@strypey this post was a while ago, and I've since found that regular walks *do* help me. A key for actually going on these walks was, for me, giving myself permission to not feel good about it. It's okay to just grumble along in the woods.
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I found this http://faculty.cas.usf.edu/mbrannick/meta/CMA/Kvam2016ExerciseDepressionMeta.pdf
"Physical exercise had a moderate to large significant effect on depression compared to control conditions (g¼ -0.68), but the effect was small and
not significant at follow-up (g¼ -0.22). Exercise compared to no intervention yielded a large and sig-
nificant effect size (g¼ -1.24), and exercise had a moderate and significant effect compared to usual care
(g¼ -0.48). The effects of exercise when compared to psychological treatments or antidepressant medication were small and not significant (g¼ -0.22 and g¼ -0.08, respectively). Exercise as an adjunct
to antidepressant medication yielded a moderate effect (g¼ - 0.50) that trended toward significance."
Which I read as "if you're depressed enough to need meds, the effect of exercise is a lot less clear"
@lizzard
> Can someone point me to some research that proves that sports or bodily activity actually *cause* improvements in depression and burnout
I'm not aware of any research, sorry. But since my teens I've suffered from periods of intense dysfunction that could be characterised as chronic depression or autistic burnout. My experience is that it depends on the *kind* of exercise. Gentle walking - especially in nature and with company - does help, if I don't push myself into it or overdo it.
@strypey this post was a while ago, and I've since found that regular walks *do* help me. A key for actually going on these walks was, for me, giving myself permission to not feel good about it. It's okay to just grumble along in the woods.
@lizzard
> this post was a while ago
Ae, I found it via a hashtag search for #burnout. Glad to hear that you've managed some walks and you're finding it helpful. Go you!
> A key for actually going on these walks was, for me, giving myself permission to not feel good about it.
Oh for sure. Burnout makes everything feel like an imposition. Expecting a walk to be enjoyable under those circumstances is setting yourself up for failure ; )