C.S. Lewis wrote in The Problem of Pain (1940): “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also harder to bear… It is easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken.’”
Like schizophrenia, clinical depression is another cause of suicide.
If untreated, depression can cause a serious problem to the person. It can destroy personal relationships both at home and at work. It increases the chances for substance abuse, whether alcohol or drugs. The condition can also drag into years unless treated.
Worse, a depressed person cannot get through it alone on his own without professional help, either through medication or psychotherapy.
Common sense tells us that like any other serious health conditions, it is better to avoid depression than to treat it.
Physical activity is an empirically proven intervention in preventing depression. It is not about taking a high intensity training exercise or taking lessons in tae kwon do or swimming. Of course, that will help a lot if you have time.
Actually, all you need to do is spend at least 30 minutes every day (straight or divided into three 10-minute sessions) doing moderately intense activities that are accessible to you, such as brisk walking around your subdivision home in the morning or in the evening; window washing for exercise not just for home cleanliness; or even as ordinary as window shopping in your nearest mall.
However, if you want to take a more strenuous engagement, you can do as well. Exercise training is known to have a success rate of 67 to 74 percent in preventing depression.
There are also important advantages in doing physical activities regularly. First, it is as safe as talking a walk. Second, it is also as inexpensive as sweating out in your home garden before going to work.
Thus, if you feel like having signs of the blues threatening your peace of mind, do not wait for the situation to worsen. Take your running shoes and hit the road. If you have access to Zumba dancing, then take time to shake those blues away with the dancing music. Anything that will move your body and get you out of your seat will do.
Dodie Smith wrote in Capture the Castle (1948): “Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.” Those are other alternatives.