My Favorite Antidepressant

It's been a hard couple of days. Re-living the week we experienced a year ago has been painful. It has brought up so many memories. Memories of our time in the hospital, but also memories of dad. It's all a part of the healing process of moving forward, but it doesn't mean it's always pleasant. In fact, it's quite ugly at times. 

Like today.

Today was the second day this week where I couldn't get out of bed. There wasn't anything wrong with my legs, rather, I couldn't find any motivation to get out of bed. The weight of it all was just too much at times. The pain of the memories can be crushing. It just seemed easier to stay in bed with the covers over my head, only to come out when I felt like watching some thoughtless show on Netflix. No, these haven't been my finest or most graceful moments. 

But you know what? I'm okay with that. It means I'm human. I'm not handling this perfectly; there's no perfect way to handle this. I'm taking each day as it comes and these past few days have been harder than others that's for sure.

Now for the silver lining.

I'm beyond amazed and thankful for the way God made us as human-beings. Because on days like today, when my depression and grief feel too heavy to bear and I can't imagine feeling any better, I remember that God made me in such a way that I have the power to do something to make myself feel better.

So, I decided to exercise. 

Yes, this may seem a little too practical for the subject matter I'm applying it to, but hear me out! I'm not the only one in the world to experience the power we've been given to completely lift our moods and make ourselves feel worthwhile again just by moving our bodies and releasing those "feel good" hormones. Trust me, after the days I've been having, I need a lot of the "feel good" ones to counter-act the "life is hopeless" and sad ones.

My workout isn't magic. It didn't take away the pain of the situation. Not even a little bit. But, it gave me a more clear, more invigorated mind. And that is just what I need these days.

My husband Mitchell always tells me, "you'll never regret it once you're done." He is right. I never regret working out once I've done it. I always regret the workouts I don't do. These days, I workout to feel better. And it's really helping on those days when I feel like I can't even get out of bed. If I can get myself to start, I can almost always push myself to finish. 

I'm so thankful God gave us this gift. The power to fight off the depression we all feel from time to time with something as simple as a workout. Don't underestimate the power it has. I've seen it!


TIP: Find a fit friend. My friend Mary has been my fitness/health inspiration and encourages me to press on. 


Those are my thoughts today. I'm thankful for exercise. It may seem like too practical of a thing to be thankful for.....but I don't think there's anything that is too practical that we shouldn't be thankful for it.

Today, I'm grateful that one of the most powerful and under-used antidepressants is inside of me, and I have the power to unlock it any time I need it. That's a pretty cool gift!