Post-hike depression?

[GScout]

So I did my first ever section hike in June. Springer to Fontana in ten days, and I have never been happier.

Some background: I have clinical depression for which I take antidepressants. I am also a middle-aged woman (44) with all the accompanying hormones.

So I got off the trail more mentally well than I have ever been in my life. Energized, full of life, excited to return to my family and the "real" world, and having lost 7 lbs.

Four weeks later, having spent the interim month exercising very little and regaining all the weight, I got hit with the worst depressive cycle I have had in years. It really kicked my ass and now, two months later, I am finally recovering but still dealing with more anxiety than usual.

My theory is that, in the course of training for the trail (200+ miles of hiking) and hiking the trail (150+ miles), I got my system accustomed to a high level of endorphins and other great exercise-induced hormones. The weight loss also reduced my estrogen load. Then to stop the extreme exercise cold-turkey and to load up on fat (= estrogen storage) meant my body and brain chemistry went way out of whack post haste.

Just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences? Has anyone learned or devised a way to come off the trail and stay in balance (i.e., not gain weight, stop exercising)? I realize from this experience that, for next year's section hike, I need to prepare as much for the post-hike as for the pre- and the hike itself.

I appreciate any feedback. Missing the trail terribly. Doing it made me realize that I am a human who evolved over thousands of years to be physically active as a way of life and that modern life doesn't suit me at all. Or many of us for that matter.

Scout

[Cobble]

Don't do post hike. After coming off the trail move directly back into prehike, begin planning your next trip, tweak your gear, stock up on fuel and foods, research new pack configurations, and most of all do trail maintenance near your home with other hikers.

Not a perfect solution but that is what I've found to help and others seem to do similar things.

[Dogwood]

Has anyone learned or devised a way to come off the trail and stay in balance (i.e., not gain weight, stop exercising)? I realize from this experience that, for next year's section hike, I need to prepare as much for the post-hike as for the pre- and the hike itself.

I appreciate any feedback. Missing the trail terribly. Doing it made me realize that I am a human who evolved over thousands of years to be physically active as a way of life and that modern life doesn't suit me at all. Or many of us for that matter.

YUP. In addition to what Cobble offered if you don't let yourself totally break from your state in which you were most fulfilled, empowered, aware, and happy when hiking when not hiking it's my contention you will be better. I don't make such a sharp here's the line difference in distinction between hiking and hiking life. For each person it is different but there are an infinite number of ways to connect your hiking state of being with your non hiking state of being. Cobble offered some ways. There are an infinite more. One thing I would strongly advise is that you don't break totally from Nature or fall into a goal-less Zombie like follow the masses state post hike. Continue living with determination, passion, and frugal simplicity post hike. Taking your mind off yourself/being so overly self- absorbed/self concerned is a great thing to do for not only others and yourself.

Readjust the diet for your post hike life. You may be right about your assessments. I'm surprised more hikers especially on longer duration hikes don't have body wt issues post hike that don't adjust their diets accordingly. Post hike I still maintain a very active lifestyle, connect with Nature, and lead a determined focused life so my life and diet isn't radically different than my hiking life. Find your ways to connect your on trail and off trail states.

[daddytwosticks]

While I'm walking those last steps of my hike, I'm already thinking/planning about the next adventure. Keeps me going in between hikes.

[rustmd]

scout, congrats on what sounds like an awesome accomplishment! i am a section-hiker 2010----hoping to finish 2016. like cobble said in his post, i too plan my next hike and the next and next, etc. i maintain daily workouts as much as possible between hikes--sometimes that's several months--and i surround myself with AT reminders, maps, photos, my journals. i think you pretty much answered your own question, you seem to know your body chemistry and how it works and responds. now you need to find your own action plan and put it into practice.

to be a section hiker is to hike, like, forever!
.com

[bigcranky]

Hey, GScout,

Actual science shows that planning a vacation is as much fun (or more so) than actually taking the vacation. So you had ten days on the trail, but you also had several months of planning, training, and dreaming beforehand -- and then you came home and it was all over. That can be a big whammy, especially for someone with depressive issues to begin with. I did the same thing after our Long Trail hike last year, though it didn't help that I hurt my ankle and spent five months doing rehab and not hiking or even getting much exercise (so all the weight came right back, etc.).

