Regular workout plays a vital role in relieving mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, etc. Just like how appropriate gym wear compliments your workout routine, physical exercise compliments mental health.
Although the benefits of exercise are discussed in length and breadth, its effect on mental health is often overlooked. Regular exercising keeps mental illnesses at bay and improves existing symptoms.
Benefits of Regular Exercising
Healthcare practitioners like numan often suggest exercising as a part of therapy for certain mental illnesses. As such, some of the benefits of regular exercising are listed below:
- Alleviates Stress and Anxiety
Regular exercising relieves anxiety, stress, and other symptoms associated with them. Exercising helps in the generation of new neurons in the brain’s hypothalamus region. The growth of neurons in this area of the brain aids in relieving stress and anxiety.
- Combats Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Exercising improves motor skills and functioning among ADHD patients. This is perhaps why many healthcare practitioners prescribe moderate to vigorous exercise for ADHD patients.
- Prevents Depression
Exercising combats depression by relieving severe symptoms associated with this mental condition. Exercising aids in releasing endorphins, a feel-good hormone, and thus acts as a natural mood elevator.
- Deals With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD patients have trouble falling asleep, which is a common symptom of this condition. However, a good moderate-vigorous workout can help to elevate this symptom to some extent. This is because exercising makes your body break a good sweat, resulting in a sound sleep.
- Battles Panic Disorder
Exercise helps in releasing pent-up stress and relieves fear and worry. In some cases, it can also reduce the frequency and intensity of panic attacks.
How Exercising Leads to Improved Well-Being
Although exercising aids in relieving mental health illnesses’ symptoms and severity, it enhances the well-being of mentally healthy folks as well. Or possibly, exercising might be why mentally healthy people feel healthy and happy.
Regular working out leads to improved moods, energy levels, better sleep quality, and overall happiness. As such, there are many reasons as to how exercising can contribute to your well-being as a whole.
- Exercising reduces the generation of cortisol, a stress hormone, and increases the release of endorphins, a feel-good hormone.
- Working out boosts your confidence and mood and keeps your mind off negative things.
- Exercising helps in cultivating social support and relationships when done in groups.
- Exercising enhances your mental health and your physical health as a whole.
- Exercising keeps stress, anxiety, and depression at bay and builds immunity towards such mental conditions.
Type of Exercises
From running to weight-lifting, exercise improves your health as a whole. Therefore, it’s essential to identify workouts that you love and enjoy. As such, here are a few exercises that you may find enjoyable:
Yoga
Yoga consists of a collection of asanas, meditations, and controlled breathing practices for holistic healing of mind and body. It’s considered to be the oldest defined self-development practice.
Yoga minimises stress and anxiety while encouraging mindfulness, improved mood, and self-compassion.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a thousand years old blend of meditation and martial arts. This practice draws its deep roots from Chinese medicine, “qigong”. Tai Chi consists of slow, graceful body movement and breathwork.
Tai Chi culminates tranquillity and a sense of inner peace while working its magic on your muscles with martial art moves.
How to Start an Exercise Plan
Once you’ve decided to stop procrastinating and weaving that “supposedly” exercising plan that starts the next week or year, you can begin exercising whenever you want to; there’s no rulebook to follow when it comes to exercising. However, make sure to wear proper gym wear, not overdo your exercises and procrastinate.
Exercising has loads of benefits for your psychological well-being and helps keep mental illnesses at bay. It has positive effects on the human brain, such as increased neurotransmission and neurogenesis. Therefore, you must try experimenting with different exercises to find what you enjoy the most. As such, you can always take it slow initially; after all, there’s no rulebook!
