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Thank you HN
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Re: Thank you HN
#92Speaking as someone who has lived through dark days myself... I want to point out that we know that exercise helps with moods. The data is there. That being said, mood disorders are like autoimmune diseases of the emotions. Feeling blue or anxious or clinically depressed makes it harder to work out. And if you don't, you can easily beat yourself up for not "fixing yourself." On the other side of the fence, lots of pe…
> So it's not as simple as "correlation does not equal causation," but there can be BOTH correlation and causation at work when you exercise and feel better.
Basically it's a feedback loop, one that you have to build up gradually. Got even a slight raise in mood and somehow feeling like you maybe could work out a little bit? Just do 2 push-ups, or 5 abs, or run 20 meters, or whatever! Congratulations, you worked out, so allow yourself to feel good about having done it (vs not doing it) instead of focusing on "this is ridiculous, I could/should have done more". Grow up from there, bit by bit. Building some form of regularity is more important than any form of intensity, because gradually this erodes the mental barrier between "I think about doing it" and "doing it". Don't even put up a schedule because that's already mental friction, just try to think of some moment that feels more appropriate, more natural, some kind of "trigger" that becomes a habit and makes you "flow into" working out (maybe coming home right after work? maybe first thing in the morning?). Don't bash yourself either if you skip sometimes, just keep up the pace on the long run.
A useful trick is to pick activities and set things up so that there is basically zero friction between "I somehow feel like doing X" and actually doing it. You always have 15s to spare doing planks. You most probably have a sofa under which you can easily pop your feet for a couple abs. You don't even have to dress up for working out. I did that (zero-friction workout from home), and the next step was to go running because that meant I just had to pick shoes and a short and just go around the block (or merely to the next intersection and back) whenever I felt like it, because even the local gym is friction for the most ridiculous reasons (opening hours, cost, going there and then working out...) and your mind will use whatever excuse it can find to cop out on it.
Here are some "zero-friction" beginner workouts[0][1][2][3], from which you can pick just one exercise (so that's 30/45s), or do one full round (5-10min), or, when the time comes, do multiple rounds of them. Don't fret at some exercises! e.g burpees may look intimidating: just try to do them, go super slowly if need be, maybe do just one or two at first, take your time, just don't stop. You'll get better with time.
[0]: 5min cardio+abs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8SLO3JgUbQ
[1]: 10min HIIT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWOTOJZuxGE
[2]: 7min cardio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOQpD8aDJeI
[3]: 6min HIIT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqBAR0rfjiI
Re: Thank you HN
#93I'm so happy to read this post. I also wanna testify on how amazing running is. For me personally, it changed my mood drastically. I was in the moment when things felt very gloomy and depressed: I didn't feel like doing anything, activities that were supposedly fun didn't seem like one, I didn't feel like going out to socialize, etc. Then I started running and it was amazing how it changed my life. After a run, I alw…
I'd like to reiterate the advice to go slowly at first, both from first- and second-hand experience. I know an ex-addict friend who was trying to improve his fitness after years of neglecting it and tried running. He always came back five / ten minutes later completely destroyed, feeling humiliated about his lack of ability. Took a while to figure out that he was trying to sprint for as long as he could as soon as he left the door, which of course meant that his body gave up almost immediately.
I used the free NHS / BBC Couch To 5K app - https://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx - which gives you a good framework to pace yourself (you start with alternating periods of walking and running) and has voiceovers from Michael Johnson, as well as a few others. There are other C25K apps out there, but they tend to be paid - this one is simple and works well. It was amusing how motivating I found him saying "you're doing really well" despite knowing this was probably recorded a few years ago in breaks between Olympic commentary for the BBC.
Re: Thank you HN
#94Curing depression is wayyy easier then forcing yourself to workout. Take Withania somnifera with milk twice daily. That cured 30 of my friends who had severe depression.
You are not a doctor.
> You are not a doctor.
It's part of a diet for people in tibetian plateau. Recommending someone a specific food doesn't require being a doctor. Please put these low effort comments off hackernews.
Re: Thank you HN
#95Speaking as someone who has lived through dark days myself... I want to point out that we know that exercise helps with moods. The data is there. That being said, mood disorders are like autoimmune diseases of the emotions. Feeling blue or anxious or clinically depressed makes it harder to work out. And if you don't, you can easily beat yourself up for not "fixing yourself." On the other side of the fence, lots of pe…
This is said so often and yet for me personally gym helps only very temporarily - just after workout I feel great, but the next day anxiety might kick-in again.
There is a fill-up effect (what you describe) and a build-up effect (repetition on the long run).
It's like a capacitor discharging[0], so at first you have to recharge it often† to not go under the anxiety threshold, but with time it holds more charge, and charges better, so it discharges much more slowly thus reaching the threshold much less often, if at all.
† Part of why it may be important to workout for shorter times/intensity, but more often.
[0]: https://boolscott.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/capacitor-disc...
Re: Thank you HN
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the UK my experience has been that graduate developer salaries aren't that great, but can double for someone woth as little as 1-2 years experience post university.
French who moved to London here. Yes, that's what happens in London however that's not what happens in France. Expect zero increase for the next many years, even if changing company.
I am from Netherlands and i moved to London.
It seems people here in other European countries do not work hard due to welfare state.
It used to be so difficult working with my unmotivated European collegues and the quality of average employee is wayy worse, no wonder the salaries are depressed as companies can't seem to get ROI.
But in London there are people much more talented and prepared do anything. The talent quality is wayy better than what i found in other European countries.
Re: Thank you HN
#97If some one post a question like that today, I would reply with a Jordan Peterson video ;)
Re: Thank you HN
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm curious, how did you address the anger and rage?
Someone suggested to me that my anger was inwardly focused and that had a direct causative effect on my depression. That rang true for me. So my first work on that was to get my anger directed in an outward fashion. At first, that entailed literally breaking stuff, chopping wood, climbing steep hills on my bike until it hurt, just get that energy going in the right direction. Get it out in the moment instead of bottl…
> When I felt anger, I would pause, take a breath and assess why I felt wronged in a situation
For me, it is not easy. How do you manage to pause at first place?
Re: Thank you HN
#99posts like these make HN a unique forum.
Congrats! More power to you!
Re: Thank you HN
#100>...and started working out I can't emphasize enough how much this helps. If anyone is suffering from depressions, anxiety and overthinking -- consider starting working out. It will make wonders to your mood. I'm not saying that it will fix your suffering entirely, because it typically requires a mental effort as well. But it will make your life noticeably more enjoyable.
> I can't emphasize enough how much this helps. If anyone is suffering from depressions, anxiety and overthinking -- consider starting working out.
Agreed, but recently I've started mindfulness and this also helps with these symptoms.