I think Cobble has it about right -- when I get home I start planning the next hike, even if it's just a long weekend at a nearby park. Even better if you can start planning the next longer hike on the AT, say from Fontana to Erwin, even if it's next year.... Maybe even *especially* if it's next year, as that maximizes the pleasure of the planning process. You get to test gear and clothing, plan menus, dry and pack food, test stoves, sleep in the back yard in the rain -- all the fun stuff we do before a long trip, and you get to do that all winter long.

Good luck.

[plexusbritt]

I believe many would concur with me, this is a lifestyle.

My fitness program doesn't change. Like ever. Lol. Because it's centered around my hiking and horseback riding goals. Figure out a fitness plan that reminds you of why you trained before your hike. Are their trails in your area?

Once a week, I try and get out in nature in some form or fashion. I work in a windowless cubicle and this wards off feeling caged in. Pictures of hikes or just mountain vistas on my computer screens helps too.

Can you fit smaller trips in, even locally? I do this with a friend once a month. We go out on either Thursday or Friday and come home Saturday night or Sunday morning. Yes it's short and seems a hassle, but it's so refreshing and cleansing. We rarely drive more than two hours and still manage pretty high mileage because (back to fitness) we work out with those goals in mind.

Running, squats, lunges, planks, step ups (park bench is great for this), or even just walking with a 15-20 lb pack, can really help your hiking fitness-and again, it keeps the goal on your mind.


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[JohnHuth]

Hi, GScout -

This is a pretty common complaint. I know a hiker who has the same problem and he is always planning a new hike, and staying in shape by taking training hikes all the time - basically the cycle of planning, hiking, planning, training, hiking.

One thing about planning is that it doesn't have to be definitive. I have a proto-hike in the works in the Italian Alps for next summer. I have yet to commit to it, but am in the information gathering stage. That's a mini-project.

In the meantime, I run, bike, kayak, watch my calories. I think when getting off the trail, one has to think about the calorie balance and make adjustments before the pounds come back on. I find that I can get a lot of exercise benefit by rotating - I'm probably going to add weight lifting and yoga into my rotation soon. Maybe 30 minutes to an hour a day is the most I can squeeze in. Biking is particularly good because it cuts out driving on my commute, and gives me a good hour and a half of quiet exercise. But that's me. I do find I feel down when I don't get exercise - not clinical, but definitely feel it.

[JohnHuth]

Another thought - I find outdoor activities really help. You might consider extending outdoor activities throughout the year. Living up here in New England can make that a challenge, but I've learned how to winter camp in pretty low temperatures (can't be too crazy, thought! - watch the weather forecast).

[Uncle Joe]

All good advice. Keep it in your mind and find ways to get out there. Watch some videos on hiking. Careful, that can get addicting but so much more fun than TV!

As for weight, I can tell you what I am doing if you msg me. I don't want to turn this into a weight loss thread. It's not some crazy diet and you don't have to buy or read anything. Just some principles I adopted that have helped me. I don't lose quickly but am down 24lbs, FWIW.

[Spirit Walker]

I used to be able to hike or backpack every week and was always planning my next adventure. I loved it. For 20 years, that was my normal lifestyle. Then my life changed, and now I rarely get out for more than a short hike, or at best an occasional overnight backpack trip. As someone with serious depression issues, the lack of physical activity and, more, the time spent outdoors, hit me hard. So I did something I never thought I'd do: I became a runner at the age of 54. I currently run 5 or 6 days a week for an hour or more and it relieves much of the stress of normal life. I run races occasionally and enjoy the process of training for them and then running with other people. I would still rather be hiking, but running is something I can do on a daily basis, which isn't usually possible with hiking.

[gsingjane]

Well, from one GS to another ... here are my thoughts!

First I think it's spectacular that you figured out what you want to do. You can keep on backpacking for pretty much the whole entire rest of your life and there will always be another adventure!

Now, it can be very helpful to have a catch-phrase or something of a mantra, and I think for you it should be "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." IOW, just because the perfect is hiking all day, every day, that doesn't mean that you can't live a good life while you're not pursuing your ultimate interest.

Here are some thoughts about leading the good life:

* Backpacking is an awesome thing to do, but there are lots of other sports activities that are good fun as well. Maybe a team sport would be fun? Like playing in a league or in a club? I know at least five women who "unlocked their inner athlete" through tennis - now tennis will never be my gig, but they swear by it. Morning beach yoga. Boot camp. There are just tons of fun sports to try and who knows, you might turn out to love one of those too.

* Figure out how to make physical activity part of your every day life. Look at what you do and where you go, and decide whether you can bike or walk instead of driving there. Do you have a lawn service or snow removal? Consider canceling them and doing the work yourself.

