Author Topic: Skating to help depression  (Read 14932 times)

Daydreamer

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 311
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2009, 07:27:54 pm »
Worried and stressed out?  At Ally Pally you appeared a picture of calmness and serenity :)  We need another Ally Pally skate when hanca's back to full fitness.

Sarah

Aww, thanks.  And you seemed very cheerful at Ally Pally.  Another forum meetup would be great; I haven't been skating as much as I'd like at the moment.

Started skating: 9/1/08
Started Skate UK: 8/3/09
Passed Levels 1-3: 29/3/09
Passed Level 4: 24/5/09
Passed Level 5: 5/7/09
Passed Level 6: 16/8/09
Passed Level 7: 6/12/09
Passed Level 8: 19/2/11

Trayo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1660
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2009, 08:35:50 pm »
I get very depressedabout my condition at times.  I hate the way it limits my life so much and has curbed my previous physical lifestyle.  I used to marathon walk, things like the Penine Way etc, and would walk a minimum of 15 miles a day just for fun.  I have always loved walking, cycling, used to long-distance rollerblade too.

Then it all fell apart with the meningitis and it ook me a long time to come to terms with the way in which my life had changed :(

We took the kids skating in December.  I used to skate for fun in my late teens (nothing except basic forward and backwards skating though) but hadn't been eince (I'm now 38 - 39 in a few days' time  :-[ ) but I had no idea how I would manage.  I decided to try it - nothing ventured and all that - and was absolutely thrilled at the speed I could gain with very little effort.  My average walking speed now is less than 1mph, yet on ice I could fairly fly by!

I need medication to control my balance and the nerve spasms I have been left with, and the sheer amount of drugs I ned just to function basically have the side-effect of depression.  I have to work very hard at controlling it - I've always been very prone to it anyway, and have always used physical exercise as my best form of medication.  I always sound like some army PT instructor because I advise most people with depression to get outside more, to do more physical stuff, as I firmly believe the body and mind have a deep need for physical exercise in order to function at their best.

The biggest factor for me on the ice is that i relax.  When I walk it is high impact, painful, and - without the speed I used to have - tedious.  I'd still rather do it than sit indoors though! 

When I skate I relax.  The impact is much lower than when I walk (I have a certain amount of drop-foot so I have to high-step in walking) and the boots support my ankle and stop most of the foot drop (I still get some which is painful - you can't stay upright when that happens  :P ).

But most of all I feel like a child with dreams.  I know I'll never be anything of a skater, I'm too old, knackered and fat for that, but I *feel* graceful on the ice, I feel comfortable and it means I don't think about the pain I experience on moving.

So skating helps me not just mentally, but physically too.  My consultant said that, without the skating, my condition would have worsened by a far greater degree, but the muscle tone is improving which will slow down considerably the speed of degeneration.

eunicexie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1747
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2009, 07:58:47 am »
Hi Sarah

 Did not know that you suffer from depression. The last time I saw you in Queens, you were so cheerful, just like a normal acting person.

Hi Trayo

 Glad to know that skating is helping with your condition.

Eunice Xie (aka londonicechamp)


eunicexie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1747
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2009, 08:00:50 am »
Hi

 Well, I won't classify myself as suffering from depression. However, the thing that I notice is that whenever I go skating, I can forget about all my troubles, and be carefree again. I seem to relax more during my skating.

Eunice Xie (aka londonicechamp)


hanca

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1817
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #15 on: September 09, 2009, 10:09:19 am »
We need another Ally Pally skate when hanca's back to full fitness.

Sarah

I was wondering, what about 3.10 or 4.10, or the week later 10.10. or 11.10 ?

caffn8me

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3166
  • Womble on ice (Novice)
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #16 on: September 09, 2009, 10:18:56 am »
I'm away on holiday until 5th October but the weekend after that (10th/11th) would be great.  Let's see what Daydreamer can do.

Sarah


Skate UK start: 24/02/09
Met The Ice Mouse: 27/03/09
Broke wrist: 24/04/09
NISA L1 FM pass: 29/03/10
English Style Prelim test: 7/08/11
Working on: L2, L3, L4 FM, L1 Comp.Dance

Spiders on coffee

The ice mouse

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 6434
  • I have met a real live Womble - Caffn8me
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #17 on: September 09, 2009, 03:43:46 pm »
A saturday would be better for me as I can travel overnight on the Friday

The Ice Mouse

I prefer frozen ice. I will try anything once. I

hanca

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1817
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #18 on: September 09, 2009, 06:42:31 pm »
Wow, Ice Mouse, you would be willing to travel all that distance to see me (and have another lovely skate at the Ally Pally)?  :o  Thank you!  :-* 

caffn8me

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3166
  • Womble on ice (Novice)
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #19 on: September 09, 2009, 09:38:02 pm »
This morning was a prime example of how my depression can affect me.  I have a lesson tomorrow morning and as I've been away in Oxford and only had my last lesson on Friday I have had very little time to practise.  Much less than usual.

I had a Pilates class today at 2pm so that meant I had to leave the rink at 1.30pm.  My original plan was to get to the rink for 8.30am which would give me plenty of time.

Could I get myself moving?  No.  I wanted to skate and I needed to skate but I didn't get to the rink until noon in the end.  I just couldn't do it any earlier.  I have days like that.  Too often.

When I finally got to the rink, it was lovely.  There were only half a dozen people skating when I got there and only four when I left.  Now the school holidays are over it was good ice and empty!

I have my lesson at 8am in the morning so I'm going to get an early night in the hope that I might be there at about 7am to get the practice I should have done today.

Trayo, it's wonderful to hear how skating is helping you with yout health problems and congratulations on the three jump.  Wow!  That's a real achievement.  It'll be a while before I'm doing anything like that.

Ezika, thank you for contributing as much as you have.  I think that there will be other members of the forum who also suffer from various mental health issues who find that skating helps but they have yet to feel able to talk about their problems openly.  You have - well done!

It's very easy for me to appear to others to be happy - I just can't do it to myself :(

Sarah


Skate UK start: 24/02/09
Met The Ice Mouse: 27/03/09
Broke wrist: 24/04/09
NISA L1 FM pass: 29/03/10
English Style Prelim test: 7/08/11
Working on: L2, L3, L4 FM, L1 Comp.Dance

Spiders on coffee

Daydreamer

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 311
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #20 on: September 09, 2009, 11:19:09 pm »
I'm away on holiday until 5th October but the weekend after that (10th/11th) would be great.  Let's see what Daydreamer can do.

Sarah

The 10th/11th would be absolutely fine for me.  I can do any time on the 10th, but I could only make the afternoon session on the 11th.

Started skating: 9/1/08
Started Skate UK: 8/3/09
Passed Levels 1-3: 29/3/09
Passed Level 4: 24/5/09
Passed Level 5: 5/7/09
Passed Level 6: 16/8/09
Passed Level 7: 6/12/09
Passed Level 8: 19/2/11

caffn8me

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3166
  • Womble on ice (Novice)
Re: Skating to help depression
« Reply #21 on: September 09, 2009, 11:38:01 pm »
My vote is for the 10th then as The Ice Mouse would find that easier too.

Sarah


Skate UK start: 24/02/09
Met The Ice Mouse: 27/03/09
Broke wrist: 24/04/09
NISA L1 FM pass: 29/03/10
English Style Prelim test: 7/08/11
Working on: L2, L3, L4 FM, L1 Comp.Dance

Spiders on coffee



 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy