Thursday, March 22, 2012

Running might be your Prozac, but PROZAC is my Prozac.

So the whole fam-damily headed off to the gym on Sunday, to dump the little man in the kids center where he could run wild and scream at girls ("LOTS of us boys were doing it, mom. We thought the girls were ants.") and his father and I could hit the pool. On the way in I saw an SUV (because mini-vans are just so uncool) with this bumper sticker: Running is My Prozac.

Which. Like. Well. Yay for you. Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic there. If you can manage your mood through diet and exercise, that is great. That is WONDERFUL.

BUT. It doesn't work like that for everyone. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely use diet and exercise to help manage my depression. They make a HUGE difference. But unless I'm also taking the meds, I can't function at a high enough level to manage my diet and exercise. Hell, I can't function at a high enough level to do laundry. (Although sitting on the couch and watching The Real Housewives of Orange County and silently sobbing didn't seem to pose much of a challenge, oddly enough. (I lie. It was Wife Swap.))

And while I totally support the idea that there are a lot of steps you can take to help manage mental illness, I get so leery of bumper stickers like "Running is my Prozac," because part of me feels, rightly or wrongly, that it implies that if one tried a little harder one would not be depressed. Maybe if you just got more exercise, or helped others more, or went to church, or were a better fucking person you wouldn't be such a sad sack of shit all the time. And although I have no reason to think that is the message behind sayings like "Running is my Prozac," I think a lot of people take that message away, and it is not helpful.

Depression is not a reflection on who you are. It is not necessarily caused by an unhappy childhood, or unresolved issues, or being a repressed housewife. Sometimes it is just brain chemistry.

9 comments:

  1. Although sometimes it is caused by the dramatic realization that Passover is coming up like, SOON, yo, and you have made ABSOLUTELY ZERO PREPARATIONS and have no idea what you are going to serve for your first vegetarian Pesach, because what takes the place of brisket??

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  2. Well, as it turns out running AND beta blockers are my prozac :)

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  3. Yes, so true, thank you for this post. I have been on and off antidepressants since just after college, and when I was off and depressed again, I could BARELY get out of bed, let alone go for a jog (since I hate running anyway, that much more difficult/impossible). Even while I'm on and not depressed, I still have a hard time motivating to exercise. I'm currently BFing and chasing a toddler around so that helps :)

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    1. I've found the very hardest part is getting out of the house and getting over to the gym. It is always a challenge. If you hate running, don't force yourself--find something you enjoy. Dude, chasing a toddler definitely counts as exercise. FOR SURE.

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  4. OMG I LOVE YOU FOR THIS. I have seen this bumper sticker (probably at the gym, too) and it makes me mad. I agree with you that it's great that somebody else can get such a runner's high, but the idea that running can replace antidepressants when it comes to serious clinical depression? That clearly indicates a lack of understanding about depression. Depression is a disease, and some of us need that pill just to get us to the point of being willing/able to work out. Like you, I believe in exercise to help manage depression, but I personally need that pill to get me to a point where I'm willing to go to the gym at all.

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    1. Thanks for the love! Yeah, saying "Running is my prozac" is kind of like saying "holding the book really, really, really close to my face is my contact lens prescription," right? Stay strong, sister--at least they're not giving us hysterectomies anymore, right? :)

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  5. Apparently even running AND prozac are not enough prozac for me.

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    1. Perhaps a summer of excessive drinking and inappropriate behavior will help? Le sigh. Prozac is not a magic bullet for everyone, and my heart hurts that you are hurting. There are lots of other options out there...I hope you find one that helps. Don't quit until you are feeling better--you are so worth it and you deserve so richly to be happy!!!

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