I sometimes see threads, usually on the OT, about depression, PTSD, general health issues etc. Hopefully those people make it over here. Holiday season is here and it can be tough.

Some of you may have seen some threads / comments of mine - recent heart attack, stents, decade+ of deranged sleep etc. My life is dysfunctional and that is an understatement.

I have been a gym rat since I was 12 up until my health issues.

Been in the gym recently, after allowing for all the recovering from the stents and lifting precautions. My workouts are hot garbage. I was once in the general category of someone that could / would hold a state powerlifting record and now a small child would be ashamed of what I do at the gym. Since my stents some additional life garbage has come up. Hits never stop.

That said, after 30-45 minutes in there, walking around, picking some stuff up, doing a bit of exercise, hitting some machines - I feel better. The gym makes you feel better.

I have implored people to get their sleep straightened out if it's a problem. I continue that message. Also - get to the gym.

I have spent time homeless yet very happy. I was in the gym twice a day.

If you are lonely, go to the gym. You don't have to talk to anyone. Just soak up the general air of positivity that is a collection of people trying to get better, fitter, bigger, stronger. Make eye contact, say hello to the front desk when you enter and exit. Grab the tiny victories. They eventually snowball.

At some of the peak fitness moments of my life I had a membership to a big gym where I currently live. It's open 24hrs. I am embarrassed to go there for fear that I'll see someone I know and I'm ashamed of what my health has become, how unfit I am, etc. I go when I feel it will be empty. Middle of the night / early morning. It helps to just be in there. It's a struggle but I feel so much better walking out than when I walked in.

If you are struggling with anything...Go to the gym. There is no drug like exercise. It will help you. Divorce, depression, fat, joints creaking and cracking...exercise, get in the gym, grab hold of something positive.

Holidays are here and it can get extra difficult for many at this time of year. If you are struggling...get in the gym. Grab something positive. Challenge can feel good. Make a plan, some goals, chase something. Get in the gym, start slow, seize something positive and create the positive feedback loop.

When I was in the military I had a long talk with a Chaplain about some of the issues troops have - we had some mental health issues in our unit and so forth. We agreed that with things like suicide, for instance, people would say they "can't go on". Invariably those people could go on. It was when people said they "won't go on" that things got scary. Chaplain explained it this way - when the tank is dry, the engine stops. For these people, the tank was dry. Going to the gym will help you fill the tank. It's not the only answer, but it's a damn good one.

Please, if you're struggling this time of year, get to the gym and start seizing victories, build resilience, and keep the engine going.