i keep seeing posts on tumblr that are like "go outside! exercise! read a book!" but it's often framed in a condescending way by jackasses talking to you like you're a child. i think the advice can be useful though so here's a hopefully non-dickish attempt:
~ exercise is important for mental health and has benefits for anxiety and depression over the long and short term (source). though it's not the end all be all or as effective as therapy and medication, it is true that exercise has physical and psychological benefits.
"but what if exercise is difficult for me?" that's OK! i'm a chronic pain sufferer with back and leg problems, and i use a walker and am in a physical therapy program. it's perfectly fine to exercise for only small periods, and to take as much rest as you need to. exercise when you feel capable of it and don't push yourself. also remember that walking around your house, playing fitness games like ring fit for a few minutes, stretching, and other physical activities are all forms of exercise.
speaking of chronic pain, if you have abnormal pain or discomfort moving or exercising, consider a physical therapist. "abnormal" here does include "i'm 30 years old and i'm in pain all the time" - you shouldn't be, and if you haven't already, that's a concern that you should bring up with a doctor if possible.
Adding my two cents to the reading part of this, it's amazing how many people don't count listening to audiobooks or audio fiction as "reading." I got really depressed for years because I "wasn't reading any more" because of a combination of poor vision and intensifying ADHD, when in fact I was actually consuming huge amounts of fiction and nonfiction in audio form because that let me "read" while I was doing other stuff! Just because you're consuming something with your ears doesn't mean it doesn't have the benefits of reading, so don't put yourself down if that's all you can do - and if you, like me, can't really read big blocks of text any more but still want to consume books, consider looking for audiobooks! Most if not all libraries should have a big selection of them for free these days.
Great addition! I have a close friend who "reads" regularly through audiobooks, and as a result they've actually gotten much further into The Locked Tomb than I have haha. Audiobooks are an amazing tool, and one I really want to start making use of myself!
