Depression is common in our society. It is compounded by the effects of the Chinese plague that has besieged us for close to a year now. With quarantines, loss of work, loss of an column, separation from people, the damage to an entire generation due to school closures, loss of freedom, all of the political rancor over the pandemic, and even a disastrous effect on our national election, we are bombarded by bad news. Most of the mainstream media like to compound the bad news for political reasons.
So, what can we do? An interesting study gives us some ideas about one of the things we might do to take control of our own psyche:
Aerobic exercise was just as effective at treating depression as was Zoloft, or as a combination of exercise and Zoloft. Yet exercise is a lot less expensive, usually with no side effects apart from soreness. Perhaps even more remarkably, six months later, participants who had “remitted” (recovered) from their depressions were less likely to relapse if they had been in the exercise group (six months ago!) than if they had been in the medication group.”
So if you’re feeling a bit down, put on your running shoes. Get some fresh air. Watch the squirrels. See a sunrise or sunset. Count your blessings. And, throw caution to the wind and go to church.