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Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and if you are suffering emotionally/mentally please seek professional help. ---- My anecdote: I used to frequently suffer from

by namuol 9y ago

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and if you are suffering emotionally/mentally please seek professional help. ---- My anecdote: I used to frequently suffer from (undiagnosed) anxiety and depression. For about a year, I would respond to sudden anxiety by seeking comfort in various forms of isolation/depressed behavior (watch TV as a distraction, try to take a "nap", etc.). The most insidious thing about this was how it seemed to happen so quickly that it was practically subconscious. Days would disappear. It took me about a year to recognize this pattern, but eventually I learned to catch myself whenever I was seeking this form of comfort, and instead chose to do one session of push-ups, instead (when possible). This worked really well for me for two reasons: 1. It caused me to stop myself short of falling into any kind of depressive spiral -- physical exertion is a great distraction! 2. Needless to say, I did a LOT of push ups, which are a great form of full-body exercise. The benefits are well known. These days, I don't need the push-ups as a distraction; most of the "bad habits" I used to have don't appear nearly as much (although I still need to exercise regularly to avoid depression).

iancmceachern 9y ago
Me too, only with running. It's a great way to force yourself to take time for meditation, reflection and processing the days events. For me it's my time, time in which clients, other folks in my life are set aside and I can think for myself. Plus it's a way to progress, have something to be proud if even if client work, or other aspects of life aren't.
- jrowley 9y ago
  If you don’t mind me asking, how often do you feel you need to run?
  - bernardino 9y ago
    I feel I need to run every week day at 8 in the morning at my local community college’s “life fitness center” - highly recommend anyone check out their local community college’s fitness centers if you aren’t keen on normal gyms, they are usually not crowded plus they are filled with students and elderly people. Some days I vary my running, either long distance with a steady space or high intesisty interval training. I then do some light weight lifting and jumping jacks, planks, push-ups, and sit-ups. Extensively, if I stop exercising for a two week period (which I currently am in the middle of), I’m more prone to become melancholy, sleep in till the afternoon, compare myself to others to a greater extent, have no interest in dating, have no hope for the future, etc. But other factors also play a role in my well-being plus exercising every morning in the weekday, i.e. sleeping well, making my bed, grooming, dressing nicely, eating fruits and vegetables, drinking only water and lots unless it’s a special occasion, being outdoors (in the sun if possible) as much as I can, having my things be clean and organized, etc.
  - wazoox 9y ago
    I do the same, and I run 6 days a week, about 40 km total. Been doing this for 12 years, whatever the weather, cold, heat, rain, snow etc.
    - samsonradu 9y ago
      Not a big fan of running, prefer sports overall, but damn I enjoy running on cold weather. Cold air is so refreshing and it gives me some kind of a super-human feeling.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
thisisit 9y ago
> It took me about a year to recognize this pattern, but eventually I learned to catch myself whenever I was seeking this form of comfort Most of the advice from self-help books can be condensed into this line - Recognizing a pattern and catching yourself. Only after this in place can a behavior/habit be replaced. Or improved. Or removed. If there is no self-awareness, changing behavior/habit is infinitely more difficult.
- AnatMl2 9y ago
  I would maybe partially agree. I personally mostly recognise the pattern, the problem is to find the strength to fight it, to want to change it at least. It's even more difficult if you are depressive. For more than a year I struggled with a depression and sometimes couldn't get out of bed, even though I worked and studied, cycled at least 3 times per week and was mostly active. I would fall asleep everywhere and anywhere I could and wouldn't miss an opportunity to lie in bed and watch Netflix. At some point I thought I was just exhausted and it was normal to take a (5 hours) nap. But I was tired all the time, wanted to sleep at the lectures and pushed my limits at work. I realised what was the problem, I just got used to this routine where I worked, attended classes and slept, but somehow I didn't want to change anything, I thought I was too tired to do it, or I could do more harm by doing it. I needed a lot of time to realize that I was wasting my time and was not productive neither at work nor at college. So around two months ago I decided to change things. I used the winter break to travel a bit and looked for a new job. But most importantly, I tried to find a kind of a workout where I could relax by exercising; so I started to do some yoga, which helped me get back my concentration and relax. My point is, that only recognising the pattern might not be enough. If there is not a desire to change it, it will not go away, so it kind of brings us back to the resistance part mentioned in the article. I think wanting to change the pattern is the resistance and "changing things and replacing the habits" is just another way of this same resistance.
  - fjsolwmv 9y ago
    That sounds like anemia or some other form of malnutrition or fatigue syndrome
cmrx64 9y ago
Seems you discovered mindfulness :). "eventually I learned to catch myself whenever I was seeking this form of comfort" is the hard part that a lot of people don't figure out on their own. go you! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_th...
- wpietri 9y ago
  Yes. As a recovering sysadmin, I think of mindfulness as creating monitoring/observability for my own self. It was weird to realize that I had a better idea what was going on with servers half-way across the world than with my own emotions [1]. Meditation and other mindfulness practices have been hugely beneficial. [1] If that rings a bell, consider taking this self-test: http://www.alexithymia.us/test.html http://www.alexithymia.us/test.html
agumonkey 9y ago
I used to deviate into physical exercice. It does give you a lot. I often mention it but I reached bottom heart wise, which forbidded me to do so, delaying everything a lot since I can't take care of my body and enjoy the calming and motivational hormonal benefits. Physical activity is immensely valuable. Just yesterday some documentary linked here mentioned that cardiac exams and statins are not even as useful as proper active lifestyle.
wallace_f 9y ago
I did this as well, and it does work well. At work, when I ever found myself thinking about checking reddit, facebook, etc, I would instead step aside and do pushups. It improves my productivity. Until I started getting criticism from others about doing push ups, it had worked well. I realized my depression/anxiety was external. Even when I moved, one of the bizarre things I encountered were people criticizing me for doing pushups, even though I stopped doing them. It was either one of several freak chance things, or there really was/is negativity coming from external sources in my life. Well, sorry for a bit of a personal rant, but if you need help, might as well put yourself out there a bit, I suppose.
- MrFantastic 9y ago
  People feel guilty when they see other people doing stuff to improve themselves. Crabs in a Bucket.
SaltyBackendGuy 9y ago
I have a very similar experience. I found that developing a routine of exercise is the only thing that has helped me with anxiety and depression. As a side effect, when you have a busy schedule, and you commit to working out in the morning (for instance) it leaves you little time for your bad habits (drinking at night or whatever).
npsimons 9y ago
> seeking comfort in various forms of isolation/depressed behavior (watch TV as a distraction, try to take a "nap", etc.). The most insidious thing about this was how it seemed to happen so quickly that it was practically subconscious. Days would disappear. This hits too close to home. I can second the physical exertion as at least palliative. Something about it just snaps me out of complacency. My example is that I purchased a used set of free weight barbell equipment and doing strength training not only disrupts the downward spiral, it makes me feel strong. Extra extra bonus: having the lifting setup at home means I can get a lot of chores done during rests between sets.
anarchimedes 9y ago
It's amazing that you mention this as this was a similar method that I used to quit smoking. When I had the craving to smoke a cigarette, I took off for a sprint (I was younger with an outdoor job at the time!). It both interrupted the pattern, and associated the behavior with the pain of sprinting.
x220 9y ago
I hope this doesn't come across as a personal attack. This is meant to be a message for people reading your comment. If push-ups can treat your (undiagnosed) depression, then you do not have depression. Full stop. This is not to say that you did not have a mental illness, or that you did not experience real suffering. However, doing a session of push-ups will not treat depression or significantly alleviate its symptoms. For anyone reading this, if you think you may have depression, you absolutely, urgently need professional treatment. Push-ups, running, or meditation will not fix it.
- namuol 9y ago
  Thank you for emphasizing this (definitely not taken as a personal attack). This is basically what I meant with that disclaimer. Also, I hope I didn't trivialize anyone's suffering, and if I did I am truly sorry -- I'll avoid using these words in the future.
hi41 9y ago
I was diagnosed with ocd and depression. You said it took a year to catch youself doing the pattern. Please tell me how you learnt to catch yourself. I need that skill desperately.

