Hiking with clinical depression/anxiety

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julie ann

i am 54 and have suffered from anxiety and depression since as long back as i can remember. some time this year i made a conscious decision that i will no longer permit it to hold me back any longer. taking medication helps the anxiety for me, but doesn't even touch my fear of the unknown. i'm planning a thru in 2012, and plan to hike actually for the next three years. i have multiple fears to face and i WILL face them. i look at it this way: i can stay locked in my safe world - and STILL have anxiety, or i can do what i have always wanted to do, and deal with it. the anxiety is going to be there no matter what i do - it's the way i'm built, but i would rather have the anxiety doing what i WANT to do in stead of worry about never being able to have a life the way i want it.

hope this helps.

TV

[SassyWindsor]

I wouldn't recommend hiking the AT if there's any chance you might become a jumper.

[Boundless1234]

Hello there!<br><br>I was really excited to see this thread so I HAD to post!&nbsp; I am a 21 year old student of Psychology and I am also clinically diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.&nbsp; I haven't thru hiked yet, I'm piecing it together through 250 mile sections (I've made it from Georgia to Damascus VA in two, three-week sections. I've been in therapy and on medications on and off for two years,however I still ended up staying in a mental health facility for a week this past spring.&nbsp; I'm on Welbutrin XR right now, which I take twice a day and I also have Kolonopin as needed for anxiety.&nbsp; <br><br>Suffering from depression has never kept me from hiking, in all honesty I look forward to my anual three weeks as my own, personal kind of therapy.&nbsp; Being outdoors has always been a release for me and I find that I have more symptoms of depression when I haven't been hiking for a while.&nbsp; The first trip I did was from March 28th to April 18th in '09.&nbsp; I didn't have a handle on my depression at this point so there were some downs.&nbsp; I can recall atleast 3 or 4 days that ended with a lot of tears and clinical symptoms like hopelessness, worthlessness, apathy, etc.&nbsp; However it should be noted that those days consisted of snow, fog, rain, mud, and every other undesirable hiking condition you can think of so I'm not sure if the breakdowns were something that most other hikers would experience in similiar settings or if they were due to my disorder.&nbsp; Other than those few days though.....boy....I don't think I had ever felt as alive, invigerated, and passionate about life as I did during my first section hike and during each subsequent hike since!&nbsp; Upon returning home I felt complete relief from all symptoms of depression for atleast two or three months, but I started my college career and time was hard to find so I ended up falling into an especially rough low.&nbsp; <br><br>The second trip I took was this past spring where I picked up where I left off in SMNP.&nbsp; I had just gotten out of the mental health facility about two months prior and had weaned myself off the meds that I had been on (the highest does of two antidepressants along with kolonopin).&nbsp; Again, I FELT AMAZING!&nbsp; Such an inspirational renewal of my opinion of the world.&nbsp;&nbsp; Another depression free three weeks that easily make the peak of my happiness that summer.&nbsp; I intended on staying out for three months and finishing the entire first half however, as a poor college student with poor financial planning, it was cut to three weeks again.&nbsp; I was so upset about having to leave the trail early that I ended up slowly slippling into another depressive episode over the course of three months.&nbsp; I&nbsp;incorporated holistic wellness activities into my life like yoga, meditation, and some other supplements which worked well for a while but they just weren't enough. &nbsp;I was put back on medication in September of this year.&nbsp; Now that I am finally establishing a stable base-line for my mood due to the meds, I am reintroducing the yoga and meditation and am planning my next section for May of this year!&nbsp; I'm really looking forward to this hike because I think I will be able to keep the positive attitude going after I return home this time.<br><br>Do not EVER let a mental disorder keep you from having this experience! I made sure to keep in touch with my therapist and my psychiatrist before and after the hike so that they knew how I was doing and they were very supportive.&nbsp; My suggestions though, don't go out if you're in the middle of a depressive episode until you are more experienced with your gear, hiking, and how you react to trail life.&nbsp; After being out of town for a couple of days, making long miles, and dealing with rain and mud....it can be easy to let your mind slip into a depressed state.&nbsp; Get yourself some good books on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, learn a few yoga poses, and take up some light meditation in order to gain control of your mind and ultimately your emotions and thoughts. "Feeling Good: The new mood therapy" by David Burns (maybe $10)has helped me identify the negative, automatic thoughts I have that induce and propel my depression and showed me how to combat them.&nbsp; Also, if you're interested in a bit of a spiritual journey (by spiritual I do not mean religious...its much more of a personal perspective of the world than anything that involves a diety, rules, and rituals)&nbsp;&nbsp; try "Infinite Possibilities" by Mike Dooley.&nbsp; This book covers the topic of "thoughts become things."&nbsp; Through my study of Psychology (working toward my PhD) I have found over and over and over again that the way a person thinks will have a direct impact on their behavior and that behavior will, in turn, have a direct effect on their thoughts.&nbsp; By changing the way that we think about things and events, we are able to change the way that we percieve them and are then able to think more positively about our lives in general.&nbsp; <br><br>I leave you with a thought that has become my personal life motto "Events happen, they are neither good nor bad.&nbsp; It is how we perceive those events that causes them to <strong>become</strong> positive or negative experiences."&nbsp; <br><br>((Pretty please excuse my spelling...its New Years Day lol))<br><br>-Boundless

[Boundless1234]

Hello there!

