Hi debselicious. I, too, am a life long sufferer. I find that exercise definitely helps. In saying that, I find that, for me, it has to be hard exercise. Walking etc doesn't work for me. I have to really get my heart rate up. Unfortunately, my park fitness group, which was funded by the local council, disbanded in March due to Covid rules and is now unable to ever resume as they have lost their funding. This was really disappointing for me as it was one of my strategies for managing depression and was taken away, along with a lot of other social pursuits. Since then, I haven't been able to do much exercise as I have been so depressed that I've struggled just to get myself up and moving on most days. Even sitting on the couch has been an effort at times. However, I know that if I can get my mood to lift a bit more, so that I am able to find the energy to do some hard exercise, like running or cycling coupled with weight training, this will definitely assist with my mood. I hope this helps.
