The Gym, First Line of Defense against Depression
As a Psychotherapist, I probably shouldn’t be writing this–considering one of my specialties is depression, not to mention that one in five people, i.e., potential customers, are affected by it. But, as one who also experiences an occasional depression, my first line of defense isn’t necessarily psychotherapy, but the gym. So who would know better than a fellow one in five?
Depression shows itself in a number of ways: A bleak outlook—nothing you can will improve your situation. Loss of interest in daily activities, hobbies, social activities, or even sex. An inability to feel joy and pleasure. Appetite or weight changes. Sleep changes; either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours, or oversleeping. Irritability or restlessness, on edge; everything gets on your nerves. Loss of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Feelings of worthlessness. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes. Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things. Unexplained aches and pains, such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.
Broadly speaking, depression is a chemical disorder that alters the brain’s ability to maintain and balance a normal range of thoughts, emotions, and energy. To maintain these, the brain must have balanced levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. While antidepressants target and help to maintain these levels, exercise not only raises serotonin levels, but actually improves the brain’s synaptic transmission of serotonin as well as dopamine, the brain’s natural feel-good chemical—a rather inexpensive as well as beneficial alternative to medication. To follow are some tips to get the most of your work out and lesson your depression.
One approach I use for depression with individuals I work with is telling them to simply do the opposite of what the depression is urging them to do. For example, depression encourages isolation; it convinces one to not socialize. Having a bleak outlook, isn’t exactly self-concept booster in terms of reaching out. In reality these negative feelings are unrealistic and simply a bi-product of depression. Yet socializing is a practical, if not empirical means of counteracting these beliefs. Humans naturally respond in accordance to other humans. We take other’s cues as reflections of ourselves, such as one smiles, or laughs at our jokes. Social interactions provide us with responses with which we can counter the negative feelings about ourselves that depression incurs. But full-blown socialization can be quite difficult when depressed, thus going to the gym and interacting with others around common exchanges—working in, talking with the person at the front desk, provides small, but necessary social interactions. Plus, the gym simply gives one a place to be, a sense of belonging, and temporarily breaks the compulsion to isolate. Just taking a book and quietly reading on the Life Cycle provides the benefit of being some place, as well as the good feelings generated by exercise.
Another characteristic of depression is anxiety, a free-floating nervousness, or feeling of dread which manifests in a distractibility. It’s like having multiple legs all vying to go in different directions. You may have the energy and drive to do something, but that something has the accuracy of buckshot. Making time to go to the gym can be a way of taking hold of the anxiety and channeling it’s energy in a productive manner. Exercise provides a diversion from the negative, obsessive thoughts and feelings symptomatic of depression. We store experiences and their connected emotions in our body. Muscle activity helps discharge old feelings associated with negative events. As well, 80% of depression sufferers cannot sleep well, and exercise helps to regulate sleep patterns.
There’s no evidence that any exercise is better than another. Aerobic activity, weight lifting or flexibility training, like yoga, all prove effective in treating depression (although Yoga does provide relaxation and mindfulness techniques that are invaluable to overall mental well-being). Simply learning a new skill such as weight training provides a feeling of accomplishment and mastery, which in turn raises one’s confidence, and self esteem. Whatever form of exercise one chooses, it shouldn’t be too difficult and one that is appealing to the individual. Positive outcomes do not depend on achieving physical fitness. Rather, make a conscious goal to exercise for better moods. Weight loss and physical fitness can be an extra benefit. Plus, if your body starts looking better as a result of exercise this will be a natural boost to your esteem and motivation to continue your routine. And many exercisers report that are able to eat more freely without worries about gaining weight. This also increases pleasure, satisfaction, and a sense of self-control—and with the Holidays upon us (which is reason enough), can help counter feeling fat or guilty as result of the increase in tempting calories.
In some yoga and Buddhist traditions the practice of meditation incorporates Mantras—words or phrases that hold significant meaning or purpose for the individual. We don’t often associate this with curls and shamelessly cranking classic rock, yet we might be at our peak of concentration and receptiveness while doing this. For example, Inhale on the rest (saying: let in strength, vitality), exhale while engaged in the curl (saying: let out bad feelings), bolstered by the yin or yang of power chords. Of course you’ll need to come up with your own mantra, but the brain responds very well to language and can associate messages with feeling good. Also, focusing on breathing oxygenates the muscles while it naturally calms the body and the individual. Not quite having fully evolved from the days when we were chased by saber tooth tigers, breathing deeply lets the body know were safe and out of harm’s way.
Another trick is simply to smile as you work out. The action between the brain’s recognizing pleasurable stimulation and telling the face muscles to smile isn’t necessarily one-way, but rather a two directional-loop; so that by smiling, the muscles then inform, or “trick” the brain into feeling pleasure. So rather than making those painful faces of exertion, which mimic anger, try smiling. If nothing else, you might appear more approachable to others.
