Relieving depression exercises

This is not a "magic prescription for curing depression" spread online, but a low-threshold self-help adjustment method currently commonly recommended by domestic psychiatry and clinical psychology departments - essentially a set of low-intensity body activation movements that do not require exercise and are not limited to scenarios, as a way to relieve depression. , an auxiliary method for the recovery period of depressive disorders. According to the 2023 clinical survey data of the Chinese Mental Health Association, it has a clear relieving effect on about 70% of people with mild to moderate depression. It has zero cost and no side effects. It is an emotional "first aid kit" that ordinary people can use at any time.

When I was an intern at the Municipal Mental Health Center last year, I met a sophomore girl who was diagnosed with moderate depression and took medicine for three months. She still lay down every day when she woke up. She couldn't even get out of bed to brush her teeth. She felt "waste" and cried and asked the doctor if there was a way to do it without using her brain. The "exercise prescription" the doctor gave her at that time was this exercise to relieve depression. She was not asked to run or jump. She was told to turn her ankles 10 times every day while lying down, and she did not need to do anything else. When she came for a follow-up visit in the second week, she said that at first she felt tired even after turning her ankles. After three days of turning, she was actually willing to sit up and shrug her shoulders. Half a month later, she was able to walk downstairs to buy a cup of hot milk tea by herself. Her depression score dropped by 18 points on the scale.

As to why this exercise works, practitioners in different fields actually have different opinions.

Most teachers who do cognitive behavioral therapy think that the core is to interrupt rumination - to put it bluntly, when you are depressed, your brain always seems to be stuck, and you replay those bad things over and over: "Did I say the wrong thing just now?" "Does he hate me?" "I It will never get better in this life." When you move, your attention is forced to focus on the tightness of your muscles and the speed of your breathing. It is equivalent to pressing pause on that broken machine that plays loops. You don't have to fight against negative thoughts. Your body starts to move first, and your mind naturally relaxes.

Mindfulness-oriented counselors pay more attention to the role of "anchoring the present". Many times, poor mood is caused by past regrets or future anxieties. When you clench your fists, you can feel the whitening tension on your knuckles, and when you loosen them, you can feel the blood slowly flowing back. The numbness in your fingertips, these feelings that are actually happening in the "now", are like pulling you back when you are about to float into a black hole. You don't have to find any meaning. You can feel that your body is working, which has already defeated the messy thoughts in your mind.

Doctors from the Sports Rehabilitation Department have a more realistic perspective: People in a depressed state have less serotonin and endorphin secretion than ordinary people, and they will only get lower and lower if they lie still. Even small contractions such as clenching a fist or turning an ankle, which only involve a few muscles, can stimulate the body to secrete these happiness factors, which is much better than lying down and watching short videos for several hours, and there will be no sense of emptiness after finishing watching.

When I usually talk to visitors, I rarely give them a fixed list of actions. After all, when I really get emotional, no one wants to follow the instructions step by step. They just do it according to whatever is convenient.

When you are paralyzed on the bed and can't get up, clench your fists and count for 5 seconds, then release them for 3 seconds, and do it 3 times in a row. This will count as completing a set. Don't think the movements are too small. You will know after you try it. The moment you release it, the tight air in your chest will really relax a little.

You can also do it when you are sitting at your desk fishing at work. Place your feet flat on the ground and hunch your shoulders upwards. When you are about to touch your ears, pause for 3 seconds and exhale slowly when you lower them. Do this 5 times in a row. The stiffness in your neck and the dullness in your heart can be relieved at the same time. When I am working on a project and have an emotional breakdown, I rely on this action to save myself. To be honest, it is more effective than drinking three glasses of ice cream.

If you can stand up, stand by the window and do chest expansion. Inhale fully when expanding, and slowly exhale completely when closing. Do this three times in a row. The feeling of the wind hitting your face and the feeling of your chest stretching will make you suddenly realize, "Oh, I'm still alive, and it doesn't seem that bad."

Of course, don’t deify this thing. I’ve met many people who came to me and asked, “I’ve been doing it for a week and I’m still unhappy.” Some people even felt more anxious because they didn’t meet expectations. It’s totally unnecessary.

You must first understand that it is a "relief" exercise, not a "healing" exercise. For those who are in a severe depression and can't even raise their hands, there is no need to force yourself to do it. If you insist on completing the "task", it will increase your frustration. Taking medicine according to the doctor's instructions is the first priority. There are also those bloggers who tout this set of exercises as "treating depression without taking medicine". They are purely trying to gain attention. If you are really diagnosed with a depressive disorder, this set of exercises can only be used as an assistant. You should see a counselor when you should, and you should take medicine when you should. Don't believe in any folk prescriptions.

I used to think that to regulate my emotions, I had to do something big, like traveling, going to the gym, and chatting with friends for half the night. But after seeing more of them, I realized that when most people are at their lowest point, they have trouble even turning over, so they don’t have the energy to do that. The most practical thing about this exercise is that it does not require you to "get better immediately" or to be positive. Even if you just want to lie down, move your fingers and turn your ankles, which is considered to be a small step forward, that's enough.