by namuol 9y ago

iancmceachern 9y ago

Me too, only with running. It's a great way to force yourself to take time for meditation, reflection and processing the days events. For me it's my time, time in which clients, other folks in my life are set aside and I can think for myself. Plus it's a way to progress, have something to be proud if even if client work, or other aspects of life aren't.

jrowley 9y ago
If you don’t mind me asking, how often do you feel you need to run?
- bernardino 9y ago
  I feel I need to run every week day at 8 in the morning at my local community college’s “life fitness center” - highly recommend anyone check out their local community college’s fitness centers if you aren’t keen on normal gyms, they are usually not crowded plus they are filled with students and elderly people. Some days I vary my running, either long distance with a steady space or high intesisty interval training. I then do some light weight lifting and jumping jacks, planks, push-ups, and sit-ups. Extensively, if I stop exercising for a two week period (which I currently am in the middle of), I’m more prone to become melancholy, sleep in till the afternoon, compare myself to others to a greater extent, have no interest in dating, have no hope for the future, etc. But other factors also play a role in my well-being plus exercising every morning in the weekday, i.e. sleeping well, making my bed, grooming, dressing nicely, eating fruits and vegetables, drinking only water and lots unless it’s a special occasion, being outdoors (in the sun if possible) as much as I can, having my things be clean and organized, etc.
- wazoox 9y ago
  I do the same, and I run 6 days a week, about 40 km total. Been doing this for 12 years, whatever the weather, cold, heat, rain, snow etc.
  - samsonradu 9y ago
    Not a big fan of running, prefer sports overall, but damn I enjoy running on cold weather. Cold air is so refreshing and it gives me some kind of a super-human feeling.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

thisisit 9y ago

> It took me about a year to recognize this pattern, but eventually I learned to catch myself whenever I was seeking this form of comfort Most of the advice from self-help books can be condensed into this line - Recognizing a pattern and catching yourself. Only after this in place can a behavior/habit be replaced. Or improved. Or removed. If there is no self-awareness, changing behavior/habit is infinitely more difficult.

