcohol , it makes me feel wonderful , like a ton lifted of my mind*diaryOFF

How do you cope with depression ?

[happynottsgirl]

I am the same way and feeling depressed at the moment, and I know that not exercising is part of what is causing it. I will start working out again tomorrow!

[JulesMarion]

Alcohol and exercising are two different coping mechanisms for you. I won't say it's the only "cure", but therapy and discovering why you have turned to a coping mechanism can help.

Depression is something I struggle with as well, and I have the same problem when I don't get my workout in. I'm trying to get my brain to accept that a nice family walk is still me being active (I.E. doing something for my health) and thus I don't have to go with the mentality that I've messed up my day.

[Keika]

I don't have depression, but I do deal with anxiety disorder. I notice something very similar: when I'm exercising, my anxiety reduces to the point that it's very nearly nonexistent. If I stop exercising for an extended period of time--say, a week or two--my anxiety slowly creeps back up on me. I figure that it has to do with all those hormones that are released during exercise: endorphins, for example.

The Mayo Clinic knows better than I do. This article may answer some of your questions.

[bloominbutterflies]

Hello Adam, I've either suffered from depression or anxiety the better part of my life. If I don't have one, I have the other. It's so annoying, I wish I could be free from all of it. Right now I've got some anxiety problems. My boyfriend's friends are a huge trigger for me, I really don't like some of them. I have this cascade where I get nervous before seeing them, then I see them, start to feel annoyed with them and can't hide it, and it gives me so much anxiety lol. I feel like I have no control on how much I show hating spending time with them. When I'm around some of them I want to run away from them so bad. I feel bad that they bug me so much, I know they are not horrible people but some of them seem really fake or stupid to me. I try my best to hide this from my partner and resort to picking scabs, clenching my teeth, or drinking excessively. He's not stupid and he knows I'm having a hard time, but the last thing I want to do is make him give up time with his certain friends like a control freak (esp. since he doesn't see them all that often). My school also gives me terrible anxiety, they are constantly having administrative problems for my financial aid and it frankly makes me nauseated at times.

But to the past when I had my deepest depressions where between the ages of 11-14 and 18-20. When I look back at things that helped it really was for me friends and making new social connections. I would recommend trying to get out there to meet new people in whatever way you feel comfortable. I also did keep a diary, like a real one, and I wrote in it all the time. It made me feel a lot better too.