Hi asi,

There is a ton of evidence that exercise is extremely helpful in improving depression. So that is amazing you are already exercising regularly. If you want to exercise more and it makes you more happy, I say go for it. You might want to also consider using it as a reward. The best rewards don't involve spending money so, try to think of rewarding things you can do that are free. Perhaps spending an extra hour doing something you enjoy, taking a long bath or calling someone who makes you happy. Rewards can be anything that we enjoy.

I think it makes a lot of sense why you would be more depressed during the day. There are more responsibilities and possible social interactions during the day. We also have more cortisol (stress hormones) in our body during the day. I think you should talk to your doctor about how you feel worse during the day as it could be related to other medical conditions, like sleep apnea for example.

Thank you so much for the appreciation. It was very nice to read and I will forward it to the rest of the team :).

Keep us updated on how you are doing. I am interested to hear about how you feel after you start exercising in the morning.

Take care,

Ashley

Hi Ashley, Im not rewarding after the program, but its a good idea to think. I dont have nothing special and easy to get that give me joy I think, but may be its me who didnt work a bit around that idea. I was thinking of food or buying something, but that brings a regret later.

I really love practising exercice, I think its comparable to a meditative state, because our thought process decrease to almost nothing. Im doing bodybuilding and the few things Im able to think on those moments is just counting from 1 to 10 that is the number of repetitions Im doing on an exercice. I feel the most conected to my soul at that moment, because I can hear some silence inside of me.

I would love to invest more on that, like feeling that is my second job. I already practise acrobatic gimnastic when teenager for a year I never forget that, the chalenge of seeing our body doing things that at the begining are impossible, give me much pleasure.

Your question maid me think that may be I can incorporate 15 minuts in the morning when I wake up to do some gimnastic. I already do 1 hour at the end of the afternon, but having my day with more physical activities seams a dream.

Also I would like to ask you a question that intrigues me very much. With the sheet of activitys Ive been aware that Im only depressed during the day, that at night practicaly my depression go away. I start feeling good, more energetic, more entusiastic, making plans for the next days...but during the day just going out of bed is a strugle. I think may be my melatonin is normal. I dont know also if its my social anxiety since I know everibody is sleeping and I dont see people, I dont think about other people, so I dont get triggers.

I would like also to thank you for always being so suportive and have warm words to tell everibody and to me. A few years ago I also did this program for anxiety, and my panick attacks gone in one year, and I had it for 20 years, so there arent enough words to thank all of you.

Hi asi,

I can understand why you feel this way. It can be hard to keep up with routine. When we are feeling depressed it is even more difficult to keep a routine. When we are depressed we lack motivation. Often people wait to feel motivated before taking on a big task but this is often fruitless when depressed. It is important to take action even without motivation when depressed, as only with action do we start to feel better.

How do you reward yourself after you work on the program? Rewards can help to keep us motivated.

What activities do you do for enjoyment? Pleasurable activities can be just as important as productive activities. Try to add fulfilling activities to your "to do" list. Do you use a "to do" list? I find them very helpful to use each day. Even when depressed it can be helpful to accomplish a few goals a day, even if they are small goals like having a shower or doing one work sheet.

I am sorry to read about your childhood. That must have been extremely difficult. Just know, we are not what happened to us, we are what we choose to become. You can overcome your past. Just take it one step at a time. We will be here to support you.

What are your goals for this week?

I hope to read more from you soon,

Ashley.

Thats a good analogy, but hard to aply with so low energy.

Antibiotics its something to take for a short period of time, but nobody likes to have to take antibiotics for their whole life, like some chronic disease. Ithats a bit diferent.

A great example to run with I think is antibiotics. So many people start to feel better after just a few days of the pills, but you always have to complete the cycle. So think of CBT like antibiotics - just because you feel better, doesnt mean the "big silent bacteria" is gone, so you have to complete the prescription! Keep going :)

Hello, I have depression since around age 14, always trying to beat the ups and downs, but rarely go away. Im just tired. I start doing cbt but when im better i always give up. My brain developed this way because I was left isolated since teenager, weekends and holidays alone without happy moments or friends. Now Im paying the price of my caretakers give me. I feel I cant change my brain, it constantly fall to the same. ;/