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Comment by dgudkov | Hacker News Reader

>...and started working out

I can't emphasize enough how much this helps. If anyone is suffering from depressions, anxiety and overthinking -- consider starting working out. It will make wonders to your mood. I'm not saying that it will fix your suffering entirely, because it typically requires a mental effort as well. But it will make your life noticeably more enjoyable.

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Normally I only lurk here but I wanted to say that I support your claim. Been suffering from anxiety and later also depression for almost 5 years now. After 3 years I started jogging every other day. My good episodes last so much longer, bad ones are less severe, panic attacks have decreased from daily or weekly to every 3 - 6 months and are much shorter and better to handle and the general feeling of unease have also decreased. Also I did behavioural therapy from the start and never took medication. The therapy helped by giving me methods I could used when the panic kicked in or dark thoughts would begin clouding my mind. But sports helped me to feel good again for the first time in years. That was incredibly empowering. Even if it doesn't appear to help after the first exercise, give it a little time and watch the magic.

I agree. Mild depression for most of my life and running has been the biggest help in regulating my mood. Not only that running makes me feel better but the fact that 'I' can make myself feel better by going for a run is meaningful to me.

I find that walks (ideally, around 2 hours) in the nature also help a lot. They should not be too slow though, as you won't get physically tired enough. Also, I recommend against music/podcasts, so that during that time it's only you and your thoughts. You can hash out a lot of the daily mind noise this way. Add physical exertion, and it's enough to get me to be relaxed and to sleep like a baby.

I'm always reminded of Richard Branson's answer to "What one thing can I do to be more sucessfull?"

"Work out."

Richard Branson's Secret to Being More Productive, in Just 2 Words:

https://www.inc.com/julian-hayes-ii/richard-bransons-secret-...

All the evidence we have tells us that people exercise because their illness has reduced.

We know that exercise has minimal benefits as a treatment for depression.

We should be pushing people towards evidence based treatments, not suggesting they spend considerabe effort doing something that probably won't work, and will increase their negative feelings when they fail.

What evidence is that?

Meh, exercise didn't help my severe clinical depression in the least. It probably will help if you're feeling a little down, but that doesn't necessarily translate to improvement in clinical depression. It's borderline dangerous to hold it up as a panacea.

> I can't emphasize enough how much this helps. If anyone is suffering from depressions, anxiety and overthinking -- consider starting working out.

Agreed, but recently I've started mindfulness and this also helps with these symptoms.

Can't agree more, exercise and mindfulness are very effective.

I don't think they'll fix whatever underlying cause may be there, but they may help to put you in a position where you can.

For some this might work: 1. Just put your goal as lying flat in bed and moving your arms up and down 10 times in 180 deg. 2. Then move your legs up and down 10 times. Stop. dont do more. Leave it at that. Do it again next morning or evening maybe 12 times. Then do what ever tempts you next. Try it, at the least it wont hurt I hope :) and starts you at level 2 in the next few days.

Folks, thanks for bringing it up. I am running too. These 22 minutes every other day have helped me to stay cheerful for the last 3 years. Rarely, my knees give me a hard time, but aching knees are fine in comparison to being toxic to myself and to people I love due to overload. So if you feel like you've had it, just try to run; literally.

Another benefit is personal improvement. We spend a good portion of our lives preparing for life. Once your career starts where do you improve from there? Exercise gives you something for personal improvement that is outside of your regular path. It gets you away from the computer.

And working out can take many forms. For me it often involves practicing harmonica. It's great aerobic exercise, and I'm learning how to get better at something I enjoy and hopefully other people may enjoy too.

If I find some time in a day to practice, it changes my mood a lot!

I recently heard a nice explanation of working out perks - if u have ateention deficit disorder, doctor prescribes ritalin, if u have depression, doctor prescribes prozac. Working out is much like taking a little bit of ritalin and prozac from mental state perspective!

Even better if you don‘t wait until you feel ill. Doesn‘t even have to feel like doing sport. Bike to the supermarket, talk the bus and walk more. Going everywhere by car is bad for the body and your mood.

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