* Buddy up. If you have a partner or a group commitment you're more likely to get out there. I co-lead an older women's hiking group, and I also organize and run a Girl Scout trail running club. Think about what communities you're part of, and whether you can volunteer to make outdoor activities happen for people. Maybe through your church if you have one, or your kids' school if you have kids, or Scouts, or whatever. And also, just find an exercise partner. You'll show up because you don't want to let that person down, you know?

The thing is, doing fun stuff with people you enjoy is one of the best, cheapest and most effective cures for depression. And, this will have the massively great side-effect of keeping you in good shape for your next backpacking adventure too.

Take care and good luck,

Jane

[Dogwood]

I observe your post hike depressed scenario often regardless if someone has been diagnosed with depression or not. It tends to happen more frequently in cases of longer duration hikes or after spending significant periods in connection with Nature. IMO, its diagnosed far too frequently by doctors and strongly disagree with the often accompanying knee jerk prescribing of pharmaceutical drugs.

This is going to come off harsh but don't let the depression diagnosis be your crutch/excuse for gaining wt, living an unfulfilled humdrum like a bump on a log lifestyle, inactivity, and lack of Nature in your life. Don't let that diagnosis ultimately define who you are or your actions. Even a clinically depressed diagnosis DOES NOT HAVE TO encompass all that you are or do.

Don't act depressed or engage in a lifestyle common to depression. What do I mean by that? How do depressed people act physically? Slow, lethargic, lithless, shallow breathing, monotone voice, slumped shoulders and chin, physically inactive, poor posture, overly inwardly focused, squinted eyes, jamming junk food down their gullets while slipping into a dazed couch potato state OFTEN while ceding YOUR choice of living a directed deliberate lifestyles to the mass media, etc. Your physiology - how you hold your body - affects your emotional and mental states. That in turn has a consequence on your genes. Yes, all the way down to the sub cellular level. What am I saying? MOVE. STAND UP. Hold your body in direct opposite of how one does when depressed - chin and shoulders up and back. Correct your posture - stand straight with weight slightly leaning forward on your toes not on your heels - like you're at the starting line of a foot race. RAISE your voice and speak deliberately. THINK/DWELL upon a time when you felt the most happiness. How did you look, what did you dwell upon, what was your emotional state, etc when you felt most happy at your most powerful? Now do that! Emulate that state! Make yourself get back into that state. Bring yourself back to that place as most fully as you can. You don't actually need to be on the trail hiking to do that. YES, you can do these things regardless of being diagnosed with depression! Guess what happens when you do? You have a hard hard time feeling depressed when you can bring yourself back to these most empowering states of being. Forget the if's, and's or but's - do those things - right now. Don't just read this. Do it!

Did you ever win an award, complete a noted task(graduate college, bear a child, save for your first car, obtain a loan, finish something, do something totally unselfish, etc), etc. How did you feel. Get back to that feeling. Get back to those emotions. Get back to those thoughts. Get back to that physiology. Get back to that state of being. NOW, bring it forward into your current day to day activities and state of being.

Here's what the medical doctors will not likely tell you. In a very real sense applying these actions is a antidepressant "drug" too. READ THAT AGAIN. These actions when applied fully CHANGE your chemistry for the best. READ THAT AGAIN. The external you affects the internal you! When you change what's going on externally you change the internal. IT DOES NOT just work in the direction of the internal affecting the external. This is why your genes don't fully determine your destiny! You have a say in what happens, how you feel, how you act, and can create in your own body chemicals similar to the ones sold to you that are perhaps very more beneficial than the pharmaceutical drugs.

And, this is why I could put myself into such a depressed state by beginning with my physiology that I too COULD go to a doctor and allow myself to be saddled with a clinical depression diagnosis AND very likely allow myself to be given a antidepressant prescription(prescriptions?). I know that sounds silly but I could do it. Unfortunately, that happens. I will not allow myself to go emotionally, mental, or physically down that road that far though. Instead, I chose optimism, cheerfulness, high energy, gratitude, movement, joy, seeing myself as a positive contributor, seeing myself prosperous, blessed, fortunate, alert, and having a say in my destiny and behavior. I interrupt the patterns that lead to depression. I'm aware of them of them. HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS. Even though being diagnosed with clinical depression YOU CAN DO THAT TOO! Don't give into the excuses even if the doors to them have been opened by medical personnel. Start turning that depression around. Even a diagnosis of clinical depression DOES NOT entail having no choice of your actions/your behavior. That's BS if anyone tells you otherwise! Anti-depressants affect your ability to soberly choose. From everything you shared on your thread there are many indicators that you are capable of doing that - of putting the clinical depression behind you. You obviously have experienced doing it. NOW, REPEAT! APPLY WHAT GOT YOU THERE BEFORE TO WHATEVER EXTENT CAPABLE IN YOUR NON HIKING LIFE.

