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Ckck96 t1_j46on4k wrote

People doubt the power of yoga and meditation, mostly because it’s a practice and you need to practice to get the full effect of it. Combining daily exercise with a few yoga sessions per week over the past 2 years have transformed me physically and mentally. Also I don’t pay monthly for either, all you need is some dumbbells, a yoga mat and YouTube. Force yourself to do it for a few months, eventually it will become a habit you don’t want to stop.

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DavidBrooker t1_j47v4uh wrote

My brother - a personal trainer, and a former national powerlifting record holder in his weight class - insists that the only equipment that is truly 'required' for strength training at nearly any level are dumbbells. Everything else is a luxury (even if, obviously, luxuries are nice).

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Mundane-Reception-54 t1_j49z1k8 wrote

I work in a prison, get you some trash bags and water, you can get jacked for about 1.99

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jimmycarr1 t1_j49776z wrote

Shout out to Yoga with Adrienne. She doesn't need more attention but it is a great place for beginners.

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Ckck96 t1_j497c62 wrote

Yes! I’ve been using her 30 day yoga programs they’re great!

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Shuiner t1_j49t1xx wrote

I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, but we're talking about people who have depression. I know a lot of people don't understand how depression is different than generally feeling bad, but it is. And when you're having a depressive episode, having somebody tell you you should just force yourself to do something can be really harmful. It really plays into the harmful stereotype that depression is self-inflicted and just means a person is lazy. The truth is depression often makes it nearly impossible to perform basic daily tasks, much less add in something like a yoga class a few times a week.

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Flock_with_me t1_j4adndr wrote

Agreed. I've been there myself.

It helped me a lot to understand that in some people, depression kind of shuts down certain mental processes or at least hampers them - especially the ones related to exteroception, your perception of the outside world. Any activities that help reactivate those can lessen depression a little, at least temporarily.

Now that I know this, it is a little bit easier to make myself take very small steps during depression: while lying in bed, count all the items in the room that are red, then yellow. It's doable and if you know why you're doing it, it really does reactivate something.

For the same reason, meditation techniques that aim at mental silence and emptiness of thought are NOT helpful in that situation.

Making yourself go to yoga sessions might be completely out of reach. Working with your brain in a really low key way might be achievable though, and you might be able to reactivate to the point where getting out of bed or out of the house might be doable.

It really helped me, as did changing my expectations of what constitutes a successful day. Have to adjust the games rules to match the board and pieces that you currently hold.

I think you were spot on with highlighting how harmful it is to veer into blame or self blame for not being able to perform according to set standards. It was enormously helpful for me to understand that the standards had to adapt according to my ability and needs, and not the other way around. That, and not comparing myself to others.

My advice for anyone who wants to help a loved one with depression is to think of easy ways to engage exteroception, and to start with wherever the person currently feels able. If the only thing that's possible is a bit of conversation while lying in bed, then that's a great start. Maybe take them on a mental journey to a place they really like.

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