There is alot more to stress than Depression but Depression is a very common manifestation of stress. Increasing number of General Practitioners are now recommending regular physical exercise as a front line treatment for mild to moderate depression, there is solid scientific evidence that shows exercise measurably increases the level of the feel-good hormone serotinen, the very hormone that anti-depressants such as Prosac promotes the presence of in your bloodstream. When there is a healthy level of serotinen in your bloodstream it makes you feel a lot happier than when there is not enough.
Even those amongst us who don’t particularly enjoy exercise will concede that exercise puts you on a high for a while after you do it, it is an easy theory to test out (so long as it is performed sensibly!), your body feels lighter and more energised and mentally you feel satisfied that you are doing something positive, if you are a parent or carer of children it also sets a good example for them to follow.
As we get older it doesn’t take long to notice how much harder it is to stay fit and maintain a body shape and size that we can be proud of, it is a reality that all of us have to face eventually, I once heard someone say “you know when you are getting older because all of the sportsmen are younger than you!”.
The same can be said of stress, as we mature we realise through painful experience that it is not possible to be all the things we dreamt of when we were young, growing up almost always means taking on responsibilities both professionally and personally put our own wants into the background. When we become senior citizens we have to then contend with longer recovery times from illness, we need more rest and most of us will see more people of our own age slow down and pass away, a big reminder of our own mortality.
Exercise is one of the cheapest and most accessible ways of actively combatting stress. One of the most common mistakes I have seen people make is they prematurely consign themselves to the scrap heap, ” well I’m getting older aren’t I?, that’s why my knees creak and I’m over-weight and out of breath!”, unless you actively challenge your assumptions about aging you may become their prisoner.
Unfortunately these self limiting attitudes are common amongst health professionals too, the only elderly people they see are sick, they never get to meet the health ones ! I have known many older people who have had a visit to a health professional and have left feeling like they don’t really matter because they won’t be around much longer anyway. If you are stressed and unfit don’t be embarrassed about it (another apathy trap!) you are not alone.
It is bad enough to have a big serious issue infront of you, it is worse when you cannot take your mind off it, even walking can clear your head about your problems.