I was really excited to see this thread so I HAD to post! I am a 21 year old student of Psychology and I am also clinically diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. I haven't thru hiked yet, I'm piecing it together through 250 mile sections (I've made it from Georgia to Damascus VA in two, three-week sections. I've been in therapy and on medications on and off for two years,however I still ended up staying in a mental health facility for a week this past spring.&nbsp; I'm on Welbutrin XR right now, which I take twice a day and I also have Kolonopin as needed for anxiety.

Suffering from depression has never kept me from hiking, in all honesty I look forward to my anual three weeks as my own, personal kind of therapy. Being outdoors has always been a release for me and I find that I have more symptoms of depression when I haven't been hiking for a while. The first trip I did was from March 28th to April 18th in '09. I didn't have a handle on my depression at this point so there were some downs.&nbsp; I can recall atleast 3 or 4 days that ended with a lot of tears and clinical symptoms like hopelessness, worthlessness, apathy, etc. However it should be noted that those days consisted of snow, fog, rain, mud, and every other undesirable hiking condition you can think of so I'm not sure if the breakdowns were something that most other hikers would experience in similiar settings or if they were due to my disorder. Other than those few days though.....boy....I don't think I had ever felt as alive, invigerated, and passionate about life as I did during my first section hike and during each subsequent hike since! Upon returning home I felt complete relief from all symptoms of depression for atleast two or three months, but I started my college career and time was hard to find so I ended up falling into an especially rough low.

The second trip I took was this past spring where I picked up where I left off in SMNP. I had just gotten out of the mental health facility about two months prior and had weaned myself off the meds that I had been on (the highest does of two antidepressants along with kolonopin). Again, I FELT AMAZING! Such an inspirational renewal of my opinion of the world. Another depression free three weeks that easily make the peak of my happiness that summer.&nbsp; I intended on staying out for three months and finishing the entire first half however, as a poor college student with poor financial planning, it was cut to three weeks again. I was so upset about having to leave the trail early that I ended up slowly slippling into another depressive episode over the course of three months. I incorporated holistic wellness activities into my life like yoga, meditation, and some other supplements which worked well for a while but they just weren't enough. I was put back on medication in September of this year. Now that I am finally establishing a stable base-line for my mood due to the meds, I am reintroducing the yoga and meditation and am planning my next section for May of this year. I'm really looking forward to this hike because I think I will be able to keep the positive attitude going after I return home this time.

Do not EVER let a mental disorder keep you from having this experience! I made sure to keep in touch with my therapist and my psychiatrist before and after the hike so that they knew how I was doing and they were very supportive. My suggestions though, don't go out if you're in the middle of a depressive episode until you are more experienced with your gear, hiking, and how you react to trail life. After being out of town for a couple of days, making long miles, and dealing with rain and mud....it can be easy to let your mind slip into a depressed state. Get yourself some good books on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, learn a few yoga poses, and take up some light meditation in order to gain control of your mind and ultimately your emotions and thoughts. "Feeling Good: The new mood therapy" by David Burns (maybe $10)has helped me identify the negative, automatic thoughts I have that induce and propel my depression and showed me how to combat them. Also, if you're interested in a bit of a spiritual journey (by spiritual I do not mean religious...its much more of a personal perspective of the world than anything that involves a diety, rules, and rituals) try "Infinite Possibilities" by Mike Dooley. This book covers the topic of "thoughts become things." Through my study of Psychology (working toward my PhD) I have found over and over and over again that the way a person thinks will have a direct impact on their behavior and that behavior will, in turn, have a direct effect on their thoughts. By changing the way that we think about things and events, we are able to change the way that we percieve them and are then able to think more positively about our lives in general.

I leave you with a thought that has become my personal life motto "Events happen, they are neither good nor bad. It is how we perceive those events that causes them to become positive or negative experiences."

((Pretty please excuse my spelling...its New Years Day lol))

-Boundless

[Boundless1234]

And one more thing...I really need to comment on this:

"I wouldn't recommend hiking the AT if there's any chance you might become a jumper. "

Please do not take this the wrong way.... if you do not personally suffer from clinical depression/anxiety or if you have not ever experience what it is like to consider suicide then this will be very hard to understand.

When people ask me how, as a woman,how I can go out into the "wilderness" (lol, the AT as wilderness) alone for weeks at a time and not fear for my life whether by accident or cruel intention....I can only tell them one thing. I would much rather die doing things that I love and am passionate about than not do those things and live. I have faced Death and she is a tough woman to stomach...but I accept that everyone will die when their time comes. I think that every person that has faced suicidal thoughts and turned away from them can agree that death is not something to be afraid of, it is simply a part of life.

I'm not suggesting that people who are suicidal should go out of their way to isolate themselves in the woods under harsh conditions for long periods of time....but don't let that possibility keep you from undertaking one of the greatest adventures of your life. If I went suicidal on the AT.......I couldn't imagin any other way I would want to go.