Take Care of What's Inside First

I know you've heard the whole spiel of exercising to magically turn your depression around. I hate it. I despise it. And whether you mean it or not, saying that to a depressed person is condescending and quite frankly a slap in the face. Why you ask? Because the only thing they want to feel is motivation to do absolutely ANYTHING. You're basically telling them to do something they desperately want to do but cannot find the energy to do. Many of you think you are helping, I know. And it's not like we don't know that physical exercise is good for our mental health as well as physical.

The goal for us is to get to a place where we have a little bit of control over our mental status allowing us to have higher functionality. I recommend medication. That's the only thing I know of that can pull someone out of a deep depression. I am not a doctor, just someone who's been through the ringer and that approach is what has helped me. Once we are in a lighter place is when we can be expected to make decisions to be kind to our bodies, get the endorphins going, and start a journey towards physical fitness.

That said, the timeline in which you get there is your own and no one else's. Don't let anyone bully you into feeling like you're taking too long to get back on your feet. We're all just doing the best we can fighting against an invisible illness most people are too scared to admit to. So they are instead looked at as being flakey, lazy or liars. I know it's cliche but please take this to heart when I say to always try to be kind. You truly cannot understand what everyone is going through and how they feel. 

So as you can see from the picture above, I have been able to fight through the dark clouds to get to a healthier weight. And by fighting, I mean literally fighting. I started kickboxing in May and it has changed my life. It took me a long time to get the courage to commit to something like this, but now it is something I really look forward to. It's not about being "skinny" anymore. I feel strong!  I feel healthy and fit and just all around lighter! However, it wasn't an overnight shift. It took me a long time to find what kind of lifestyle worked for me when it came to my relationship with food. I'm actually not on a diet. I'm just not eating junk anymore. I am a grazer so I've found that graze on healthy snacks throughout the day with a healthy dinner, works well for me. I also had to find something I enjoyed doing for physical activity. I simply will not motivate to do something I hate. Find that thing and you're on your way. There are so many different kinds of workouts right now and they're all at your fingertips with YouTube, Social Media, etc. 

For those of you struggling to get motivated, I know how hard it is, man. It really helps to have an accountability partner. I am lucky to have a personal trainer as my accountability partner, but yours could be a friend or a coworker. Set a goal or make a bet. Do something to incentivize you if that's what gets you going. 

For those of you who have the idea that depressed people just need to get outside and take a walk to feel better, well, I hope this post has been educational for you. 

On that note, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!