I often find myself thinking of ways of fighting depression. I myself am not depressed, however everyone has low points, and everyone has different ways of coping with them. I always found find my happy place in a wrestling room. Depression is a very treatable disorder. According to this article, depression can be approached and cured as a physical disorder. Think of it as a sickness with parasites, these parasites can be attacked and removed from your body. A good way to help remove these parasites and better your mental shape is to stay physically active. Specifically this article talks about eight ways to actively fight depression. One that stood out most to me was “Don’t isolate yourself”. There are so many things to do at PSU that’d it be hardly possible to be isolated.
When someone is depressed they find themselves not doing things they once enjoyed. Doing less is not the answer. Doing more, even when you don’t feel like it is. A study conducted by Mack McMillen ( reviewed by Louise Chang, MD) allows us to see positive change from being active while being depressed. 30 minutes of moderate exercise can reduce symptoms by half in as little as 12 weeks.
We as students might find ourselves caught in the cycle above. Luckily there are many ways to stay active and involved around campus. IM and club sports are a great way to stay active and motivated. It is important to stay inclusive, even though we’re adults we don’t have to go through college alone. There are many people to talk and interact with. there’s a lot more to being active than going to get a lift or run in. Staying included will above all prevent depression. I know this is a difficult subject to discuss but I’d love feedback, I’m not the best blogger and it really would help.
I think your topic in interesting, but I have to disagree with you on some things. As someone who has family members and firsthand experience with depression and anxiety, it is not very easy to just get out of bed and exercise to feel better, especially for those whose depression/anxiety/etc is due to a chemical imbalance. The down points depressed/anxious are different than that of a neurotypical person, and although exercise may help, it is not a permanent solution. In fact, there is not permanent solution for depression. Yes it can be treated with medication and therapy, but it doesn’t ever really go away. It’s not like being prescribed antibiotics for an ear infection. Also, for those with social anxiety, it’s extremely difficult to get involved and put themselves out there. It’s not like people who are mentally ill don’t want to be active or be involved, but they physically can’t. They get physically sick as a result of anxiety and depression. Believe me, if it were easy for a depressed person to just get up and exercise or go out and get involved, they would. Here/a> is blog post on a site about mental illness about someone else’s personal experience with her depression and “laziness”.
the live link isnt working so here is the direct link https://themighty.com/2016/07/to-the-people-who-mistake-my-depression-as-laziness/
I find this topic to be extremely important and I am glad that you wrote about this. College is such a high stress environment. As students, we put a ton of pressure on ourselves to maintain good grades, maintain a social life, getting enough sleep, and reserving time to just chill out and have fun. There have been times where I feel SOOOOOOO overwhelmed with what I have going on in school that I feel absolutely miserable and stressed out. One way I help relax myself and fight off anxiety/depression is by going to the gym. When I get a good work out in or a nice high-intensity run, I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel calmer and more composed and I know that I can go back to my work with a level head. However, working out is not the only thing I use to decompress. At night, I like to do something relaxing for an hour or so before I go to bed, so I can get my mind off of school and the stress it provides. I either watch an episode of Cupcake Wars on Netflix or walk down the hall and hang out in the friend’s room for a bit. These things generally get my mind off what stresses me out and allows me enjoy myself a bit. I also think a huge factor to avoiding depression and being overly stressed is to stay busy in a healthy way. Being apart of a club where you get to interact with people in some way outside of the classroom is essential. There needs to be a balance between school and non-school things. You join a club because it pertains to your interest and you like what that club is about, this is a great way to enjoy what you like to do outside of the classroom. But the key is to not join too many clubs, otherwise, that can lead to more stress/depression. Also, I think it is important to give your family or close friends a call every once in awhile. Depression is a horrible disease and as students we need to conscious that it’s there. The way we do that is talking about it and we fight it in many different ways. The important thing is that we take the proper measures to fight it!
Interesting enough, I never knew that depression could be treated, and is thought of, as a physical disorder, not a mental one; I cannot help but wonder why that is. Might it be because the very mental stress caused from depression is actually causing more severe symptoms on the human body?
Anyways, I think of depression as little insects that keep eating away at the insecurities found within people. In all honesty, I have definitely been stressed to the point where I am borderline depressed, and there are few things that can make me feel better. However, one of the key activities that can nearly always brighten my mood is playing tennis; there is something liberating about grabbing a racket and a ball and stepping on a tennis court. Supposedly, according to this article, staying active is an excellent way to stay out of Depression’s way!
Finally, upon reading Abigail Reese’s course blog post on dogs and their clear correlations with happiness, maybe owning a dog would also be beneficial on cutting down depression. There have been numerous studies, such as this one here and the ones outlined in Abigail’s blog, that prove that dogs make people more content just by being present. If you want to stay emotionally stable, buy yourself a canine!
Sorry, the links aren’t working! Here they are for you to read:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefits-of-exercisereduces-stress-anxiety-and-helps-fight-depression
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/the-health-benefits-of-pets.htm
http://sites.psu.edu/siowfa16/2016/09/02/2312/