Fight Feelings of Hopelessness with Activityby Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 24 Jul 2009 04:47 AM Feeling hopeless? Maybe you've got the economy on your mind. Maybe it's the crummy job market in your area, or worries about losing your job. We live in stressful times! New research from Kuopio University Hospital in Finland shows that an active lifestyle may help improve your outlook on life. Researchers interviewed nearly 2500 men between the ages of 42 and 60. Participants were asked about their mood and physical activity levels and were tested for physical fitness. The more active the men in the study were, the less likely they were to experience feelings of hopelessness. The more vigorous the activity, the better the men felt. When compiling the results, the researchers found that this equation (more activity = less hopelessness) remained even when adjusting for age, economic status, and even depression. The bottom line: men in the study who were active an hour or less per week were more than a third more likely to report feelings of hopelessness. Men who managed moderate to vigorous activity two and a half hours per week (or more) were less likely to feel hopeless. In a lot of ways, this makes a lot of sense. When you exercise, your body takes in more oxygen and blood flow through the body is increased. Your brain releases endorphins -- the natural feel-good chemicals in the body. Exercise improves the body physically AND mentally! Previous research has linked feelings of hopelessness with poor heart health, type 2 diabetes, and other life-threatening conditions. And don't confuse hopelessness with depression -- researchers noted that many people feel hopeless without being otherwise depressed or mentally ill. Hopelessness may overlap with depression, but may be a separate emotional issue. So how do you distinguish between hopelessness and depression? Depression is a complex condition -- here are some articles from the Mental Health Blog that can help answer a few questions: If you aren't sure whether your feelings are depression or not, talk to your doctor. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags activity, depression, hope, hopelessness Discuss this article
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