I am constantly and consistently nagged to spend more time outdoors. I am told it helps depression, I would feel better if I spent more time outside, and getting exercise. Since I hate doing both I've figured might as well kill two birds with one stone. The problem is how to make it tolerable.
I can't endure cold very well - I experience it as physical pain. If I'm out in the winter too much my extermities start to sting the same way as putting disinfectant into a wound stings. Trying to dress for the weather is an impossible task, I am either cold or then immediately start sweating and then freeze. I live in Northern Europe so it's cold for about six months out of the year.
The other problem is sunlight. Being in Northern Europe, the summers have significantly more sunlight than winters do, which makes summers just as unpleasant. I do not tan, at all, ever, I simply burn, and once the sunburn heals I'm just as bluish white as I was to begin with, and I hate the way sunscreen looks, feels and smells, and enduring it is just as bad as being burned.
If I was living in a climate where it actually gets dark in summer nights and the winters aren't intolerably cold, I could imagine being outdoors would be tolerable after sunset, but where I live there isn't a single time of the year when it isn't either too cold or too sunny outside for it to be endurable.
I don't particularly enjoy wind or rain, either, having wind burn my skin either hurts just as bad as cold or sunburns, or at least feels as disgusting as sunscreen, and the same goes for being wet.
How do I make being outdoors more pleasant, or at least tolerable enough to make myself endure it as often as I'm told I'm supposed to?
i would try not being a homosexual and see how it goes
Unfortunately not an option. I'll suck wiener whenever convenient, but that is not the current problem at hand.
not sure i can help ya friend. you're either an outdoors kind of person of you're not. I'm not big on exercise but I still enjoy nature walks. something about being out in a forest just feels good to me. and if you lack that I'm not sure there's anything you can do to force it.
Then what do I tell the people who keep nagging me to do it? I'm sick of hearing it.
have you explained to these people your reasons for not going outdoors? otherwise tell them that they're not your mom/dad and you'll go where you place. if it is your parents try coming back to PrepHole when you turn 18
I have tried to explain it, but they keep telling me to keep doing it until I stop hating it, arguing that I can't get over having depression unless I learn to endure time outdoors.
>I have tried to explain it, but they keep telling me to keep doing it until I stop hating it, arguing that I can't get over having depression unless I learn to endure time outdoors.
And they're 100% right, literally just stop being a b***h and do it.
40 minutes exercise a day minimum, when you're moving around you don't get as cold. Your circulation gradually improves as you do this, the cold doesn't feel as bad, you get used to it.
>I don't!
You do. If you don't you haven't done it enough.
>It physically hurts!
No it doesn't, you are mentally ill. Just stop being mentally ill.
Yeah this, but in a different way. Regularity is key. Either you do what this anon says and commit to doing crazy outdoor stuff or you do it every day, just a little 2 or 3 mile walk every single day.
Once you actually do something like a 10 mile hike in poor weather though the rest of them seem easy. Pushing yourself further makes the easier ones seem easier. If that is completely undoable for you then just go outside every day and do some pointless, meaningless routine walk. Walk to a store or something, buy a 1 dollar lotto tcket there, and return home. You get used to it, at some point you see a decent day outside and actually want to go out.
Yup. Literal children can do it, OP. We had kids in scouts who were like 13 years old who had to sleep outside in a shelter they made for the night in a mosquito-filled area, they did it. They were fine, they b***hed a lot but less than you did.
Actual children are capable of going outdoors and having fun, you are sheltered and oversocialized.
Basically OP just get out of your own head, you constantly make threads and wonder if you should do XYZ and you talk to your therapist and you talk, talk, talk. Just stop fricking talking, stop thinking, get out of your head and drop the narcissism. The one thing I notice with depressed people is that they never leave their own head. Live in the outside world instead of headspace
>they keep telling me to keep doing it until I stop hating it
They're taking a swift kick up the ass approach which is wrong, but it isn't that hard to comply. Are you shut into a room while staring at a computer screen all day? I'm not looking to dox you OP but can you tell us where's you're located? Like just the country and city or province or state and nothing exact. There's people here like myself that do things like bird watching or going on picnics with friends outdoors or just finding a good spot to see the stars at night
I live in Finland. 70% of the country is forest and I've been dragged out there so many times in my life and no matter what, I hate it every time.
I don't work in front of a screen but I do my work in front of a desk - alternating between sitting at my desk, standing, or other variations of weird positions that my girlfriend refers to as "goblin mode" like slavsquatting on my seat, and sitting on the floor to work.I don't have back pain or other physical issues than my inability to sleep.
Sorry for the poor english and sorry I can't stay up late to reply to further comments, but if your friends and loved ones are stressing that you "need to go outside" I'm getting strong shut-in vibes from you. Depression is a kick in the dick and the balls that only you can fix in the end and you really need to do just do it. It seems impossible until that one day that someone invites you somewhere and you agree to get taken outside your comfort zone. I don't know you but I know the way you feel all to well. Stare at the muddy slope and get creative with how to climb it and quit caring how messy you get. Enjoy drinking whiskey by the campfire with strangers. Do things that test what you think you can do and then do it again. Test that last thing you did and make a new record.
