Exercise and mood are linked. Exercise has earned a reputation for lifting the spirits, and has a well-documented history of benefiting health, immunity and feelings of well-being, according to the Mayo Clinic. In the medical world, exercise is often prescribed as a means of alleviating depression. However, in practice, sometimes exercise exacerbates depression. If you discover that exercise is contributing to depressive episodes, you must regroup. Consult a trained physician, if necessary; perhaps physical activity itself is behind your mental distress.
Overtraining And Exercise Addiction
Too much exercise can lead to depression. Especially for exercise addicts, the need to exercise can backfire. Excessively frequent, lengthy or intense physical exercise leads to physical deterioration, not improvement, according to the website Body Recomposition. Overtraining is serious; injuries and constant fatigue rule your decisions, and motivation can nose-dive. When physical defeat sets in, depression becomes a real danger. As BrainPhysics.com explains, addiction to exercise is a double-edged sword. When you get your fix you might feel fantastic, but when you don't, anxiety and depression can take over.
Unreasonable Expectations And Depression
Fear of athletic failure may hasten depression. Athletes of all abilities can fall prey to high expectations. Athletes can be pressured by coaches, family and themselves to such a degree that anything short of goal-fulfillment is seen as failure. Sometimes fear of failure can destroy an athlete's sense of purpose and joy, and she may associate exercise with despair. It may take cessation of exercise to help an athlete realize that she is more than just a piece of human machinery.
Exercise Environment And Mental Disorder
Exercising in surroundings that discomfort, frighten or defeat physiological adaptation can lead to depression. Runners who switch to mountain training may struggle with altitude adaptation and become depressed by physiological strain. Mountain climbing's unusual environments can induce mental deterioration. according to the Sports Science website, climbing at intermediate altitudes can cause mental weariness, and at high altitudes, severe depression, aggression and anxiety. Running in dark, unsafe, noisy environments can lead to depression, as can running in remote, lonely, bleak ones. Pool-trained swimmers may experience depression and anxiety regarding open water; ocean swimmers can become miserable doing laps in a crowded indoor pool.
Depression And Eating Disorders
Exercise, eating disorders and depression are a dangerous trio. Exercise can contribute to eating disorders, according to the National Association of Eating Disorders. Social pressure to stay thin, previous depressive episodes or mental trauma often linked to the excessive exercise that worsens eating disorders. Runners, ice skaters, gymnasts and wrestlers are susceptible to intertwined depressive and food-related issues, as their sports require extreme body-related discipline and mental control. Body-fat composition, physical artistry and muscle definition, combined with impossible standards of perfection, can lead to exercise-related depression. In these cases, professional intervention is highly recommended.
