Stop looking in those cupboards, you won't find what you're searching for there.
I have talked a bit about mental health on this blog and I believe that it is one of the most important parts of becoming 'healthy', we can all focus on getting bigger biceps, running further or eating less, but what about the effect it has on our brains?
I will openly admit that when I was younger I had a challenging childhood, I moved around a lot, I was raised by a single parent and money was sparse. My mum suffers from depression, manic depression to be exact and when she had bad days/weeks/months so did I. She would eat to make herself feel better, and I always noticed that when she had eaten a bar of chocolate or a packet of crisps her mood would elevate and I would finally get to see my mother smile.
Subconsciously, that must have resonated with me because I started to do the same thing, I would search for food and root through the cupboards until I felt happy and most of the time it worked. When we are young, we are less inclined to care about our weight or how we look, it's only when we start to grow older that the stereotypes of 'good looks' and 'perfect bodies' start to appear. And, when you start to get bullied/left out because of your weight, you realise you have to make an important decision, not for the bullies, but for yourself.
Depression, moods, hormones all have a dramatic effect on our well-being and sometimes we can overlook that and just come to the conclusion that people are 'fat' and 'lazy'. And whilst getting bigger does come from over eating and under exercising, it does not define the reasons WHY we're overeating.
I still have not overcome the hurdles of depression and anxiety and some days it defeats me, I avoid social situations quite a lot and I judge every day on my mood. It really is a struggle and I believe a lot of people are not empathetic to these factors - people with anxiety feel bad for avoiding situations and know it'll effect their friendships but all I can say is, please don't stop trying - it helps to know that people are still out there thinking about them.
But when it comes to health and fitness mixed with depression there are a few things I can suggest:
I will openly admit that when I was younger I had a challenging childhood, I moved around a lot, I was raised by a single parent and money was sparse. My mum suffers from depression, manic depression to be exact and when she had bad days/weeks/months so did I. She would eat to make herself feel better, and I always noticed that when she had eaten a bar of chocolate or a packet of crisps her mood would elevate and I would finally get to see my mother smile.
Subconsciously, that must have resonated with me because I started to do the same thing, I would search for food and root through the cupboards until I felt happy and most of the time it worked. When we are young, we are less inclined to care about our weight or how we look, it's only when we start to grow older that the stereotypes of 'good looks' and 'perfect bodies' start to appear. And, when you start to get bullied/left out because of your weight, you realise you have to make an important decision, not for the bullies, but for yourself.
Depression, moods, hormones all have a dramatic effect on our well-being and sometimes we can overlook that and just come to the conclusion that people are 'fat' and 'lazy'. And whilst getting bigger does come from over eating and under exercising, it does not define the reasons WHY we're overeating.
I still have not overcome the hurdles of depression and anxiety and some days it defeats me, I avoid social situations quite a lot and I judge every day on my mood. It really is a struggle and I believe a lot of people are not empathetic to these factors - people with anxiety feel bad for avoiding situations and know it'll effect their friendships but all I can say is, please don't stop trying - it helps to know that people are still out there thinking about them.
But when it comes to health and fitness mixed with depression there are a few things I can suggest:
- Remove all the crap from your house - crisps, chocolate, cakes. Because however much we think we can portion control or use self-restraint, some days we just can't.
- Do not try fad diets or cutting out food groups, this will add more stress and more anxiety.
- Try not to under eat, have big healthy meals that will fill you up enough to make it through the day with enough energy.
- If you don't feel like doing an intense workout just go for a walk or a bike ride, or even lie on your floor and do a bit of yoga or a couple of sit ups. I promise it helps.
- Try and think of the positive things in your life - you're alive, you have a family/friends, you have a job/are studying. Please try and remember the good, it's so easy to let the bad overwhelm you.
- Nobody is judging you as much as you are judging yourself. Fact. You are the most critical person in your life and nobody is perfect, even the most 'together' person has their problems.
- Working out is amazing for depression and gives you something to focus on and set yourself little goals to work towards.
- Do not root around for food - if you're bored try doing anything else, write, read, watch a movie, go for a walk, drink some water.
- Drink water, not pop, no juice, water. Guzzle it down. Sometimes we are sad because we are dehydrated...weird, huh?
Nothing will make it go away, but being aware of whats happening, in the moment is so important. Don't phase out, make sure everything has a purpose.
And you are NOT fat, you just may have a little extra on your body. It does not define you.
We can all get there in the end, but remember nothing drastic happens over night, just keep going and you will get there, slow and steady wins the race.
Have a great day!
