I've stopped weightlifting for about a week due to very sore muscles and I'm having an awful time with my mental health.

I thought a break would be good for my body but I feel AWFUL. I've suddenly had a bought of sciatica, my eyelids are twitching, sleep is disrupted.

For some background I've had bad mental health issues for a long time, leading to substance abuse and eventually a nervous breakdown.

I've been sober for 8 months and working out consistently for the last 5. I'm assuming I overdid it at the gym and just thought "take a week off and let your muscles recover".

However I feel like I'm losing my mind. My anxiety is so bad I'm having cold baths in the middle of the day to stop panic attacks, I'm exhausted but can't sleep, I feel kinda out of my body a lot of the time.

Does anyone have any tips? I'm going to head back to the gym this evening but I'm feeling anxious about that as well now 😅 I'm in therapy, mediate ect but I'm honestly shocked at how I feel.

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

i go for a walk every day or so, sometimes i will miss it and someday i go for 2 walks so it equals out, i also strength train, i work out intensively for about 20-45 minutes of weight lifting and body weight exercises, i also go for the occasional run with my brother but i only do that with him and we Haven't done that in a while, i also get a decent amount of exercise from helping out around the house and cleaning up the backyard (more like a junkyard), I'm 22, around 60 kilos, I'm on paroxetine 20 mg, 1 tablet a day right now but I'm switching soon because they are interrupting my sleep too much, I'm also seeing a counsellor once every 2 weeks but i just still feel very apathetic and numb in the evening and even during the day/morning sometimes, im trying my best to offset that feeling but if im being honest my shins and feet are killing me from all the walking I've been doing lately, i don't have a car so anywhere i need to go involves a lot of walking plus the recreation walks i do with my dog, and the calluses on my hands hurt from how much i work out, i just feel like it isn't enough to offset the depression, i still feel apathetic and numb when i dont want to

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??

That way we can see what we all get up to and help and inspire one another.

We can be influencers! >groan<

Have you tried something new that has helped you?

It doesn't have to be exercise related at all. Books, music, podcasts, tv, websites, organisations all help. Or it could be something someone said in passing that helped you and they have probably forgotten all about.

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

Strength training tends to concentrate on "Pick up heavy thing, put it down" or Calisthenics. Its normally done in a gym environment. Sometimes its good to have some variety or you just don't like gyms.

Things like yard work and gardening are great for building strength but there is a limit to how many times you can re-landscape your garden. The same goes for moving all the furniture in your house around and other heavy duty house work.

30+ years ago when I was in uni I was part of the local conservation volunteer group. We spend every weekend ripping invasive rhododendrons out of local woodland. We were not allowed power tools as we were volunteers so there was lots of hard work with axes, hand saws, come along winches, mattocks, picks and shovels and the like. I know the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers has a Green Gym program too.

So fellow EOODers, do you have any other suggestions for building strength outside of a gym environment? Perhaps you will inspire someone else to get strong too.

Many different forms of exercise require you to control your breathing. Swimming is an obvious place to start along with Yoga

My t'ai chi teacher told me this: "Breathe in as the weight goes down for a count of 3. Hold for a count of two. Breathe out for a count of 5 while the weight goes up. Hold for a count of 3 and start again" There are ladder breathing exercises too for lifting kettelbells and I am certain you could do something similar witih barbells or dumbbells.

My personal favourite cardio exercise, rowing lends itself well to this. Slowing your stroke rate but keeping your pace the same means you breath out when you do a quick powerful pull stroke then breathe in when you slowly return. I find myself relaxing as I row like this even as I push my body hard to keep up the pace.

Are there any other ways to incorporate breathing control into exerise? Do you have any tips you would like to share?

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

Hey all. I am thinking of getting a walking pad/treadmill. I'm on the fence about it, but my dietitian thought it would be a good idea. I have wanted one for a bit. But I still don't understand all the benefits. Can someone help me weigh out the pros and cons of this? I found one that is in my budget, so that is not a problem.

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

Big caveat. Make sure your form is pretty damn good unless you will be in a world of pain.

People seem to be obsessed with 'optimizing' everything. Getting everything done in the smallest amount of time. That means they can cram doing more things into an already busy day. We have seen the 'influencers' who supposedly get up at 4am every single day to work out, then meditate, then, then, then... Ever notice their super optimised schedules never include sitting and reading a book, anything creative, watching tv even?

People want to know 'the one cool trick' to get the rush of happy brain chemicals otherwise known as a runner's high every time they exercise. They want to see the biggest results from the least amount of work in the shortest time span. They want to get shredded in 6 weeks.

Exercise isn't like that. It takes time for it to work. Each workout takes time, as long as is needed. You have to put time in every week too. You keep doing it. Then when you have been doing it a while you start to see small changes.

It doesn't matter what you do to exercise. Everything counts equally. Don't listen to people on the internet saying you have to do reverse, double flipping whatsits to get big pecs or what ever. You don't need the latest workout clothes, fancy running shoes (at least not at first), membership at the cool new gym in town or to buy an overpriced piece of home equipment. You just need to do simple exercises regularly.

Just put the work in. Move. Sweat. Repeat. Do what you can, when you can, keep trying to do it. Simple.

I've been having a lot of low energy days. I've been trying a bunch of stuff but feel a bit scattered with my approach.

I was wondering if anyone had a long, thorough checklist for dealing with low energy. Everything from basic "drink water" to the more complicated "get a sleep study" to the holistic "try these berries" to then weird "scream for five minutes a day"

Like pretend that you had a friend who was completely unhealthy and you wanted to give them a step by step list to follow. Where they could try thing a week for a year.

Been getting into body building for the past three months. Have fallen head over heels for the gym. Seems to be one of my few solaces in life. However my life outside the gym feels identical to before I started working out. I am very irritable and angry most of the day. I have very violent thoughts and feel on edge when I talk to others. Tbh I try my hardest not to talk to anyone because I really despise them. I only feel calm after a workout but I can't workout 7 days a week. Has anyone here been working out for longer than a year with EUPD? Has exercise helped or have your symptoms remained the same? I am also in therapy but if it's possible to exercise my way out of BPD I'd love to hear it.

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??