Millions of Americans suffer from some sort of mental illness, whether it be depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, or others. Exercise has been proven to benefit individuals with mental health problems in a variety of ways. We’ll go through a few of the benefits that exercise offers for your mental health.
Table of Contents
Depression
A study conducted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, found that 15 minutes of running or an hour of walking can decrease the risk of severe depression by 26%. Exercise can treat mild or moderate depression as good as any antidepressant medication, but without the side effects. Maintaining a routine exercise schedule can also prevent a relapse in your depression. Exercising produces neural growth, reduced inflammation, and activity patterns that stimulate feelings of calm and well-being in your brain. Endorphins are also released in your brain that energizes you and makes you feel good.
Anxiety
A natural and effective treatment for anxiety is exercise. The endorphins we mentioned above help release stress and tension, boosts energy mentally and physically, and energizes your spirit to a calm state. Being able to fully commit and focus on your workout is essential to silencing the anxiety and releasing stress from your body and mind. Visiting a Florence Gym can be an outlet for individuals wanting to naturally treat their anxiety.
Stress
Every person has dealt with stress at one or several points during their lifetime. The feelings of stress include headaches, tight muscles in the neck, shoulders, and back, muscle cramps, fatigue, insomnia and several more. Stress affects every individual differently. Physical activity helps relieve the tension in your muscles, as well as stimulates the brain. The body and mind work hand in hand, so when your body feels better, so does your mind. Exercising on a regular schedule can help keep your muscles relaxed and your mind at ease.
ADHD
For individuals with ADHD, they may have a hard time focusing their attention on tasks. Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to naturally treat ADHD. The brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels are all stimulated by physical activity – which all affect attention and focus. Exercise treats ADHD the same way that medication does, by stimulating those important factors in the brain.
PTSD and Trauma
When individuals are suffering from PTSD or some sort of trauma, their nervous system can be ‘stuck’ in an immobilization stress response. Exercising helps your nervous system to become ‘unstuck’ if the individual is fully focused on their exercise and how it makes their body feel. An exercise routine that engages both your arms and legs such as swimming, dancing, running, weight training, etc. are the best methods for releasing stress related to PTSD. Outdoor adventures such as hiking, sailing, mountain climbing, skiing etc. have also been proven to help individuals with PTSD.
