Nothing

are you ok @MissG, i am thinking of you and sending you hugs

we are here for you if you like to have a talk xx

Good on you for making it to the gym at all, @Former-Member. I hope you’re giving yourself credit for that. Sorry you’re feeling rubbish now, though. Putting the bin out and checking the letterbox were almost beyond me today, so for what it’s worth, I’m super impressed that you made it to the gym and into a class no less.

I am traditional paper books all the way, @soul. There’s just no comparison. Plus I find reading a screen is hard on my eyes. I always end up printing out my readings for uni. I’m sure I’ll get an e-reader at some point, if only to access things that are out of print or only published as ebooks. I’ll never give up ‘real books’ though. I also listen to a lot of audio books because I have insomnia, so once my eyes are too tired to read anymore, I go to bed and listen to an audio book. It beats tossing and turning doing nothing.

It can be very daunting @Former-Member, going into an environment where you don't know anybody. Do you have a friend or neighbour who might accompany you? Otherwise, it may be helpful to start up a conversation with someone there. Perhaps look for someone who is also by themself. Ask them something about the gym. I find that most people like to help. Alternately ask them something about themselves but nothing too personal or intrusive as they might think you are making a pass at them 😆

Today's experience has probably put you off but do you think you might go back there at some stage? There can be at some gyms a bit of a "culture" where you can feel out of place if you can't keep up or aren't wearing the latest designer gym workout clothes.

It's great that you recognise the benefits of exercising for your body and your mind. Try not to let one bad experience dampen your enthusiasm.

Wow, with those issues, you did extremely well to get to the gym at all. Cudos to you. I once had a selective mute girl in my class. All the female staff would use their maternal and gentle type approaches to encourage her to speak. I would get her to write down what she needed to say and read it out. She was fine doing that. One day one of the male teachers started joking with her and that was when real breakthroughs occurred and she would start laughing and lose that inhibition.

Anyway, that's another situation. Is there another public environment that may be less daunting than a gym? Perhaps a library or art gallery? You could be amongst some people but not feel like you are on display; just mingle in a quieter sort of environment.

And yes, exercise in moderation as with everything is the key. I used to exercise so much I would get bad withdrawal if for some reason I couldn't go to the gym or do my routine at home. Set yourself some short term achievable and realistic goals and work towards them. Post them up here, even start a new thread. We will encourage you and help you achieve them.

Yeah, there's something about turning the paper pages of a book isn't there @Former-Member. I have recently felt more inclined towards digital copies as they don't take the space that traditional books do and they are usually cheaper. I have had to downsize considerably the last few years and a lot of stuff including my books were sold, given away or thrown away. There are quite a few I couldn't part with and I do like the look of a bookcase as a decorator item even a small one.

There's a library just a few minutes away so I am utilising that more and have discovered that I can also borrow ebooks from there, download them on my iPad and read them from there.

Do you fall asleep whilst reading or lose track of what you are trying to follow as you get tired?

That sucks that you have lost your support networks @Former-Member. And that your family aren't helpful. I don't even attempt to open up to my siblings who live in the same city as me about my problems as I wouldn't get any empathy there. My older brother suffers from depression so he would be more understanding.

Likewise, I can divulge my problems on an anonymous forum bit to speak these things is a different matter. Also, I think it makes a huge difference that the people here have walked in the same shoes one way or another and aren't out to judge. We know we can't fix anybody's problems but we can offer some support and a few suggestions in a gentle way,