Research proves that people who exercise regularly are mentally and emotionally healthier and have a reduced risk of mental illness. Read Diana’s inspirational story as we continue our series about exercise and mental health.

There’s a very strong link between mental health and physical health. Physical activity stimulates chemicals in your brain that help reduce stress and make you feel good. This connection is something I didn’t know about for a very long time, but it’s made a big difference in my life.

I suffered from severe depression for 20 years. At times, I couldn’t get out of bed, it was too much of an effort to brush my teeth, everything was awful. I got help but that’s not an overnight cure. It was years of medication and therapy and struggling.

By the time I started feeling better, I was in really bad shape physically. I was really overweight and totally inactive. I would wait for an elevator instead of walking up one flight of stairs. You justify things to yourself—it’s been a tough day so it’s okay if I eat this whole big bag of chips. The bus is coming in a few minutes so I’ll wait so I can take it to the next stop rather than walking a block. This is just the way I am, this is the body shape I was meant to have.

I wish I knew what my “aha” moment was. At one point I decided enough was enough. I started watching what I ate and I started moving more. I would sometimes get off the bus a stop early and walk the rest of the way home. Then two stops early. And eventually I was walking to and from work, which at the time was about a half hour each way. I started losing weight—what really worked for me was tracking my food—and started falling in love with walking.

As my physical activity level increased, my mental health kept improving, and I got to the point where I was finally medication free.

A couple of years later my cousin and his then girlfriend (now wife) decided to train for and run a 5km race. They asked if I wanted to come along. When I started running, I couldn’t even run the short end of a block. But I built up what I could do over several weeks, did a “Couch to 5k” program, and ran the race. That weekend was so fun. The running part was really hard, but everything else about it was so much fun.

At first I took big stretches of time off running (like, who runs in the winter)? But I kept walking, I bought a kayak, and got back on a bike for the first time in many years. A decade later I now run outside all year round, I’ve just completed my 6th marathon.

But I feel it, now, when I am inactive. My thoughts get a little darker, I get more pessimistic, whereas when I’m active, my emotions and my thoughts and my feelings just all feel all right.

I’m still always on the lookout for depression. But I know that eating well and keeping active are what keep me feeling good these days. Do I still struggle with eating the right foods? Oh yeah. Do I always want to go out for a run? No way. But I always feel better once I’ve run.

Most of the population does not have a mental illness. But we all have to take care of our mental health. What that looks like is different from one person to the next but study after study shows that physical activity does nothing but good things for you. I’m living proof. It’s trite to say “if I can do it so can you” but it’s actually true. I never thought I would get better, would never overcome depression, would never look or feel or act any differently than I was when I was so depressed.

At AMI we primarily help families cope with mental illness in a loved one. Family caregivers sometimes neglect their own mental health because they’re too busy taking care of their ill loved one. It’s so important to take a bit of time for yourself.

Physical activity is hard! But it can also be fun. And it gets easier and more fun the more you do it. Making progress gives you a sense of accomplishment that can’t be matched in any other way when you look back and see how far you’ve come. If you could make yourself feel even 10% or 20% better, you’d do it, right? So start today! Every little bit helps.

Diana Verrall works in Administration and Communications at AMI-Quebec. She has been with AMI since 2008.

From Share&Care Winter 2025