Collaborative Post¦ Our understanding of mental health is better than it has ever been before and so many people are being diagnosed with mental health conditions. The number of young children with mental health problems is on the rise as well, which is why it’s vital that everybody finds ways to improve their mental health on a daily basis.
If you speak to a doctor about mental health, they will almost always tell you that exercise is one of the best natural ways to improve your wellbeing. When you exercise, it helps to relieve stress, which is a big contributor to mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. It also releases endorphins, which boost your mood, so it’s great for combating mental health issues. But is there more to it than that? Even though these are the main benefits of exercise, it can actually improve your health in other ways. These are some of the surprising ways that exercise improves your mental health.
Improved Posture
So many of us have bad posture, especially people that work at a desk all day long. But certain exercises, like dumbbell presses or push-ups, can strengthen muscles in the chest and the back, and this improves your posture. But what does this have to do with mental health? Well, studies show that the way that you carry yourself can have an impact on your mood. So, if you are slouched over all of the time, you are more likely to feel low and you won’t be as confident. Although it won’t solve all of your mental health issues, improving your posture can have a positive impact on your mood.
Improved Body Image
Body image problems are a common contributing factor to mental health problems. When people are unhappy with the way that they look, it makes them feel incredibly self conscious, especially in social situations. Over time, this can lead to a lot of social anxiety and when people feel incredibly anxious around others, they tend to withdraw. Social isolation can quickly lead to feelings of depression. However, if you exercise regularly and you feel good about yourself, it may make you feel more confident in social situations and reduce that anxiety, so you are less likely to isolate yourself.
Better Sleep
Your sleeping patterns have a big part to play in your mental health. If you don’t sleep very well, you are far more likely to develop a mental health issue. If you are finding it difficult to sleep, there are a number of things that you can try, but exercise is one of the best remedies. If you exercise during the day and burn up all of that excess energy, you will fall asleep much easier and get a better night’s sleep. However, you should avoid exercising right before bed because this can actually make it more difficult to sleep.
If you weren’t already convinced that exercise is one of the best things for your mental health, you can’t deny it now that you know about these unexpected benefits.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.