Sadly I don't have any decent advice to give here, as I've never connected any next day mood/mental changes to exercise in itself, but that's certainly given me some food for thought. This calls for some research I think.
Running itself is my treasured escape method, the one thing I can actually do to get away from people, places and sometimes thoughts/feelings that I don't want to have to face. And it usually makes me feel a lot better - at least for a short time anyway, as I don't have the energy to keep it up for long - but it's good while it lasts. On the other hand, the fact that it makes me feel so good while I'm actually doing it, means that the aftermath is like holding a steak out to a starving man and then whisking it away again, with me feeling significantly lower/frustrated because of my physical limitations. Running gets me high, so the inevitable slowdown always makes me feel the loss of that high, which is a feeling I'd prefer to do without. If only I had more stamina...
UnOccupied said:
Also, the only exercise i don't mind doing is long distance running, because going to the gym is very challenging for me, with all the people there. And, i just focus on all the people judging me at the gym, as opposed to my workout. Even with running sometimes, i feel people are watching me from their houes, and it makes me feel more anxious, then depressed.
^ Ditto that, I feel the same way. That's the other big obstacle in all this, and it's the reason why I'm always on the lookout for places with as few people as possible to run, becoming frustrated when they seem to come from everywhere. Natural places are always good, but so very hard to find nowadays. *sigh*
