article about depression- weight gain- carbs
Exercise will help life symptoms of depression, once your brain chemistry is stable and/or on the mend. You can pump iron and run marathons til the cows come home... it won't do anything substantial to help your brain chemistry until you get your brain on the mend. Once I got the meds right, I felt good after going for a 2 mile walk. Got up to 40 mins on the elliptical too. All that was fine... as long as the brain chems behaved. If they're not... it's like trudging through oatmeal and serves to discourage you.
As for being overwhelmed... this is something I really have learned to live by... and still use today: One tool a therapist gave me years back was the 1/ 2/ and 5 minute rule. If things like housework overwhelm you... do 1 and 2 minute jobs. Put the dirty tea towels in the clothes bin. Take out the garbage or clean the clutter off one table or one part of counter space. Don't do 30 minutes of housework... you'll just continue to beat yourself up over it. It works. If I start to feel overwhelmed now... I go back to basics,... I'm heading to the garage for something... bring something "there" like the empty water bottles etc.
Work up to doing 3 or 4 - 1 and 2 min jobs a day a 5 min job a day.
5 minute jobs etc: Things like throw the dishes in the dishwasher. Don't turn it on. Just turning it on counts as a one minute job. Save that for later ;)... Emptying it another 5 minute job.
At one point in my life, cir****tances left me where it was an effort to just get out of bed and brush my hair. Ya got to learn to crawl before you walk etc... the 1/2/5 min thingy really worked for me. My house is never going to look like Martha Stewart's but hey... I can find my way to the fridge without having to draw a chalk line on the floor :)
is Jewels. Love her very much!
