'What's the point in lifting all those
weights, if you can't lift the phone and give someone a call?' When I was first
confronted with this question, I was at a loss for a response. I could squat
310 lbs and was fitter than I'd ever been. I could sprint, open a jar of
pickles, and possessed about as much functional strength as a 23 year old male
could yield, yet I could barely sleep at night. My chest was tight, my jaw was
sore from grinding my teeth; and the only time I felt a shed of relief was
after I'd overcome weighted resistance. This was supposedly after I'd recovered from an eating disorder. 'The iron never lies to you', Henry
Rollins claimed. 'Two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds'. I'd found
some solace in that comment; and I'd found some disillusionment in everything
else.
The benefits of exercise and depression
have long been touted. Physical activity is an effective method of treatment in
many aspects of mental health, and many find it to be the preferred approach to
mental health improvement in contrast to more traditional approaches. For sure,
physical exercise has been the catalyst for an improvement in my own mental
wellbeing. It's what rescued me from my eating disorder as a 5'9 male weighing
125 lbs, bringing me to a healthier 170 lbs. Strength training, had a positive
role in treating my disordered body image, but it was only one variable. The
remnants of that bug hang from time to time. The preservation of mental health
is more of a life long dance with two left feet. On my best day, I'm still only
70 %. For this reason, it is my firm conviction that we need to be careful when
assuming that we are fully recovered, ever. Anyone with previous mental health
issues engaging in physical exercise and touting 'recovery' needs to be
careful. Have you fully recovered from your disorder or are have you merely
found a more subtle means to feed it. Appearances can he deceiving, so can
recovery. Physical activity can serve as a catalyst for recovery, but it is
not the centered foundation. The times when I have been in my most fit
shape, I have struggled with the most damaging thought patterns. In fact, I
would find it better to have utmost peace with oneself than to accomplish any
height of physical condition or performance. If you invest your self-worth in your body, you'll never be happy with yourself.'Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. Exercise is
without a doubt, a key component of mental health recovery. But if it is the
sole means of dealing with stress, body weight issues and a negative
self-perception, it is part of the problem.
If we don't look at the underlying cause
of depression, anxiety and mental health issues, it is bound to resurface in
one form or another. Build a solid mind and positive outlook first, and the
rest will follow. Do not neglect exercise. Sprint. Climb. Lift heavy objects.
But don't do them in isolation to other viable treatment options, such as
establishing a healthy self-perception and a positive outlook. Take it from me,
if you don't establish that self-love first, you're merely gonna beat yourself
up all the more,
We are a generation of men and women,
scared; anxious and unsure of what are purpose is. We are depressed. We are one
step away from worse. No one is an exception. Suicide in Irish males is amongst
the highest in Europe, and physical exercise has a key part in preventing that.
Darkness into light and other organisations based upon health and wellness have
shown the positive outcomes of exercise and mental health recovery. But it is
not the sole solution. Self-empowerment and love is a good start. The stress we
put our bodies through by pertaining to a strict diet regime and a copious amount
of hours spent in a gym is likely to do more damage to our body than the result
of sharing a pizza with some friends. You can build a strong body but it can’t
function without a powerful mind. Bodily
expectations are increasing year by year, day by day, and the pressure upon men
and women to be self-made entrepreneurs and successful models by 25 is ever
looming. I don’t have enough time in this bite size article to talk about the
influence of social media on body image and negative mental health, but I
surely will soon. I’m even open to discussing the male experience of battling
an eating disorder typically associated with femininity, if the demand for that
arose. But right now, my sole purpose is to highlight the fragility, if not the
damage, involved in tackling mental health through exercise- if unaccompanied
by confronting the heart of the sufferer. A strong body won't repair a wounded mind.
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