Life Is Super Duper Great, and my new puppy :)

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I thought I'd post this here to maybe see if this helps someone. I know there's probably a lot of people on here going through increased anxiety, depression, self confidence issues etc. I won't repeat my past posts, but as many here know I've been through a rough patch with anxiety, depression and just feeling like giving up on life.

My last post, I explained how cannabis really helped me, and how I am now medication free (except the cannabis of course). Life really picked up. And now, I have something else to share that has really helped boost my moral. The gym!

I'm no stranger to the gym, but I haven't been for 2 years. I forgot how much the gym really helps in life!

I've been going for almost 2 weeks. I've done 5 sessions. I had to take some recovery time off because I was experiencing very bad DOMS, but all is well. My brother is a body builder, so he pushes hard. I'm aiming for 3 sessions a week at the moment as I break back into it. I'm looking to pack on muscle so I'm eating a heck of a lot of foods high in protein, and drinking home made protein shakes/smoothies.

It's really made a difference. If feels like I have something to work towards, and get up for in the morning. Working towards being in good shape physically.

I still struggle with self confidence in the gym, and tend to just do my own thing and leave. It's not a place I feel the most comfortable, but whilst I'm there with my headphones on I just blank the world out. Something that has to be done to get to where you want to get to in life.

If there's anyone here who's been feeling under the weather recently, go join the gym, or put your running shoes on and start a running plan. If you feel like you physically cant, start power walking, and progress into a run. It's free Aim to run a 5k marathon or something and work towards that. I wish someone would have gave me this bit of advice in the past.

Oh, and I purchased a puppy for myself. A beautiful pitbull. She's keeping me on my toes as she's so energetic and rebellious.

Aww, so cute! I love dogs; they have boundless, endless joy. The best thing I ever did was get a dog, for many reasons.

Sage advice about both the dog and the gym. I work out at home, but I miss the gym terribly (can't afford it). It was easier to keep to a regular schedule when I had to drive to the gym to work out. Here at home, I can say, "Maybe I should work out... maybe in like a half hour. Or an hour. Or tomorrow. My tummy hurts." If I'm at the gym already, I just do the workout without thinking about it. I get the same kick you do from it, and I can totally relate to the peace of jamming out to music, doing the reps, resting, and then doing it all again. And the psychological benefit of seeing progress is awesome! One question, though: I find that I occasionally look at myself and decide there isn't enough progress and then get depressed; like, I say to myself that I'm still just a skinny loser with tiny bird arms, so why should I even try? (My larger bicep is 14 3/4 inches at its largest point when flexed and measured early in the morning before any workouts, so I'm not actually super-tiny, but also not all that big) Do you ever get that feeling? How do you get past it?

I may try the cannabis if my state (Ohio) ever gets medicinal marijuana. Don't have the funds, the balls or the connections to get it illegally. Plus, if I ever get hired, I may need to pass a drug test. I think it could definitely help with anxiety, though, and Lord knows I need something for that. Valerian root is not cutting it.

Sounds really cool, Jay!

Maybe you could pursue the music avenue as well.

As for the gym: you're not there to show off. Most people could give a rat's butt how much you could lift--they have their own things on their mind. Just do your thing. More reps with lighter weights are probably better than few reps with heavier weights, anyway.

That's great to hear. Going to the gym really helps with being in a good mood.

Really nice doggie and story. Thanks for the pics. They do help with the anxiety

I'm following this book for my workout. Good, well-grounded advice, nothing earth-shattering. Seems effective. I can do most of the exercises with my home gym.
I've recently been focusing harder on diet and nutrition. Def makes a difference.