If you're as sad and depressed as I was you'll muster all your energy and say "yes, I will do this dangerous activity that has a chance of injury or death with friends" and just conqueror it
It's not friends and loved ones, it's people on the internet and my therapist. My partner is an absolute introvert - back in the early times of COVID, she recalls the year as remarkably uneventful because being in quarantine literally did not change her regular habits at all.
I am an extrovert and a people person. I just hate sports and exercise and don't know how to make them tolerable.
I am seeing a therapist once per week. She's the one who suggested I should try exercising outdoors.
Okay OP. I know how it is to say that you're fine when you might not be fine. When dealing with depression you might experience a big crash inside your head where you don't want to deal with your therapist. Can I give you an emergency phone number if you need it?
Alright OP. be kind to yourself and I wish you luck. Go for a walk in a park and try camping in your backyard if you have one. Setting up a tent in view of your own house can be really fun. Love your partner dearly and thank them for putting up with your struggle. Eat well and look at doing fun things with them like kayaking
Hey OP, I am going to tell you something from my own experience.
I am norwegian and when I studied I hit a ruff patch in life. The pointy is I do not like living in cities and when I studied I lived in a city with over 200 000 people witch is a huge city in norwegian standards.
I would walk to a lake in the forrest, not very far away 40min to 1 hour walk one way depending on pace. I would make a fire and eat a grilled cheese or grill some sausages or whaterver. This was also an combined activity as leisure and exercise. I did this probobly to get away from day to day life and to get some solitude for my mind.
So my advise I guess is to find an activity that you enjoy outside and that activity does not have to be super time consuming or exhausting, and a goal of the ouside activity helps, like for me to...
>walk to lake
>make fire
>eat food (lunch)
>chill til fire is dead (my favorite)
>walk home
I suppose this can be called "me time"
Okay I understand. I get where you're coming from as a fellow depressed person that also lives in an snowy alpine area. Have you been medically diagnosed with depression and are you taking medications for it, or are you just down in the dumps? If I was in your locality I would buy a telescope and spend a few hours a night on the roof with a telescope and a hot flask of soup
Do the have the ability to take that desk elsewhere?
I was diagnosed with depression the first time when I was 14. I'm from one of those families that has one suicide per generation on average, and I've been on pretty much every antidepressant they thought of to try. Getting diagnosed for ADHD and properly medicated for it fixed things for a while, but after two years on concerta, the effect is wearing off.
No, not really, and I don't think my inks would like being out in the sun, wind and rain any more than I personally do.
I take vitamins daily, out of habit.
Do you need someone to talk to on a platform outside of PrepHole?
No judgement: You need to throw yourself in the deep end and just do it. Nobody endures cold very well, or hot, or getting drenched in rain and bitten by bugs. You're not special or unique by experiencing pain from these things: everyone else feels the same. The outdoors becomes "pleasant and tolerable" when you reach the top of that hill you're climbing, or crawl into that tent after the snow storm. Or you're just sitting in a clearing 30mins walk from your car after setting up a cheap walmart tent and reading a book by the fire. It doesn't matter how far away from home you are or your physical abilities or how much your equipment costs: Just Go Outside and sleep a single night in a strange place that isn't your own bed and report back
>I am told it helps depression
It absolutely does 200%. The outdoors doesn't fix you like a magic pill, but it makes you realize how great the mundane things in your regular daily life are. Like having a flushing toilet and a refrigerator and an actual bed, and it changes the way you look about food when you can't wait to crack open a can of beans or eat a candy bar. Putting yourself in a strange environment brings out all sorts of alien feelings like hunger and exhaustion and physical pain that you don't feel while moping around the house like a sad sack of shit, and you come back to your regular life with a feeling of being 10ft tall and victorious and made of gold, and you might even develop some healthy eating habits out of it.
Ignore the hateful /in/lets and just give it a try. I believe in you and I'm here for you OP
I've been through what you're going through and I can give you an email or a steam address if you need someone to talk to. I've been through the same thing and know how difficult it can be to speak with friends and family about things in your head and how a complete stranger can help
I appreciate the offer, but this is something I've talked about with my friends and my therapist before, and still keep going in circles.
100% this, I can go for a damn 2-3 day little weekend outing and then have a full week of being happy just from having a fridge and being able to poo in loo.
Plus ofc the other mood heighteners of having exercised, having been outside, not dealing with the internet etc.
Also, even if you're hiking trails that are basically just walking on an even path, you do burn a decent amount of calories just by going even 20-30km per day.
i've heard that part of why going outside helps with depression is because you're gotten vitamin d from the sun. so maybe try taking vitamin d pills instead and see if that helps with the depression?
