Did you know that exercise is an anti-depressant? When women are coping with the trauma of divorce, there are many issues that can take their toll on a woman’s physical and mental health. It is quite common for these women to become depressed. Once depression enters the picture, a woman’s mental and physical health may be compromised and the effects and consequences may be enormous.
Depression can become a constant companion to a divorcing woman, during her days and nights. It can take over her thoughts and can be like an albatross around her neck that makes her feel like she is drowning along with any hopeful or optimistic thoughts that she once had.
She may be unable to hold on to previous positive feelings about herself, her abilities or her future. If she experienced abuse during her marriage, the fire has already been fueled and is smoldering in wait for her positive self worth to be reduced to ashes. These women can become more and more hopeless and can sink into such a pessimistic mental state that they are incapable of seeing reality. Add the repercussions of depression, such as lack of sleep, inability to eat or overeating and the vicious cycle continues. As their negativity increases and their bodies and minds become weakened, these women are often incapable of handling the issues that face them.
Once again, the message is that PREPARATION is the requirement for success in dealing with depression. IF a woman is aware of what may be lurking in the shadows of divorce, she can attempt to beat depression at its’ own game, before it takes over. Since exercise is known to be an anti-depressant, a woman facing divorce, needs to get a head start on an exercise routine. This does not mean that she has to join a gym or run a marathon.
What this means, is that she needs to take time out of each day, to do what will help her body and her mind deal with all of the painful issues of divorce. There must be no excuses for avoiding this free medical treatment, for the damaging malady of depression caused by divorce! We have all heard of a runner’s high. The reality is that exercise creates something in our bodies called endorphins. Endorphins help to create a sense of well being and foster mood enhancement. Endorphins can even reduce pain and stress.
As bazaar as this sounds, it seems as though exercise can be a stepping stone for happiness! It has been found that physical activity is a foundation for good mental health in people, as they get older. We have heard about the fact that serotonin is often a component in anti-depression medicines. There is scientific evidence that proves that exercise can increase serotonin and thus, cause improvement in peoples’ moods. Who of us, could argue that a free and healthful anti-depressant should be welcomed by women who might be prone to suffer from the problem of depression due to divorce?
