Posted by Susan J on October 1, 2003, at 12:24:50
In reply to Re: Life is Pretty Cool Today. :-) » Susan J, posted by Adia on October 1, 2003, at 12:02:40
Hi, Adia,
Thanks for the encouragement!
> That's wonderful...about exercising...my psychiatrist keeps telling me how much I need to do that, and I can't get out of bed ..I tell her but how am I supposed to go for a walk or exercise if just going to the kitchen takes all my energy and sometimes I don't have the energy to get out of bed?
<<I know the feeling, believe me. I have a dog that I walk a lot. When I was at my worst, I gave her a snack that would keep her occupied for a while and I'd just crash on the sofa. I felt so guilty ignoring her. I used to walk her twice a day, long fun walks, and play with her at home. She used to get tons of attention. Now, if I walk her 4x a week I'm really happy. I still give her the treat and I crash on the sofa, but I also get myself up and walk her from time to time. Little baby steps of improvement, right?
But she *does* motivate me to get out there and move....And you....if it's really hard just to get out of bed, then you should pat yourself on the back for getting to the kitchen. :-) Where's your mailbox? Walking there is good for you. But your doc is right. Depression is a vicious circle that affects us physically, too. You don't want to do anything, but if you *can* get some exercise, it *really* does make you feel a bit better, and then you get more motivated to exercise, and so on. Just take it a day at a time, though. Every little bit of better behavior helps. I have found that changing my behavior, even on those little things, helps change my mood. My bills were out of control, and I wouldn't get my mail from the mailbox for weeks at a time. Just going there now gives me a sense of accomplishment. Goofy, I know. But it works.
Good luck. I hope things get easier for you. :-)
Susan
poster:Susan J
thread:264688
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030913/msgs/264724.html