Archivi dei tag: guilty feelings

Six Tips to Make Physical Activity (and Continue Doing it)

We hear from all sides that we need to do more sports, that we have to move at least half an hour or take at least 10,000 steps a day. We would need that especially if we sit all day long at a desk, because “sitting is the new smoking”. But if we already have super busy days, how do we engage in a physical or sport activity?

Let’s first clarify what physical activity may be. It could simply be a matter of moving regardless if you do housework or sport.

Therefore, you can consider the activities you do every day, such as climbing stairs, walking, cycling and house cleaning.

Here are six tips on how to fit some physical exercise into your schedule:

  1. Look at your agenda and find the best time for you to play sports or go to the gym. Write it down and you won’t forget it. After some time it will be part of your daily routine. And if you have a friend who comes with you, it is even better because you will be more motivated.
  2. Create a calendar of your activities. Take a calendar and write down the days you managed to achieve your goals in terms of minutes of physical activity. At the end of the month you will be able to see your progress and you will be more motivated and satisfied! The ideal time per week is 150 minutes of moderate activity. A moderate activity is an activity that allows you to talk to someone and that makes you sweat slightly. An example of this activity could be also walking out your dog.
  3. Distribution. Three to five times a week would be ideal. 30 minutes of daily activity would be even better. You can distribute activities throughout the day like this, for example:
    • 5 minutes to go to the subway or bus stop;
    • 5 minutes walking to your office by getting off one stop before;
    • 10 minutes at lunch break to walk around the neighborhood;
    • 5 minutes walking from your office to the subway or bus stop;
    • 5 minutes to your place by getting off one stop before your place.
  4. Find the activity you really like. If you haven’t found it yet, try some and you’ll find it soon. Jogging, boxing, dancing or swimming are just a few examples of activities you could practice.
  5. Put your guilty feelings aside. The long-term goal is to make physical exercise a habit. If one evening when you come back home from work you feel tired and you want to be at home alone or with your family, do it without feeling guilty. Relaxing is just as important as moving. Moreover, if you’ve already followed your daily distribution, you’re okay, you don’t need to add more activity.
  6. Strengthen your muscles. You don’t necessarily have to lift weights. A Pilates or yoga session will help you strengthen your abs, for example.

What do you think? Could you make it?

Why You Shouldn’t Tell This to Depressed People

Whether you went through depression or have a loved one who suffers from it, we all know that depression is not easy to live with. And what makes the situation worse is often the feeling that people around us don’t understand our being unwell and try to minimize the importance of this disorder.

I explained it in my last post on Wise&Shine last week.

Therefore, I would like to list here some phrases that you shouldn’t tell to depressed people:

1. “Focus on getting better.”  We tend to forget that the state of depression affects us physically and psychologically. It is not enough to get out of bed, get some fresh air and take a walk to get rid of it. If this were the case, depressives would be the first ones to do so, without your advice, because it is very likely that they want to get out of this state.

2.”It will be better tomorrow.”  This phrase could worsen the condition of the depressed person. They may expect to get better the next day, but depression cannot be treated overnight.

3.”Just be happy” For a depressed person, being happy is inconceivable because their disorder alters the image they have of reality. Talking to them about happiness will not improve their disorder, on the contrary. You cannot talk to them about things they are unable to do and sometimes even understand.

4. “It’s your fault.”  Often, when something negative happens to our life, we imagine that it is our fault, and that we deserve it. This kind of approach can aggravate the situation of the depressive person.

5. “Don’t be so negative.”  Negativity is part of how depressive people see life. It doesn’t make sense to tell them something like this. Most probably they will not understand.

6.”Stop complaining, there are people who have a more terrible life.”  This is what I hate the most. It’s not by comparing to some other people that a depressed person would feel better. Being unable to get out of their depression, they would feel even more guilty and miserable for being unwell when they see that terrible things are happening around them. Depressives have very low self-esteem, and this kind of sentence will only increase their self-hatred.

Remember that we all may face difficult times in life. Try to be compassionate with anyone who is suffering also making a good use of your words.

What about you? Do you feel compassionate when someone is suffering?