Some of us have the good fortune of belonging to gyms that have a sauna. Taking a sauna after a work out is not only a good way to keep muscles loose, but it is also a way in which to pamper ourselves, something that depression doesn’t encourage us to do. The sauna also provides an opportunity to sit quietly with our eyes closed, feeling the contentment of an exercised and relaxed body, perhaps even trying a simple meditation that focuses on the breathing, or in conjunction uses the mantras one used during their work out. It may be a way of checking in with oneself or to prepare for the rest of their day or week.
Whether you have the occasional blues, or suffer a clinical depression, exercise is a positive and productive means to both manage and treat it’s most basic symptoms and feel better about yourself, mentally and physically. Notice the difference you feel about yourself prior and post workout. Obviously though, if symptoms persist, or are a result of unresolved personal or relationship issues, psychotherapy or counseling can help to understand and resolve many of these issues.
Marijuana Addiction and Adolescents
Marijuana is an integral phenomenon in adolescent life today. In the last five years, working with adolescents in my private practice, I have seen a definite increase in the use of Marijuana, most notably, addiction to it. What I’ve most noticed is that individuals are engaging in basic life activities, such as social interactions, school work, sports, recreational pleasures, and even examining their lives—which adolescents constantly do—including making significant life choices, while using Marijuana. As a result, they cannot access the same quality or engagement with these activities unless using Marijuana. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to addiction in light of these activities, because adolescence is the developmental period in which their cognitive abilities are rapidly becoming more complex, and the pairing of Marijuana use with the necessary outcomes of this development stage intensifies the risk of dependency and addiction.
Marijuana addiction has many of the same characteristics as many other addictive drugs, including alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. The thing about marijuana addiction is that it is very subtle. Some people can use it occasionally and then leave it alone for extended periods of time, while others wind up using it daily, so that their lives begin to revolve around marijuana.
Addictive drugs directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding it with dopamine, a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulates emotion, cognition, motivation, and, more specifically, feelings of pleasure. THC, Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient specifically in Marijuana, acts upon sites in the brain, called cannaboid receptors that give users the “high” when they smoke marijuana. The highest density of cannaboid receptors are found in parts of the brain that also influence memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, coordinated movement, as well as pleasure. When drugs of this kind are taken, they can release 2 to 10 times the amount of dopamine, and their effects can last much longer than those produced by natural rewarding behaviors, such as eating, exercise and other pleasurable activities. Our brains are designed to ensure that we will repeat pleasurable activities. Whenever this reward circuit is activated, the brain notes that something important is happening that needs to be remembered, and teaches us to do it again and again, without consciously thinking about it.
Some believe the brain adjusts to these surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of pleasure receptors. As a result, the natural effect of dopamine on the reward circuits of a drug abuser’s brain can become abnormally low, and the ability to experience pleasure without drugs is reduced. This is why the abuser eventually feels flat, lifeless, and depressed, unable to enjoy what previously brought them pleasure. This results in the compulsive, often uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that defines addictive behavior.
Signs of Marijuana use: Sleepy appearance,
Reduced motivation,
Dilated (large) pupils
Bloodshot eyes, Dry mouth, Sluggishness, Euphoria,
Grandiosity,
Impaired judgment,
Impaired short-term memory,
Inappropriate laughter,
Social withdrawal and isolation,
Anxiety,
Difficulty thinking,
Smell on clothing, in room, or in car, Smoking devices/ rolling papers, Discolored fingers.
Addictive behaviors associated with Marijuana: Using more marijuana than intended, Unable to cut down or stop marijuana use, Lots of time spent getting high, Reduced activities, Continuing to get high despite the problems it causes, Using marijuana to escape from problems, Depending on marijuana to be creative, relax or enjoy one’s self, Choosing relationships and activities based on whether or not one will be able to get high.
No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs. Scientists estimate that genetic factors account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person’s vulnerability to addiction. Individuals with mental disorders, such as social anxiety, stress-related disorders, and depression, often begin abusing drugs in an attempt to lessen feelings of distress (also called self-medicating), and are at greater risk for abuse and addiction. Adolescents experience a particular vulnerability to addiction, because their brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision-making, judgment, and self-control, and are especially prone to risk-taking behaviors. Parents or older family members who abuse alcohol or drugs can increase children’s risks of developing their own drug problems. Friends and acquaintances have the greatest influence during adolescence. Drug-abusing peers can sway even those without risk factors to try drugs for the first time. Academic failure or poor social skills can also put a child further at risk for drug abuse.
Along with professionals, the internet provides unlimited information about drug use, signs and typical symptoms. Parents would do well to talk to their adolescent children openly and non-judgmentally about drugs and their effects, possibly sharing their own experiences, if any. Like any difficult topic, the first order of business is demystifying the stigma that goes along with drug use. Often times Marijuana use is a means of self-treating emotional distress, such as depression and anxiety which can better be addressed through counseling. Unfortunately or otherwise, drugs are a part of our culture, and adolescents most likely will experiment with them. But if you suspect your adolescent is abusing drugs, consider having your child see a therapist, or set up a joint counseling session to facilitate a frank discussion with the adolescent. Most therapists trained to work with adolescents, also work in conjunction with families, and can ensure a productive conversation. If the adolescent’s use has crossed over into addiction, treatment may be necessary to regain control over drug craving, seeking, and use. Research studies indicate that most addicted individuals can participate actively in treatment and achieve good outcomes. Understanding that addiction has significant biological component may help explain an individual’s difficulty in achieving and maintaining abstinence without treatment.
