Activity
In John Ratey’s book “The Spark” he makes it very clear the link between feeling mentally positive and exercise. Activity such as brisk walking is the best antidote to feeling low, and walking in the countryside improves that even more as research has found the effect of trees and wildlife has a positive impact on our mental health. If you walk in groups this also helps encourage social interaction and keeps you more mobile too.
Here are a few ideas to help you be more physical:
- Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey to work – perhaps with a colleague so you can “connect” as well.
- Go out for a walk at lunchtime instead of sitting at your desk for the full hour.
- Climb the stairs whenever possible – don’t take the lift.
- Walk to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing.
- Try standing at work more – the latest trend is to stand at a higher desk, which improves posture too.
- Organise a work sporting activity – especially in the summer
- Have a kick-about in a local park, or take a Frisbee and a friend with children or a dog.
- Do some stretching in the morning in the form of Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates or mindful body stretches.
- Exercise outside first thing in the winter to get most of natural day light.
Ted
Sometimes I see people who are already under a mental health team, and Ted was one of these individuals. He’d had ECT and was on high medication, but his depression was so strong he shook and was agitated. Not wanting to interfere with mental health team work, I just tried to get Ted focused on what he could do to move him forwards. he’d been offered CBT but had refused, but I thought it would probably help. He had also been depressed years ago and found he had come out of that naturally because of his interaction with colleagues at work.
I encouraged him to take his walks in the morning to make most of the natural daylight, I also realised everyone around him including the mental health team were women and he had no contact with men since his lapse into deep depression. Talking with Ted and his wife, I learnt that AGEUK had suggested a volunteer come around to take Ted out to bowls. I thought contact with other men his age would help and also gave him a copy of “Mind over mood” to read through slowly, so he could go back to his psychiatrist and resume treatment.
6 months later his wife returned the book saying that the everything I had suggested they had put in motion and it had lifted Ted’s moods and he was now receiving CBT and was much better.