I’m reading Dr. James Gordon’s book, Unstuck, not because I’m depressed but because it’s good and I like him. And it has useful interesting tools that anyone can use to be happier and healthier. One of the things he emphasizes is that being physically healthy enhances your emotional wellness. I’m sure you’ve heard it before—physical activity is at least as effective at short-term (and more effective at long-term) happiness as anti-depressants. It’s been shown over and over again, no need for discussion there.
But when you feel emotionally icky you are less likely to want to exercise. What would my Mom say? Do it not wanting to!
I’m not depressed, but I am emotionally overloaded sometimes because I don’t know how to say no, and I want to do everything perfectly, and I’m really bad at waiting to see how things turn out—the unknown haunts me. At least I know my issues, right? That’s the first step to addressing them—and I’ve been on this first step for (decades) years!
I really like how Jim (I can call him that, I met him in person—so we’re kind of like friends…sort of) doesn’t let people off the hook about physical health. He consistently states that physical activity and physical health (including eating healthy foods, resting enough, breathing more deeply, exercising, etc.) all contribute to our happiness. It’s as simple as that–we try and make it more complicated, but it isn’t.
On the days when you feel kind of blah, the best thing to do might be to take care of yourself physically. Breathe deeply and go for a walk or do yoga. You might not be able to “think” yourself out of a funk, but if you address it from a different angle you may be surprised at the outcome (or maybe you won’t attribute anything to your actions, but that’s ok too if the end result is feeling better!).
Have you tried exercising yourself out of a funk?
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