When you exercise, there is no way to avoid the benefits of doing so. Happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky details some of these benefits in her book, The How of Happiness. She cites research showing that regular exercise outperforms the most popular prescription drug for the treatment of depressive symptoms (Fluoxetine or “Prozac”).

If you are struggling with your mood, get up and go outside. Walk, bike, take the stairs, or outsource your motivation to a yoga class, spinning class, or hire a personal trainer. Your mind won’t be able to help but thank you. If music doesn’t work, books on tape are a great way to cut the boredom of monotonous movement.

Check out anything by David Goggins on Amazon’s Audible, or hook yourself up to a motivational speaker playlist on YouTube or Spotify. Do anything but sit around thinking about it.

It is no shocking revelation that physical activity has benefits for your body also. This section could be a very long one that beats you over the head with research, guilt trips, and motivational acrobatics aimed at getting you up and moving. Instead, the concise message here involves the preservation of your independence.

What ability do you have that you take for granted? Walking? Cycling? Swimming?

Whatever it is, do it a little every day. If you are going to get addicted to anything in life, let it be the preservation of your youth. Nothing protects you against the effects of old age better than exercise, and nothing protects your self-esteem and sense of self-efficacy more than a strong body.

It may not happen the first time, but after walking, biking, swimming, or lifting weights, you are going to go home feeling strong. When you feel it, focus on it, and observe how it changes the quality of your thoughts, the evaluation of your circumstances, and your feelings about yourself. If you embrace the benefits of exercise for the rest of your life, rock bottom will never be anything more than what you sit on.