AnatMl2 9y ago
I would maybe partially agree. I personally mostly recognise the pattern, the problem is to find the strength to fight it, to want to change it at least. It's even more difficult if you are depressive. For more than a year I struggled with a depression and sometimes couldn't get out of bed, even though I worked and studied, cycled at least 3 times per week and was mostly active. I would fall asleep everywhere and anywhere I could and wouldn't miss an opportunity to lie in bed and watch Netflix. At some point I thought I was just exhausted and it was normal to take a (5 hours) nap. But I was tired all the time, wanted to sleep at the lectures and pushed my limits at work. I realised what was the problem, I just got used to this routine where I worked, attended classes and slept, but somehow I didn't want to change anything, I thought I was too tired to do it, or I could do more harm by doing it. I needed a lot of time to realize that I was wasting my time and was not productive neither at work nor at college. So around two months ago I decided to change things. I used the winter break to travel a bit and looked for a new job. But most importantly, I tried to find a kind of a workout where I could relax by exercising; so I started to do some yoga, which helped me get back my concentration and relax. My point is, that only recognising the pattern might not be enough. If there is not a desire to change it, it will not go away, so it kind of brings us back to the resistance part mentioned in the article. I think wanting to change the pattern is the resistance and "changing things and replacing the habits" is just another way of this same resistance.
- fjsolwmv 9y ago
  That sounds like anemia or some other form of malnutrition or fatigue syndrome

cmrx64 9y ago

Seems you discovered mindfulness :). "eventually I learned to catch myself whenever I was seeking this form of comfort" is the hard part that a lot of people don't figure out on their own. go you! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_th...

wpietri 9y ago
Yes. As a recovering sysadmin, I think of mindfulness as creating monitoring/observability for my own self. It was weird to realize that I had a better idea what was going on with servers half-way across the world than with my own emotions [1]. Meditation and other mindfulness practices have been hugely beneficial. [1] If that rings a bell, consider taking this self-test: http://www.alexithymia.us/test.html http://www.alexithymia.us/test.html

agumonkey 9y ago

I used to deviate into physical exercice. It does give you a lot. I often mention it but I reached bottom heart wise, which forbidded me to do so, delaying everything a lot since I can't take care of my body and enjoy the calming and motivational hormonal benefits. Physical activity is immensely valuable. Just yesterday some documentary linked here mentioned that cardiac exams and statins are not even as useful as proper active lifestyle.

wallace_f 9y ago

I did this as well, and it does work well. At work, when I ever found myself thinking about checking reddit, facebook, etc, I would instead step aside and do pushups. It improves my productivity. Until I started getting criticism from others about doing push ups, it had worked well. I realized my depression/anxiety was external. Even when I moved, one of the bizarre things I encountered were people criticizing me for doing pushups, even though I stopped doing them. It was either one of several freak chance things, or there really was/is negativity coming from external sources in my life. Well, sorry for a bit of a personal rant, but if you need help, might as well put yourself out there a bit, I suppose.

MrFantastic 9y ago
People feel guilty when they see other people doing stuff to improve themselves. Crabs in a Bucket.

SaltyBackendGuy 9y ago

I have a very similar experience. I found that developing a routine of exercise is the only thing that has helped me with anxiety and depression. As a side effect, when you have a busy schedule, and you commit to working out in the morning (for instance) it leaves you little time for your bad habits (drinking at night or whatever).

npsimons 9y ago

> seeking comfort in various forms of isolation/depressed behavior (watch TV as a distraction, try to take a "nap", etc.). The most insidious thing about this was how it seemed to happen so quickly that it was practically subconscious. Days would disappear. This hits too close to home. I can second the physical exertion as at least palliative. Something about it just snaps me out of complacency. My example is that I purchased a used set of free weight barbell equipment and doing strength training not only disrupts the downward spiral, it makes me feel strong. Extra extra bonus: having the lifting setup at home means I can get a lot of chores done during rests between sets.

anarchimedes 9y ago

It's amazing that you mention this as this was a similar method that I used to quit smoking. When I had the craving to smoke a cigarette, I took off for a sprint (I was younger with an outdoor job at the time!). It both interrupted the pattern, and associated the behavior with the pain of sprinting.

x220 9y ago

I hope this doesn't come across as a personal attack. This is meant to be a message for people reading your comment. If push-ups can treat your (undiagnosed) depression, then you do not have depression. Full stop. This is not to say that you did not have a mental illness, or that you did not experience real suffering. However, doing a session of push-ups will not treat depression or significantly alleviate its symptoms. For anyone reading this, if you think you may have depression, you absolutely, urgently need professional treatment. Push-ups, running, or meditation will not fix it.

namuol 9y ago
Thank you for emphasizing this (definitely not taken as a personal attack). This is basically what I meant with that disclaimer. Also, I hope I didn't trivialize anyone's suffering, and if I did I am truly sorry -- I'll avoid using these words in the future.

hi41 9y ago

I was diagnosed with ocd and depression. You said it took a year to catch youself doing the pattern. Please tell me how you learnt to catch yourself. I need that skill desperately.