"So I did my first ever section hike in June. Springer to Fontana in ten days, and I have never been happier....So I got off the trail more mentally well than I have ever been in my life. Energized, full of life, excited to return to my family and the "real" world, and having lost 7 lbs."

WHY? More fully explore the WHYs of why you felt the most happiest ever, energized, full of life, excited, and healthier(?) and not anxiety ridden immediately post hike. You put you finger on some likely reasons by examining your endorphins but go deeper. It's deeper than that. There are more reasons potentially and probably. Follow me now. There's a damn good reason for doing this. * It will inform you on the WHYs this happened: "Four weeks later, having spent the interim month exercising very little and regaining all the weight, I got hit with the worst depressive cycle I have had in years. It really kicked my ass and now, two months later, I am finally recovering but still dealing with more anxiety than usual."...and allowing you to make better informed lifestyle changes that lead to a more empowering fulfilling non-anxiety ridden deliberately directed AWARE LIFE.

This shows you're thinking about it. Now, go deeper: "My theory is that, in the course of training for the trail (200+ miles of hiking) and hiking the trail (150+ miles), I got my system accustomed to a high level of endorphins and other great exercise-induced hormones. The weight loss also reduced my estrogen load. Then to stop the extreme exercise cold-turkey and to load up on fat (= estrogen storage) meant my body and brain chemistry went way out of whack post haste."

"...Missing the trail terribly. Doing it made me realize that I am a human who evolved over thousands of years to be physically active as a way of life and that modern life doesn't suit me at all. Or many of us for that matter."

I hear you loud and clear. If you explore what I suggested you'll better understand why people often miss the trail and can better connect your fulfilled hiking lifestyle/state with your non hiking lifestyle/state leading to a life lived more fully empowered, happier, and more aware AT BOTH TIMES by making some lifestyle changes. In doesn't have to be HUGE things you change either that have a HUGE positive effect on your LIFE. BTW, I agree with you about elements of "modern life" that's why I, AND YOU TOO, have the power to CHOOSE how to live, to CHOOSE your state of being. * DON'T CEDE THAT POWER TO CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY OVER TO OTHERS BY ATTEMPTING TO IGNORE YOUR CHOICES!

YOU have the power to choose, direct, contribute, and understand. What will you do with that power? You have a say in regulating your body chemistry including your endorphins and hormones. And, you don't always need a pharmaceutical prescribed drug to do it.
Here's a little sunshine for ya.Now go out and grab the real thing. BTW, abundant sunshine too elicits a happier disposition. The gloomiest or most overcast places in the U.S. have alarmingly high depression stats.

Go walk the dog. Breathe deeply. Hold the breath. Fully exhale. Repeat. Stomp in some puddles. Get dirty. Plant a vegetable garden. Stroll the county park. Rest along a waterfall or babbling brook. Volunteer doing trail maintenance, at a Botanical Garden. Do some yard work;doesn't have to be your yard where it's done. Donate something to those less financially fortunate. Introduce some folks to backpacking/the outdoors. Catch some fireflies, tadpoles, or butterflies; lots of fun with a few kids. Search the forest for some wild strawberries/blueberries/thimble berries. Change your music, and for that matter all that you surround yourself with and heed, to something more energetic with a positive uplifting message. Feel the sunshine and rain on your body. Take a stroll on the Barton Ck Greenbelt, River Place Nature Tr, or in the Wild Basin Preserve or summit Mt Bonnell. GO LIVE!

Here are some songs for ya that I have on my Mp3 player. - Indeed , Don't let anybody drag your spirit down. That anybody includes YOU!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds1faZB4QSc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWfSA8mxpVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCCGZh-TxK0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIct9ZyL2WA

[jdc5294]

The only reason I'm not quoting what Dogwood said is because I don't want to make people scroll unnecessarily. But yeah, what Dogwood said. As someone who used to struggle with depression I'll say what I'm about to say and not worry about looking insensitive. When I started going out and doing stuff for myself my depression evaporated. I realized that my "depression" was really just me sitting in my house on my computer feeling sorry for myself. Specifically with the AT, when I finished my thru I wasn't necessarily depressed about the simple fact that I wasn't hiking again, but I was a little down about the amount of commercialization in the world and also about how everyone around me seemed to find discomfort in situations that really weren't that bad. After days on end of rain walking 20+ miles a day over mountains, the fact that I got tomatoes on my hamburger when I asked for no tomatoes didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

That was just an example, I never got pissed over stuff like that.

