8 Physical Exercises For Better Mental Health
Mental health is one of those things that most people fail to make it a priority. However, our mental health is equally as, if not more, important as our physical health. Studies have shown that one’s mental health can have a positive or detrimental effect on every other part of your life including the emotional, physical and spiritual part of your life. What makes it harder to attract attention is that in most cases, mental bouts of depression are considered phases that would soon pass. However, without actively challenging your thoughts, you will succumb to mental health issues.
According to WHO, nearly one in every 5 persons in the United States has a form of mental illness. Most of the time they are not diagnosed or are misdiagnosed. Most of the inexplainable acts by humans can be traced back to an underlying mental illness. Therefore, maintaining a healthy mental state is very important.
HOW TO MAINTAIN BETTER MENTAL HEALTH
It is common knowledge that one of the best ways to keep a physical condition is by exercising. What we don’t know is that exercising also helps a great deal when mental health is concerned. There are quite a few exercises that are known to help keep a better mental state. As such, here is a guide to 8 different exercises that you can use to attain better mental health
1. Yoga
Undoubtedly, Yoga is one of the most common and ancient exercises ever known to mankind. Sadly, it is not so actively performed by the majority. Many people seem to know what yoga is but not as many actually put its’ therapeutic benefits to good use. Yoga is quite effective for flexibility, stretching, and many other physical fitness activities. However, for most of it, yoga is the best choice to help better your mental health. Yoga works in a way that integrates both the body and the mind of a person. When merged with therapy, which is often the case, meditation, serenity, and some personal time helps balance the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of a person. Yoga is a pathway that leads you to look into your own mind and face your problems. The focus comes with continued breathing which helps calm the body and mind simultaneously.
2. Running
If you’ve ever taken a morning jog before the start of your day, you understand how powerful of a mental, as well as a physical exercise, it really is. Like many other hobbies, running is rhythmic, and rhythm plays a therapeutic game on the mind. The adrenaline, the rush, the sounds of your feet, the music (if any), the morning air all come together to make you more aware of your inner self. Studies have proved that running and walking had a greatly acknowledged positivity level on one’s mental health.
3. Boxing
There is a major misconception that boxing is not an exercise which will increase your mental health since it is considered quite a violent sport. However, it is seemingly the most effective for fighting mental illnesses and depression as it creates an outlet for frustration and anger. People with anger issues are advised to get a sparring partner or a punching bag on which they let out all the locked-up frustration without anyone or anything being at the receiving end. After a 45 minute boxing session, all your anxiety and frustration will have disappeared and you will feel calm and relaxed once again.
4. Pilates
Very common but not so much by name, Pilates makes the list of effective physical exercises for mental health. This exercise is linked to Joseph Pilate, who believed in the link between the physical world and the mental world. He believed the body could be controlled with the mind in a more intricate setting. Pilates simply uses your body weight to create strength and flexibility – and it is much more intense than Yoga. Plates is a mindful activity that is brilliant for stress reduction, breathing, and relaxation that calms the body’s parasympathetic nervous system.
5. Spin Classes
Spin classes make you be present with yourself and stay in the moment. Spin classes are fun routines based on exercise and choreographed movement. Since it is a class, people usually feed off the energies of others in order to make it that much more fun and effective. While you are burning much needed calories, spin classes are also effective in burning off anxiety and unrest through its vigorous movement. The activities are targeted towards neurogenesis, which over the long run, will lead to better mental health.
6. Resistance Training
Believe it or not, resistance training is one major way to improve your mental health. Resistance training or weight training is effective for anxiety, low self-esteem, and personality disorders most associated with how you feel and perceive your body. It helps build muscles and self-esteem, shape the body with special exercises while producing endorphins that promote positive moods. Resistance training lowers anxiety while improving the central nervous system’s functioning, which affects lowers stress levels.
7. Journaling
Many people think that journaling is just something for writers in order for them to get their thoughts onto paper prior to writing a novel or a poem of some sort. However, journaling consistently has been shown that make you more self-aware and lower any anxiety and stress that you have in life. Sometimes when we get overwhelmed by our busy lives, we need to just put our thoughts on paper and analyze them after a little bit of time. After much reflection, we are able to understand our stressors and triggers and we work on reducing their effects.
8. Making And Listening To Music
Music is therapeutic. Plain and simple. When you create music, the rhythms, tones, scales have a strong affect on your mind. Listening or singing your favorite song or writing your own songs when you feel down is the perfect way to counter any spiraling or depression. Many of the greatest artists were able to transmute their sadness through the melody of sound and the creation of music. You can certainly do the same!
Mental health needs to be taken as important as physical health, maybe even more. You can always get a few friends, join a club, or go solo. There is an exercise for everyone to start getting a leash on those symptoms now, and you only have a better life ahead of you!
If you are feeling down or sad, there are many ways to reach out for help. You can start by checking out this article. * You are never alone! Remember that!
