Visiting a professional therapist or counselor for depression and anxiety is highly beneficial for your continued wellness — and regular exercise can help, too. Although mental and physical health might seem like two completely different things, they have many connections.
Beyond the physical benefits of staying active, getting enough exercise can also help your mental well-being. Let’s take a look at four major mental health benefits of exercise and why you should make physical activity a part of your daily routine.
Changing Brain Chemicals
The most direct impact exercise has on your mental health is the changes it makes to your brain chemistry. For example, getting active and moving your body can make the pituitary gland in your brain release endorphins. This type of neurotransmitter can improve your mood and lower your stress levels, making even moderate exercise a great way to improve your mental well-being.
Physical activity can also regulate serotonin levels in your body, which is another neurotransmitter. It’s responsible for relaying messages between your brain and other parts of your body and impacts many parts of our daily lives, including memory, hunger, and much more. While the relationship between serotonin and how it affects our mood is complicated, low levels of it are associated with anxiety and other mental health disorders. As such, regular exercise can potentially have a positive impact on your mental health by directly altering the hormones and chemicals that influence your mood.
Distracting Your Mind
Major depression and other mental health problems can plague our minds with negative and unpleasant thoughts. This means that finding distractions to take your mind off of your mental health is beneficial, and physical activity is one means of doing so.
Whether you’re exploring a park you’ve never been to, taking photos of wildlife during your walk, or partaking in a team sport, it’s much easier to distract your mind when you’re staying active and having fun. Through exercise, you’ll have an outlet to break free from your worries and negative thoughts.
An Opportunity to Socialize
Socialization is important for alleviating mental health conditions, and physical activity gives you the chance to do so. Interacting with others can help you feel less lonely and isolated from others, as well as release endorphins, which, as mentioned previously, can benefit your mental wellness.
There are many ways you can socialize while staying physically active. While partaking in an exercise class is one possible avenue, you can also join a local sports team or cycling club. Additionally, finding a hiking group or simply going on walks with your friends and family are other ways you can socialize and stay active at the same time.
More Exercise, Better Sleep
A good night’s sleep is important for many reasons, and mental health is one of them. Our brains need to recharge every night so that they’re ready for the next day, and when you don’t get enough sleep, it can impact you mentally.
If you exercise regularly, it can become easier to fall asleep, maintain your sleep-wake cycle, and even improve the quality of sleep. Therefore, if you’re having a hard time going to bed and getting enough rest, physical activity can make a major difference.
If You’re Struggling With a Mental Illness, Reach Out to Hope Springs Behavioral Health
While there are many benefits of exercise, it is certainly not a substitution for speaking with a mental health professional. At Hope Springs Behavioral Health, we help those struggling with mental health problems with family therapy, group therapy, and certified psychiatric services to help them regain control of their lives. Reach out today to start speaking with our team.
