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October 20, 2005
The Best Medicine: Exercise
If you have depression or anxiety, you might find your doctor prescribing a regular dose of exercise in addition to medication or talk therapy.
"There's substantial evidence that exercise can enhance mood and reduce symptoms of depression," says Kristin Vickers-Douglas, Ph.D., a psychologist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "It's not a magic bullet, but increasing physical activity is a positive and active strategy to help manage depression."
Psychological benefits:
Improved accomplishments and confidence. Engaging in physical activity affords a sense of accomplishment and can provide a boost in self-confidence — you've met a goal or challenge.
"Having confidence in our ability to make positive change is strongly associated with actually taking steps to make that change happen," Dr. Vickers-Douglas explains. "However, people with depression often feel ineffective in taking care of themselves and their responsibilities. They may lack confidence in their ability to manage themselves and their depression. Achieving physical activity goals, no matter how small, can boost self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment, which makes it easier to take the next positive step."
Positive distraction. When you have depression or anxiety, it's easy to repeatedly focus your attention on yourself, your symptoms and the consequences of your symptoms — to ruminate. But that kind of dwelling interferes with your ability to problem solve and engage in more active coping strategies. It can also make depression more severe and longer lasting.
"Physical activity can help shift attention away from unpleasant or unhelpful thoughts and instead direct attention toward neutral or pleasant thoughts and activities," Dr. Vickers-Douglas says. Exercise provides a positive shift in focus — to your surroundings, to the music you listen to, to other people.
Improved self-esteem. With anxiety and depression, self-esteem can take a hit. Getting exercise, even small amounts, can reshape how you think about your appearance and your own self-worth. Doing something for yourself means granting yourself more value.
Positive pairings. The physical experience of physical activity — breathing changes, sweating, increased pulse — can mimic the signs and symptoms of anxiety or panic disorder. But in the case of physical activity, these symptoms occur without emotional distress. In that way, exercise can help disconnect the pairing of physical symptoms with distress, Dr. Vickers-Douglas says. For people with panic disorder, it's the symptoms themselves that come to be feared. Associating something positive with those symptoms, instead of a panic attack, for instance, can help you learn how to manage the symptoms and not live in fear of them, she says.
Environmental reinforcement. Exercise also gives you an opportunity to experience positive social or environmental reinforcement. "Depression often makes people want to isolate themselves," Dr. Vickers-Douglas explains. "But by doing so, they miss out on experiencing positive interactions with others or their environment, such as a smile or kind word from a passerby, or the sights and sounds of nature."
Positive coping skills. Doing something beneficial to manage your depression or anxiety is a positive and active coping strategy. Trying to manage your moods through excessive alcohol consumption or dwelling on the consequences of your negative mood are unhelpful coping strategies. Rather than waiting passively for depression or anxiety to change, taking active steps, such as increasing physical activity, can help you gain confidence in your ability to manage your symptoms, Dr. Vickers-Douglas says.
Posted by Lisa at October 20, 2005 11:20 AM
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