Depression is the leading cause of mental disability in the world. 10% of the adults in the global population have this mental illness. Its symptoms include fatigue, laziness, isolation, loss of energy, hopelessness, helplessness, anger, frustration, irritability, reckless behavior, unexplained pains, major problem concentrating, and so much more.
Many people have different reasons for falling into depression, reasons as rape, harassment, emotional or verbal abuse, a recent accident, recent trauma, and so much more. Depression is associated with abnormal transmission or depletion of certain neurotransmitters. Many people try to take different routes or alternative healing products to help them get through depression or cure physical symptoms.
The best way to treat this medical illness is to make your body healthy and in shape, because it is associated with the state of your body and mind. Listed below are tips to help those motivated yet depressed people get in shape and move towards a better lifestyle,
Set realistic Objectives
It is easy to start getting your body in shape by doing activities and making healthy choices in the beginning. But as time passes, you begin to divert from these activities and actions. The question that arises at this time is what makes us feel that way? The answer is our own unrealistic goals.
We set goals that we can never meet in time, and they are long term, so in time when those goals are not met, we feel bad. Instead of keeping goals that are long term, make a goal of shredding of two to three pounds in a week, and then when you do, your motivation will increase; you will feel good about yourself and, most of all, due to realistic goals you will be losing weight.
Setting realistic goals to help you stay motivated, and you can work on them. The result in such cases is long term and long-lasting. It becomes easier to approach and pursue your goals when your goals are realistic and doable. Dr. Alan Cohen, a GP with interest in mental health, said, “Every type of exercise is useful as long as it suits you and you do enough of it.”. Therefore, setting realistic goals will aid you in getting in shape and keep you motivated.
Begin with the smallest of things
Depression is not a natural condition to deal with, especially nowadays, during the quarantine. Some days are better than the other days, and it is possible that on the better days you would want to go crazy with the exercise, but I’m afraid that’s not right.
It would help if you incorporated yourself in such activities gradually, and it would help if you remained consistent with this. This way, you will not only stay healthy but also gain a habit of doing so.
To remain motivated, you should change and increase or decrease the pace of your healthy activities. This way, you will remain consistent with fighting against depression and staying healthy for a longer time. Your body will remain active and confident all the time, and your depression will soon vanish.
When we are depressed, we tend to get lazy and not pay attention to our bodies, and it takes a lot of motivation to pick your body up and exercise. “Pacing works well for some as anti-depression even if training alone is not enough,” said Dr.-Michael Craig Miller, Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.
Therefore, take all the time you need for that initial motivation, make a plan, and start small. You can start with ten to fifteen minutes of running or walking and then take the time up.
Choose an activity you like to do
When an individual is depressed, there is a higher chance of feeling gloomy as depression does give a hard time to the mental and physical body. You can gain the motivation to lose weight, you may be losing weight too, but if you are not doing it from the heart, there are higher chances of losing your motivation.
Therefore, it is necessary to do something that you enjoy. Your diet can be made fun by taking care of the ingredients you use; you can still eat what you like but in controlled portions. Your choices on your diet can determine your behavior and attitude to your surroundings. You are highly vulnerable to depression and an unhealthy body with inadequate diet plans and insufficient nutrition.
As an assistant professor in psychiatry at the Hofstra/ Northwell Health School of Medicine Zucker, Nicholas Forand says, “Healthy diet plan is a useful treatment for depression, it helps your body to remain active and stable throughout the day.” Therefore, please consult an expert that will help you make that perfect diet that you will enjoy and lose weight with it.
In the same way, if you like running, you should run; if you like walking, you should walk, and if you like hitting the gym, you should hit the gym. If you do not want to get out of the house, you can exercise at home and lose those calories. The main objective here is for you to remain consistent and motivated. The internet is full of different activities that you can choose from, so do your research and do what suits you from the heart so that you don’t give up in the middle of your weight loss journey.
Reward yourself for your achievements
When you lose the weekly weight you intended to lose, make sure to celebrate. It is wrong not to celebrate your little accomplishments. Celebrating a moment that you have given your heart and soul can motivate you to work harder for the next milestone that you will be achieving.
You can go to your favorite restaurant, eat your favorite food, or even go to a favorite spot and get yourself a treat. You could also buy something you like as a reward for your achievements. This technique will give you the leverage to fulfill your goals, and it will be a unified force to complete those goals. This way, you will remain focused on your body’s health and also able to fulfill your goals.
You will find yourself looking forward to your next accomplishment so that you can celebrate. The key is to not only stay motivated but work harder than before. These little rewards will help you stay motivated and will provide you with an activity to distract you from your emotional thoughts.
Make sure that you are not too rough on yourself.
When we are depressed and trying to lose weight, we will make lots and lots of mistakes. The key is not to feel ashamed and remind yourself how you are just a human who is trying hard. For example, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to eat more calories or not workout.
Don’t get devastated; you should be proud of yourself for working extremely hard to overcome your depression. There are many different ways to cope with your mistakes; you can check on your calories, plan on what needs to be done the next day, sleep on time, make your exercise fun, and so much more.
Your ambition towards healthy activities and positivity will determine the pace of your recovery from depression and getting your body into shape. You need to understand that depression is not easy to deal with; therefore, you will have to push and work extra hard to make things work. Moreover, make sure your friends and family are supporting you as they can be an essential medium of support and love, especially during your bad days.
Amy Serin, head of science at Touchpoint Solution, a healthcare technology company, says that “trying too hard sometimes leaves you to your biggest failures. That is why you should act softly on yourself and not get too hard towards yourself to achieve a goal. ” Therefore, remaining calm and not too rough on yourself will help you make more.
To sum it all up, depression can be defeated with love, support, and care. If anyone around you wants to get better by changing their life, make sure to support them through the process because they deserve a happy, healthy living, but if you are going through something similar, then remember that it is in you. You need to get out of bed and never let the motivation to become better fade away.
The YogaMad is founded by Mila, an avid yogini who is passionate about inspiring others to live their best lives while finding mind-body-soul balance. She has a background in business consulting but has left the corporate world in her quest to live out her dreams as a yoga nomad.