Back to the broad picture, aside from doing the AT I started getting in shape and doing stuff like triathlons and marathons and I eventually joined the military and now I dive for the Army and get paid for it (occasionally I jump out of planes too). I'm a pretty extreme example but you get the idea. Perhaps your current lifestyle isn’t in line with what your mind really wants to be doing. Just my $0.02.

[illabelle]

Yep, agree with Dogwood, well, the parts I read anyway.
Kinda long-winded, that fella!
But he's right. Smiling when you feel blue can help to cheer you up. Moving when you feel tired can help to energize you. Etc.

[KDogg]

Scout - go see your doctor. You are getting very poor advice here from folks who don't understand clinical depression. I also suffer from this and take meds for it. It is not a question of smiling more and this is a ridiculous idea. We suffer from a disease that affects our brain chemistry. The complications from this disease are dangerous and not to be messed with. I agree that we shouldn't use this as a crutch and I don't.

I encourage all of you to watch this TED talk I posted below. This was a revelation to me the first time I heard it. I felt like I somebody truly understood me. If you don't have time to listen to the whole thing, please listen to the first few minutes where he describes what depression is and what it feels like.

http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_breel...ic?language=en

Please stop telling people with clinical depression to smile more. It actually has the opposite effect.


I'm with you Scout.

KDogg

[TwoSpirits]

What KDogg said.

Sent from...wait, where am I?

[Dogwood]

"Please stop telling people with clinical depression to smile more. It actually has the opposite effect."

You have a pt but offer it in a half truth. Smiling CAN worsen depression IN SOME INCIDENCES. That's different than what you said making smiling sound definitively bad for those receiving clinically depressed diagnosis. That's not so. The idea of smiling possibly increasing depression relates largely to faking a smile in order to hide negative feelings. I don't think that is what was being suggested. What it seems was suggested is actually smiling to CHANGE your feelings. BIG difference.

[greenmtnboy]

I'd try to do a top to bottom assessment of your life and the things that may be contributing to less qualitative mental health. As far as the physical goes, nothing beats a dedicated power hike without stumbling blocks or day to day stresses that most of us tolerate dealing with people who are not in the greatest shape to put it mildly. Be proud of your accomplishments and don't let the turkeys keep you down. Confront your phobias. And there are definitely connections between diet and all other physical inputs and our mental and spiritual health. Sugar, high glycemic foods, junk food, overeating, too much caffeine, etc., alcohol and poor nutrition in general are major threats to physical and mental and physical health. I have an older sister who was diagnosed with manic depressive quite a while ago, and is on tegretol, depacote, abilify, and other things and the doctors insist nothing change unless there are serious side effects. To each their own, there is always a way out of the forest through divine counsel and help from those who have gone down the same road.

[Dogwood]

I'd try to do a top to bottom assessment of your life and the things that may be contributing to less qualitative mental health. As far as the physical goes, nothing beats a dedicated power hike without stumbling blocks or day to day stresses that most of us tolerate dealing with people who are not in the greatest shape to put it mildly. Be proud of your accomplishments and don't let the turkeys keep you down. Confront your phobias. And there are definitely connections between diet and all other physical inputs and our mental and spiritual health. Sugar, high glycemic foods, junk food, overeating, too much caffeine, etc., alcohol and poor nutrition in general are major threats to physical and mental and physical health. I have an older sister who was diagnosed with manic depressive quite a while ago, and is on tegretol, depacote, abilify, and other things and the doctors insist nothing change unless there are serious side effects. To each their own, there is always a way out of the forest through divine counsel and help from those who have gone down the same road.

And, since Western trained medical doctors receive NO to a paltry sum of nutritional educational training aren't likely to make the diet/mental health/emotional well being whole being connection and therefore are likely to ignore that potential critical aspect of your health ESPECIALLY in the realm of psychiatry which overwhelmingly turns to drugs as a knee jerk method of treatment. The Western trained medical community is more concerned with coping with dis-ease than sometimes CURING it. It's been referred to as a disease care system not a health care system.