Skip to content
Need to talk to someone now?Lifeline 13 11 14MensLine 1300 78 99 78Emergency 000More options →

How to handle it — using your body to shift your head

When the mind's stuck, the fastest lever is often the body.

You're low and heavy and the idea of exercise feels impossible.

— Right now

  • Don't aim for a workout — aim for shoes on and out the door. Start absurdly small.
  • Ten minutes of walking shifts mood chemistry. You don't have to feel like it first.
  • Daylight on your face early does real work on a flat head.

— Don't

  • Don't wait to feel motivated. With low mood, action comes first and the feeling follows.

— Later

  • Regular movement is one of the strongest things going for mood. Small and often beats heroic.

More on this → The body–mind link

Body & mind: the short version

  1. 1.Flat? Shoes on, out the door — start absurdly small.
  2. 2.Action first, motivation follows.
  3. 3.Wired? Burn it off, then long exhales.
  4. 4.Fix one basic: sleep, food, move, sunlight.
  5. 5.Ten minutes of walking shifts mood chemistry.
Doing it tough?Call Lifeline 13 11 14