I have battled depression off and on for years. It took an amazingly long time for me to realize that I am one of those people who CAN control their depression with intense cardiovascular exercise--like running. I need to run probably 3-5 days a week and for a minimum of 30-45 minutes for it to be truly effective. Because of this, I am not on anti-depressants.

I'll admit I ran away from doctors everytime they tried to put me on antid's. It wasnt until recently that I realized I could control it (and admitted that yes, I have clinical depression) and have made the conscious choice to use exercise. I am not currently under the care of a physician for clinical depression

My problem is....well sometimes I cant exercise.

The most recent was a 2 week period where my 2 month old son was ill and in the hospital and I couldnt take him to the gym etc. By the end of the first week I could feel it coming, by the end of 10 days I was barely holding on by a thread. And of course a side effect of depression is a complete lack of interest/motivation in exercise. Fortunately I was physically CAPABLE of exercise and despite lack of sleep just forced myself to run the last 3 days and I am finally feeling human again.

But about a year ago I had sprained my ankle badly and for 2-3 months I was unable to run, bike, swim, anything. I need strategies for dealing with episodes like this.

So my questions basically are -
1) does anyone else have experience with exercise controlled depression and

2) It is my (limited) impression that it takes some time to get the dosage of anti'D's right and for them to take effect and that weaning from them is no picnic either - physical side effects. Are they really an option if I find myself faced with a temporary but somewhat extended exercise hiatus (i.e. injury, surgery etc. lets say 4+weeks)

3) any other suggestions?

I think about 4 weeks is about as long as I can conceivably maintain without exercise, this time I fell apart in less than a week but I had considerable external stress which does contribute.

I think that if you suffer an injury for example to your leg and you cant run etc. mabe you should try another sort of exercise such as punching a boxing bag as a cardio alternative to running, if you get your own boxing bag it would be good for you as wont have to leave your house so you dont need to be too far from your son. Or you could just throw punches without a bag (shadow boxing). You could also try doing exerices such as situps, push ups etc etc which dont involve the part of your body which is injured. In your case you should probally keep exercising dont stop just because you are injured there should always be an exercise you can do to fight off the depression.

I Hope This Helped ^ ^

Hi Ennay,

Wowee, thats a tough question. I agree with html, that you would maybe need to figure out what other exercise you could do in the meantime (while your foot heals). Do you belong to a gym? I say that because maybe you could do the rowing machine while your foot heals, or they might have a pool you could swim in, stuff like that, that would take the pressure off your foot. Also talk to your doctor for some ideas on what to do when something like this happens to you. My friend also deals with depression via exercise but she does take meds as well.

Hugs and hope you feel better

Hey sweetie! I do NOT feel it is an option. As you may remember my mom was on a ton of medications for years and it took it's toll on her body. Unfortunately those things can affect you in a very bad way and I would definately recommend staying as far away from any medicine unless absolutely needed.

I get depressed once in a while and a big part of that was my last marriage. Dh gone all the time, etc. Anyhow I have found that walking does lift my spirits and helps me not to get depressed much at all any more. That and the new dh is really awesome!

Like I said in the other thread, maybe try crunches and weight lifting. I know it is not the same as walking or running but at least you will be active.

Actually I have to most heartedly DISAGREE.

And let me just say that I am not applying the following to ennay's case specifically, but other people (the majority) generally.

Meds should, are and can be the best and first line of defense until (when and if) the depression is able to go away on its own or through talk therapy or exercise or whatever works for each individual.

The usual idea is better safe than sorry.

Also, studies (if you want to verify I am sure that you can find sites and links online to reputable medical/psychological journals or at your library) indicate that depression is BEST treated by a COMBINATION of meds and therapy.

Meds are usually a LITERAL lifesaver for so many people. As a result I do not advocate disuading people from trying them to see if they help.

Shrinkingchica, I agree with you 100%. And that no one should make a diagnosis except your doctor, so please talk to him/her.

I am SO interested to hear exercise cures your depression. I will try it. I am mildly depressed all the time. I worry too much about other people. Exercise could be the answer for me. There must be other exercises you can do without putting stress on injured parts of your body. I wish you well.