Summers are notoriously a high energy time for me. The sun + warm weather + long days + exciting outdoor bootcamps have me raring and ready to go. This summer has been a bit different.
I think because of the career transition I’m making and my hubby working in another state for a few months has me feeling a bit like being on a roller coaster with more dips than highs.
Argh! I want to be enjoying my summer and feeling upbeat and social but I’ve spent more than a few summer days locked away in my room trying to escape. Depression isn’t a word I throw around because it’s something I’ve struggled with quite a bit throughout my life, but I’m going through a bit of a summer depression.
I happen to be one of those peeps that lives it up when I’m feeling good and struggles through muddy, swampy waters when I’m not. I have days when I feel like:
- What’s the point.
- Life’s not going the way I want it to.
- I’d rather not engage or be around people.
- I’d just feel better if I did something (but I can’t seem to move my body through the cement).
- It’s never going to get better.
- I’m lost & overwhelmed.
I’ve worked through these feelings and states of mind over a large span of my life and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to learn tools to help me through it. Things that have helped me:
- Great friends I can count on to lift my spirits.
- A commitment to fitness and supporting others in theirs.
- Reaching out for support when I’m struggling.
- Working out & eating healthy.
- Programs and classes to help me develop a ‘tool box’ for living successfully even in the face of sporadic depression.
- Therapy.
- Therapy.
- Therapy.
If you’re someone who goes through these struggles you definitely understand the need for education, support, & encouragement for peeps who are suffering.
It can be embarrassing and uncomfortable to talk about. Many responses from those who don’t understand include:
- Just make a list and do what’s on it, you’ll feel better.
- Snap out of it.
- What do you have to be miserable about? You have way more to be happy about than most people in the world.
- You’re depressing to be around. Get it together.
- Why do you create so much drama for yourself.
- Think positively and you’ll feel better.
That’s why I love and adore my friend Amy Clover. She’s all about educating people about depression and inspiring those who suffer from it with lotsa love and actionable help + support to get them through.
She’s been through depression (a suicide plan nearly ended her precious life before she turned 30) and has turned her own suffering into a way to inspire and educate others who are going through the same experience.
You may remember last year when we had her out to visit for her 30X30 project and she taught some rocking bootcamp classes in Mpls, and continued touring the country sharing her mission.
Her mission has become a movement and she’s just launched her Strong Inside Out Tour which expands and elevates her work from last year to an unprecedented level of support for others, donating 50 % her fundraising efforts to TWOLA.
She’s putting together this year’s Strong Inside Out Tour in which she’ll be teaching intention-driven fitness classes in major cities across the US to empower people out of any kind of struggle.
By taking participants through the experience of fighting through a tough workout while incorporating strength-inspiring mantras, Amy believes that the strength they find in class will lead to a more resilient mindset in everyday life.
Please consider donating to Amy’s crowdfunding campaign and sharing the movement with your friends. Let’s make the world a better, stronger place. Click here to donate and share the movement.
Now for A Summer Challenge
I have supported Amy’s campaign but I’m also taking one more step because I know that giving back and taking action in my life is what leads me to being inspired and feeling better every day.
For the next 25 days (while Amy’s campaign is going on) I will be doing my own 10 minute workouts in 25 Minneapolis outdoor locations. I invite you to join me. Here’s what to do:
- Pick an awesome outdoor location in Minneapolis.
- Do 10 minutes of training; ie, running, rollerblading, squats, push ups, speed walking hills, dips, mountain climbers, & burpees.
- Post a pic of your workout spot on FB, Twitter, or Instagram with the following hashtags #siotour #25workoutsin25days.
- Commit to your challenge by donating to Amy’s campaign here. Every amount helps her get the funds needed to have a successful tour.
- If you can’t get a workout in every day, NO WORRIES! Post pics when you do a workout using the hashtags above and know that your donation is going to an amazing cause!
I’ll be posting here on the blog as well as pics to my FB page, Twitter, & Instagram. Follow along to see my workout spots and spread the love. Click To Tweet any of the below posts to show your support for Amy’s tour!
Have you struggled with depression and do you have your own insights on navigating mucky waters? Leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you! XOXO, LVA-
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