hello, world!

[night-wren]

Hi everybody!

 

I'm a slightly overweight college student looking for motivation to be more healthy, but I don't really know where to start. My sleep schedule is entirely FUBAR, my eating habits are questionable at best, and the idea of going to a gym with other people to exercise sets off all my DO NOT WANT social anxiety issues.

 

Speaking of: is there anyone who can give me advice on exercise as part of treatment for anxiety and/or depression?

 

Thanks!

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Hello!!  We can certainly work on setting healthy habits without making you go to the gym!!  Although, I might ask you to think about sports and other non-traditional ways of moving  that are good exercise.  If you're having fun, you may not experience anxiety.

 

Exercise is absolutely a good part of a treatment plan for anxiety and depression.  Even moderate walking (especially outside) has been shown to help sufferers of depression. But whatever will get your endorphins flowing will work.   We have a whole support group here for people who battle depression (and related issues) - it's the Black Dog Tamers. 

 

BUT ... before I give you the link to the BDT ... right now we have someone who is struggling a lot.  It's a potential triggering situation if you are also feeling down right now.  So if you're depressed, come back and see us in a day or so and send me a message (envelope in the upper right).  Link to the group is here.

[night-wren]

Thanks for the invite {and the warning}!

 

I'm actually pretty okay right now {at a functional baseline anxiety level}, so I'm going to go ahead and check out the Black Dog Tamers.

[tundralily]

Hi everybody!

 

I'm a slightly overweight college student looking for motivation to be more healthy, but I don't really know where to start. My sleep schedule is entirely FUBAR, my eating habits are questionable at best, and the idea of going to a gym with other people to exercise sets off all my DO NOT WANT social anxiety issues.

 

Speaking of: is there anyone who can give me advice on exercise as part of treatment for anxiety and/or depression?

 

Thanks!

Welcome! 

 

Glad to have you here. One of my current goals is using exercise as a part of my treatment plan for my anxiety and depression, happy to help you out if I can. My suggestion would be to start small. Really small. As an example, I've been focusing on moving my body in a way I enjoy everyday for the past week to work up to participating in the next challenge. Moving everyday is really great for your mood, even if its just a little bit!

 

Don`t worry about making a ton of changes all at once. Pick one and start small! It`s also really important to remember to celebrate your victories. 

I've been working through the beginner body weight challenge in my backyard, might be a good option for you. No gym or audience required! Although my current audience includes two dogs who like to play along when I`m trying to do lunges  

 

 

[night-wren]

Thanks for the support!

 

I've been telling myself that daily walks would be good, if only to build a habit of exercise. My dogs are big fans of this option! The idea of a walk also being good for them is encouragement to follow through on it. Also, you're right, the beginner body weight workout does look like a good starting point for me on actual workouts.