Taking Control of Stress
If I told you I found this new energy drink that makes your heart pound faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rise, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper, you might be interested. If I went on to say, that these physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from any danger at hand, you might actually be a taker if you were feeling even the slightest bit sluggish.
But what if I told you these same effects were the symptoms of none other than stress? You’d probably flee from me.
Yet stress like many energy drinks helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you’d rather be watching TV.
So why would you flee?
Beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.
So why the energy drink analogy?
Because the body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. But the mind can distinguish, at least it can trick itself into believing so. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time—but in the most uncomfortable way: Generalized, free-floating, Anxiety. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to turn on and the harder it is to shut off. What I think is one of the draws to energy drinks is the false assumption that one is harnessing and directing the force of the stress response for their own purposes. When we think of the most common internal causes of stress: Inability to accept uncertainty, Pessimism, Unrealistic expectations, Perfectionism, Lack of assertiveness, Negative self-talk, coupled with a false assumption we can alter these, we have a phenomenon that resembles self medication—in the case of energy drinks.
Also, one of the traits of being human is agency, having something greater outside our selves in which to place responsibility, and so those lingering effects of stress, once the caffeine and God-knows-what-ever-else they put in those drinks wears off, can easily be placed on the energy drink rather than the stresses that we felt required us to drink them. Most of these beverages rely heavily on concentrated doses of artificial caffeine, which tends to over saturate one’s nervous system. If overexposure is repeated, nervous system goes haywire, leading to shaky hands, nervous tics, racing mind the same as it would under sustained stress and anxiety. So not only our we jacking up our stress, we are habituating ourselves to it.
But the brain is now believed to have a lot of plasticity and is highly adaptable to any environment we subject it to over a period of time. Every time we learn something new, dendrite connections are changed and new connections are made that didn’t exist before. The purpose of this adaptation is to achieve and maintain a biological balance known as homeostasis or “Steady-State”. An “environment” can be external to the body as well as internal. This adaptation creates a familiar balance or “Steady-State” in the brain. Since the brain likes predictability and consistency, when we acquire a certain steady-state our brain will act to maintain that state–even a state of chronic stress or depression.
By “chronic” I mean the response of the brain to unpleasant events for a prolonged period over which an individual perceives he has no control. It involves the endocrine system, a system of glands which secretes corticosteroid, a type of hormone secreted directly into the bloodstream to regulate the body. The endocrine system is an information system like the nervous system, yet its effects are slower to initiate, and more prolonged, lasting for hours and up to weeks. Symptoms of chronic stress can vary from anxiety, depression, social isolation, lack of sleep to difficulty concentrating, as well as, aggression, intense mood swings, heightened confusion in mildly stressful situations, hypertension, and suicidal thoughts.
When the brain is constantly exposed to worry and negativity, homeostasis becomes the priority and all other neural functioning suffers. In this situation, existing neurons are preoccupied with survival and the brain does not exert effort on creating new neurons. Stress becomes the steady-state, something we are used to. We may never have known anything else. In cases like this, stress can become familiar and accepted as a way of life. In other words, if you live with a steady-state of chronic stress then all kinds of imbalances occur due to the neuro-toxicity, causing neurological, physical and emotional, degeneration, which leads to more stress.
Unfortunately, any attempts to recover from chronic conditions like stress are usually met with strong resistance in the form of self-sabotage as the subconscious mind tries to regain and maintain homoestasis. When someone says, “That’s just the way I am” it’s true. However, the unspoken implication is “I can’t change” which is not true. If it were true there would be no recovery from stress.
Plain and simple, chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, speed up the aging process, and even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
The good news? With discipline and repetition we can change our steady-state to a “new steady-state” or neo-homeostasis.
So how do we manage stress? Like everything, we learn. You may feel like the stress in your life is out of your control, but you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, and changing your reaction when you can’t.
So some tips:
Strengthen your relationships: A strong support network is your greatest protection against stress. When you have trusted friends and family members you know you can count on, life’s pressures don’t seem as overwhelming. So spend time with the people you love and don’t let your responsibilities keep you from having a social life.
Learn how to relax: Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness is the opposite of the stress response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and increase your ability to stay calm under pressure.
Invest in your emotional health: Most people ignore their emotional health until there’s a problem. People with good emotional health have an ability to bounce back from stress and adversity. This ability is called resilience. They remain focused, flexible, and positive in bad times as well as good.
And no energy drinks.
The good news is that there are professionals out there like therapists who can help you develop these skills along with a better attitude towards your life and the inevitable things in it which may cause stress.