Exercise Causes Depression and Other Risk Factors

Exercise makes you depressed...but more on that later.

Once you are depressed and in that hole, it’s difficult to get out.  It feels like there's nothing you can do.  However, what I’ve found most helpful is to avoid that place altogether.  You can do that by watching the behaviors that contribute towards depression.  Most of the time, we don’t just wake up depressed.  It’s like a slow drip of morphine that makes everything foggy and demoralizing.  There is a definite mind body connection that leads to depression.  The Sadness Spiral is one of the culprits. 

This is the formula for the Sadness Spiral:

Depressive Behavior -> Low Energy -> Negative Thoughts -> Depression -> Lower Energy -> More Negative Thoughts etc.

It’s a whirlpool of behaviors and negative thoughts that leave you broken.  In order to avoid the Sadness Spiral, I’ve made a list of behaviors that will lead to depression.  None of these behaviors will make you depressed if done occasionally.  However, do them continuously and you’re bound to get down.  Remember that none of these behaviors are inherently “bad”.  Guilt is another way towards depression.  Instead of judging the behaviors, you should understand that if you continue to do them, they will have an unpleasant outcome.  Think of it like an allergy.  If I do “Behavior A” it will lead to me “B” which I don’t like.  No judgment, just practicality.    

Here’s what to look out for:

• Working out too much - Exercise can heal depression as much as causes it.  Exercise is a great thing.  For most of us, the opposite of working out too much is the real problem.  However, if you do work out, over exerting your body will leave you drained for days.  You won’t feel like moving, you’ll be in pain, and your mood will be horrible, thus leading to depression.  Most of your energy is going towards repairing the body and so there is little left for emotional balance.  If you do workout, remember to increase the intensity of your workouts slowly and don’t over do it. 

• Heavy Food – Very greasy high calorie food makes you feel slow.  The slower you feel, the less energy you have to deal with problems.  When you feel energetic, nothing is a problem.  Feel exhausted and everything is a mountain.  I’ve also noticed that certain oily foods cause more problems than others.  Not all greasy food is equal.  I haven’t eaten fast food recently but when I did, McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell, made me feel terrible and down for the next 24 hours.  However, if I ate Carl’s Jr., Jack in a Box, or In & Out, I'd feel okay.  I’m not saying there’s something bad in food of the first 3 restaurants, but there seems to be something in my body that doesn’t agree with those chains.  The next time you eat anything heavy, keep track of how you feel.  This way you know what you can eat and should not. 

• Sleep Pattern Disruption – If you have 3 nights in a row where your normal sleep is disrupted, you need to be careful.  Bad sleep definitely leads to low energy.  If you can, take short naps during the afternoon to make up for the loss of sleep.  I’ve found that the earlier I go to sleep, the better quality of sleep I get.  Therefore, if I’m sleeping for only 6 hours but I’m in bed by 11pm, I feel well rested.  However, if I sleep at 2am and sleep for 8 hours, I’m much more tired.  Try to keep a good sleep schedule and fix it as fast as you can when the schedule gets disrupted. 

• Watching too much TV or playing video games - There’s nothing inherently wrong with watching TV or playing video games.  However, a little goes a long way.  If you’ve ever wanted to catch up on a season or two of a TV series and went on a binged with a DVD or Netflix, you know the feeling.  It’s a hazy empty focus, where the only thing you care about is watching the next episode.  It’s the same with a long session of video games.  That’s the feeling you need to look out for.  It’s difficult to feel refreshed and awake.  If you watch more than 2 hours of television or play video games, that’s when that haze starts to creep in.  Make sure you take a break and do something completely different like socialize or exercise, otherwise you’ll be at risk.    

• Catching a cold - Staying healthy should always be a priority.  However, sometimes catching a cold is unavoidable.  During those times, you need to be extra careful about what you’re doing and how you’re feeling.  Don’t let the other depressive behaviors stack because you are sick.  Get enough rest, stick to your sleep schedule, don’t watch too much TV, and eat nutritious food. 

• Working too much - Stress is a very common cause for depression.  If it is a project with a deadline, make sure you get a break after you finish.  You also need to be care of the other factors on this list because it’s easier to eat fast food and not sleep as much when you are working very hard.  Make sure there’s not too much on your plate because you are bound to drop the whole thing if all goes wrong. 

 

• Drugs and Alcohol – This is a huge one.  I don’t do any drugs but I’ve found that alcohol makes me feel really bad for the next couple of days after drinking.  One night of heavy drinking is usually manageable.  You’ll feel bad for a day or two but you’ll get out of the slump.  However, when you have 3 or 4 events within a week or two, you really need to be careful.  Drinking is so dangerous because it often results in stacking 2 other depressive behaviors – disrupting sleep and heavy food.  The three combined behaviors will definitely lead to a crash of energy and depression. 

As someone that suffers from depression, you need to be a little more careful with your body than most people.  It’s just a fact.  Be aware of when you are at risk and you’ll avoid unnecessary bouts of depression.  Fight on my friends.