Doesn’t it just sound wrong to say that exercise is not the solution to deep depression? It seems that these days exercise is the answer to just about everything. In fact, exercise almost always helps relieve depression by making positive changes in our brain chemistry.
But deep depression is a different kettle of fish. When the human brain sinks into a vegetative depression so that a person cannot get herself out of bed, exercise is not the answer…at least until she becomes significantly less depressed. There are two reasons for this. First, if a person is so depressed that they stay in bed much of the day, how likely is it that they will be able to maintain an exercise routine? Second, a deep depression can become so heavy and tenacious that very different strategies are required to pry a person off the bottom of an ocean of sadness.