You are the biggest fricking pussy i have ever heard of in my life. I'm not even kidding. You ask the question "How do I learn to tolerate being outdoors?" My brother in Christ its hard for me to tolerate being inside. Just go outside. If you are too warm take off clothes, to cold put more on. If you cant do either then you fricking deal with it. Stop complaining and just do it. All you did was make up excuses why outdoors suck and how its uncomfortable. Have you read any philosophy? All of life is uncomfortable. Life isn't fair. Quit trying to use "Northern Europe" as an excuse. I live in Minnesota where it gets up to 95 in the summer and -40 (with Windchill) in the winter. There is always worse. It really sounds to me like you have other problems than dealing with the outside. Good Luck.
you are not going to make it
Of course its a cathomosexual
Okay anon, there's a lot of lying homosexuals in this itt thread. "Go outside anon, it's literally panacea". "Oh suck it up buttercup, everyone hates cold". All of them kiss men on the mouth or are israelites or both.
Here's what they're not telling you: you don't just "go outside". You go Somewhere to do Something. If you don't have that figured out, it will do jack shit to help with depression, and will literally just make you sick, tired and miserable. Figure outwhat is it that you'd be interested in doing outdoors, then figure out a location. It can be as simple as a roadside picnic, doesn't matter. What matters is that you set a goal and reach it, that's the thing that cures depression. As a matter of fact, this works without even going outdoors.
Finland climate is shit. The winters are cold, the sun is harsh, it's always windy and humid. Being PrepHole in Finland is not fun by itself, unless you really like to challenge yourself, and if you're depressed i'd bet you're in no condition to do so.
In short: thread is full of lying israeli homosexuals, set goals and reach them, but also maybe consider having a snack in your car with windows rolled down, that's a good first step. I wish youthe best of luck fighting depression.
>do shit
not necessarily
for me a fire, the warmth of the sun, the smell of oxygen from the evergreens, the rustle of wind and creaking limbs?
it brings forth memories of simpler and happier times.
it is comforting.
vape weed when your outing. the best times to smoke /vape are when you have a great view on the side of a mtn.
>muh weed
If you can't enjoy being PrepHole without drugs, then you should stay the frick indoors
Extremely blackpilling this guy has a gf and I don't
It's over
These people aren't telling you to go live innawoods or hike for four days straight in the cold and rain. They're telling you to go for a walk for like half an hour. Around the block, up the hill, along the river, through the botanic gardens, to the shops even. Just leave the house and get some stimuli you don't usually get. You don't need to do anything that you need to "make tolerable".
Do you like dogs? Go to a dog park and watch other people's dogs. It's nice.
Part of the fun is dealing with the challenges. You need a new mindset.
Cannabis
Do a sport or something with friends, if you are friendless (PrepHole, understandable) pretend you like photography or will use the photos you take as drawing references or for backgrounds of a game you want to make. I have the same thing and like to walk when i am listening to something or focusing on the future (day dreaming), you'll be healthier if you feel good exercising so sports are also good. People generally are willing to go outside if there's another goal, but if there's no reason to go outside the whole process will be intolerable regardless (related,he's in the desert or something with the sun in his eyes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIuqVjPvN6k&t=20s
How could you not like being out doors?
Start with a good pair of earbuds and just listen to youtube videos while you PrepHole. This helps you to not get bored or to "want" to be inside. As for the clothing situation, just fricking get over it. With the right clothes, you should be comfortable in literally any environment. You're gonna have to suck it up and buy weather appropriate clothes. You should have the ability to sit comfy in 0° and 38° respectively and if you don't, you need to buy and wear better clothes. Same thing for the sunscreen and hot weather. Just cover up, wear a long sleeve sunshirt and pants, lather up in sunscreen, get a brimmed hat.
Another thing that helps to is to have a target while PrepHoleing. When you go into the woods or hills, you should be trying to find something. Examples are mushrooms, herbs, berries, minerals, fossils, skulls, antlers, artifacts, gold, war relics, living plants, flowers, insects, animal photography, fishing, hunting wild game, metal detecting, and so on. Having a point to your adventure helps to keep you outside once you are there. Find something you like that comes from the woods and just go out and find them. The dopamine hit is just 10/10 once you find what you are looking for.
solid advice anon
There are many different kinds of "outdoors".
I personally like hiking and climbing in forested and mountainous areas. You don't get burned by the sun as much if you are in a forest and it doesn't get as hot or windy.
Otherwise it's a matter of buying the right clothes. If you wear cheap synthetic shit then sweat is going to accumulate on your skin. And that's unpleasant both in summer and winter. Also get a hat for the sun.
Ask a doctor about your cold problem, you may have a medical condition. Otherwise, try training it in controlled situations - saunas and cold showers might help.
Concerning the light, long sleeved everything and a big hat should do the trick.
Neither of this will help if you just dislike the outdoors, which I understand - I also dislike aspects of it, I just like other aspects more. Consider instead doing stuff indoors, but out of your home. Sports, crafts and arts, stuff like that. It will help you and go a good ways of shutting up your family - sorry mom, I just like martial arts more than hiking, shame it's only inside the gym.