• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

depressed after exercising?

depressed after exercising


  • Total voters
    35
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,992
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
8w9
I can get depressed during exercising, at times. If I go at it really hard. I think the complete exhaustion can take a momentary mental toll on me, and underlying stress (even overjoy) will present itself disguised as tears.
 

BerberElla

12 and a half weeks
Joined
Sep 25, 2008
Messages
2,725
MBTI Type
infp
Anyone else experience this. It's not because I over do it, but for some reason i never feel good or happy after i excercise instead I tend to just feel blue and down and like life isn't worth anything.and I know jogging is suppose to realease endorphins, but that doesn't happen for me, for some reason.

Me too. I seriously thought it was just me.

I often found myself fighting back tears on my way back from the gym. I thought maybe it was because I find being around strangers difficult, let alone exercising in a public setting. Like maybe the pressure of it all was getting to me, but I have found I am just as emotional when I work out at home alone.

I actually started exercising to get the happy feelings it's supposed to give one, and ended up feeling worse each time. :shock:
 

strychnine

All Natural! All Good!
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
895
Yes, me too. But I don't mean to compare situations.

I used to exercise for the sake of health, but now I have just started to eat healthier food. I rarely exercise because it just seems so pointless, and when I'm done, everything else looks pointless too. It just changes my perspective. I end up thinking, I'm going to die anyway, life is finite and arguably quite short, might as well enjoy it and do what I want instead of wasting my time exercising. I also used to exercise when I was stressed, maybe after I'd exercised I was too tired to contain/suppress the stress like I usually do, so it kind of bubbled up. Anyway, this is what I think happened for me, I don't mean to imply that it's the same on your end.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
I'm told the secret to exercise is to find something you like doing and keep doing it.

I like walking and dancing so I keep on walking and sometimes I dance.

Enjoyment is the key to life, so it is worthwhile looking for things you enjoy.
 

Pixelholic

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
550
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
8w7
I'm told the secret to exercise is to find something you like doing and keep doing it.

I like walking and dancing so I keep on walking and sometimes I dance.

Enjoyment is the key to life, so it is worthwhile looking for things you enjoy.

I agree with this.

I love cycling, so most of my exercise is cycling.
 

Morpeko

Noble Wolf
Joined
Sep 20, 2017
Messages
5,414
MBTI Type
LEFV
Enneagram
461
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I get depressed after exercising because I know the distraction is over and I have to go back to my miserable life. It's not quite immediate, though. I can live off the endorphins for a little while.
 

Lark

Active member
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
29,569
This is interesting to me, I like fitness training and solo training never makes me depressed, sometimes I feel bad if I've been training with a group and cant keep up or my bad health catches up with me during a session but that's a little different I think.
 

Luminous

༻✧✧༺
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
10,235
MBTI Type
Iᑎᖴᑭ
Enneagram
952
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Not generally. I guess it does depend on the exercise and whether I enjoy it (I hate running because things bounce and it makes me feel awful physically and I hate softball because of people and the sun and sweat and bugs - though standing in the field really isn't exercise). But with walking or dancing, I generally feel good afterwards. Often better than I did before I exercised.
 

Saturnal Snowqueen

Solastalgia 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Joined
Jan 9, 2019
Messages
6,125
MBTI Type
FELV
Enneagram
974
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
I'll have to be depressed to even exercise in the first place. That's how I get all the tension out. @.@
 

Hive

hypersane
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,233
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Can't think of a better antidepressant.
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
Staff member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
12,342
MBTI Type
JINX
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Can't think of a better antidepressant.

I feel the same way.

In the case of the OP, I think it’s mentioned in-thread she’d had a recent change with meds/gone off them, so I think that may have had an impact on how a workout might feel. She’d also only been working out for 2 weeks at the time. I didn’t start feeling super good after exercise til I was doing it consistently for at least a month.


I think in the short term, working out can make some people feel crappier, but longterm, the health benefits start to kick in & make it feel more worthwhile.
 

Hive

hypersane
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,233
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I feel the same way.

In the case of the OP, I think it’s mentioned in-thread she’d had a recent change with meds/gone off them, so I think that may have had an impact on how a workout might feel. She’d also only been working out for 2 weeks at the time. I didn’t start feeling super good after exercise til I was doing it consistently for at least a month.


I think in the short term, working out can make some people feel crappier, but longterm, the health benefits start to kick in & make it feel more worthwhile.
In the long term you start to notice how much higher your mood baseline is, and how much more resilient you are. If you start slipping out of routine, suddenly it's obvious how shit you feel compared to when you were working out. That knowledge is enough to drag me to the gym on the days I don't feel like it.
 
Last edited:

Bacopa

New member
Joined
Feb 13, 2021
Messages
55
MBTI Type
intj
I usually feel mentally clearer after exercise even though I'm physically tired. And the endorphins help with mood for like 2 hours after.
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
Staff member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
12,342
MBTI Type
JINX
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
In the long term you start to notice how much higher your mood baseline is, and how much more resilient you are. If you start slipping out of routine, suddenly it's obvious how shit you feel compared to when you aren't working out. That knowledge is enough to drag me to the gym on the days I don't feel like it.

Yeah, I’ve reached a point where I don’t feel ‘right’ if I skip a day I’d planned to work out... which is motivating me to get my ass off the couch right now, haha.
 

Peter Deadpan

phallus impudicus
Joined
Dec 14, 2016
Messages
8,883
I've had it happen a few times, and it's honestly a huge bummer and makes it hard to complete the workout because I can just feel that it's not working. I always make myself finish, but it's miserable.

I think this is probably a sign of fairly extreme depression.
 

Abcdenfp

Terpsichore
Joined
May 19, 2017
Messages
1,669
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7W8
In the long term you start to notice how much higher your mood baseline is, and how much more resilient you are. If you start slipping out of routine, suddenly it's obvious how shit you feel compared to when you aren't working out. That knowledge is enough to drag me to the gym on the days I don't feel like it.

very true
 
Top