Movement; Therapy For The Mind!
Movement is a beautiful gift from God! For those of us blessed with mobility please read & enjoy this blog about the benefits it has on the mind!
Did you know?
Mental health disorders are among the leading causes of the global health-related burden.
First off lets establish a baseline… What even is mental health? Mental health encompasses a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and act, shaping how they handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is vital piece of everyone’s health and wellbeing, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Maintaining good mental health involves fostering healthy relationships, moving your body, and engaging in self-care practices that support overall well-being. Conditions associated with mental wellbeing include stress, depression, anxiety… you get the drift - cause we’ve all experienced these to some degree.
It was estimated in 2021, more than 1 out of every 5 adults in the U.S. struggle with their mental health.
More than 4 in 10 (42%) students (ages 10-19) felt consistently sad or hopeless. Nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health. And in 2021 more than 1 in 5 students seriously contemplated attempting suicide. While I don’t exactly promote CDC, knowing next to nothing about disease prevention and promoting terrible nutrition advice, I did just graduated high school in 2023, and mental health in schools is dwindling terribly!
A person on the outside may appear as though they have it all together, but past that persona we externally see, we don’t know how they’re truly feeling, how they’re dealing, or what they’re going through. Stress plagues everyones life in one form or another. Hormones determine our perspective of the world, how we filter reality around us and what life throws at us. Definitely related to this topic, but to keep this short and straight to the point about correlation of movement and mental health, I dive into this conversation and topic in a separate blog post: Click here!
The amount of friends I had while in school that were prescribed an (or multiple!) anti-anxiety or anti-depression prescription from their primary physician blew my mind and made me so so very sad! It’s a tragedy of modern medicine. Did you know the number 1 cause of disability in the world is depression, the number 2 cause of death among young people (age 15-29) is suicide worldwide? Globally in 2015 the number of people with depression exceeded 300 million, anxiety disorders 264 million, bipolar disorders 60 million, and the numbers are continuously going up!
Maybe it’s a coincidence, I think not, but the billion dollar psychiatric medication industry continuously growing; mass producing/promoting new drugs, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4% from 2023-2032, AND clinical depression is continuously growing too, it has notably jumped and increased in recent years - from 2017-2021 prevalence increased by 25%.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the numbers are telling us. These medications aren’t working and globally mental health is declining! So it’s time for a shift in perspective!
Stress Bucket Theory:
Imagine your mind as a bucket. Every stressor you encounter throughout the day, big or small, fills up this bucket with water. The constant drip of everyday hassles, work pressures, and personal worries all contribute to the rising water level in the bucket.
If we don't find ways to release this stress, the bucket will eventually overflow. It might manifest as physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, or even more serious health issues. Mentally, the overflow of stress can lead to anxiety, increased irritability, or feeling overwhelmed.
It's crucial to recognize when our stress bucket is becoming full and take steps to empty it. Engaging in activities that help us relax, such as exercise, meditation, spending time in nature, or simply talking to a friend, can effectively drain some water from the bucket.
So why not as a first line treatment, that’s free, accessible, and effective - move your body? Not only that but the side effects of exercise are only positive!
How Does Movement Specifically Impact Our Psyche?
Recent studies have shown exercise to be 1.5 times more effective than conventional treatments including medications (anti-anxiety meds → Zoloft, Lexapro, Xanax, etc.) and various therapies.
Let’s be real here, okay, this possibly sounds like a skeptical statement! But before diving into this study and breaking it down, take a moment to think back to the times where you felt an endorphin high post some type of movement; whether it was a hike with friends, weight lifting, HIIT, rock climbing, an evening walk with your dog, going for a morning swim, snowboarding or skating, a wonderful yoga session, pilates, or experiencing runners high, etc. You felt amazing and elated didn’t you?! I know I do after a jiujitsu session.
The British Journal of Sports Medicine recently published this study, “Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews.” Little background info, authors of this publication reviewed 97 published papers, including 1039 trials and 128, 119 participants. Populations included “healthy adults, people with mental health disorders and people with various chronic diseases.”
Conclusion and Relevance of study: Physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress across a wide range of adult populations, including the general population, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic disease. Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in the management of depression, anxiety and psychological distress.
Those who reaped the greatest benefits were amongst postpartum mommas, healthy individuals (no diagnoses), people with kidney disease, and those with depression.
The publications concluded moderate-high intensity physical activities for short interventions to be associated with greater improvements in participants mental wellbeing, over low intensity activities. However, the effectiveness of physical activity interventions diminished with longer duration interventions. Intensive long-term interventions are not necessarily required to achieve therapeutic benefit. If you have the time and drive to push yourself to complete long workouts do it! But if you don’t have the time and energy to do so, you can still reap the mental benefits of movement!!
Engaging in moderate to high-intensity physical activities has been consistently shown to improve mental wellbeing by releasing endorphins, boosting dopamine, improving self-esteem, and reducing levels of stress hormones in the body. These activities, such as running, swimming, or high-intensity interval training, can boost mood, enhance cognitive function, and decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, it's essential to note that all levels of physical activity, from low to high intensity, can be effective in promoting mental health. Even light activities like walking, gardening, or gentle restorative yoga can contribute significantly to reducing stress, improving sleep quality, and enhancing overall feelings of well-being. The key is finding activities that are enjoyable and sustainable - meeting your preferences/lifestyle and fitness level!
Below I’ve linked some articles/videos related to this topic, that you may enjoy if you enjoyed this blog post feel free to check them out! (I’ll try to update these as new info is published!)
Controversial Thoughts: Can an animal based diet help with depression/anxiety?
The Mental Health Benefits of Movement
April 2024
