Vitamin E-Exercise!

Most people are well aware of the physical benefits of working out. Working out regularly can help with weight loss, it’s good for your muscles and bones, and can reduce your risk of disease (“Benefits of Physical Activity”). However, most people aren’t aware of the mental benefits of working out regularly.

First off, like all coping mechanisms and medicines, exercising isn’t the cure for depression or other mental illnesses. It is however a great place to start when dealing with mental illnesses. When you exercise your brain releases feel-good endorphins and other natural brain chemicals that are good for you. This increased activity in your brain from exercising can help with depression, anxiety, stress, and ADHD.

Exercising helps battle depression and stress in many ways. As stated before exercising promotes brain changes including “neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being” (Robinson). Exercising also gives you a boost of energy. I’m sure we can all relate to the feeling of being groggy and lazy after sleeping for many hours and being inactive. It may sound counterintuitive, but sleeping too much and being inactive reduces energy levels and can lead to feelings of depression. Another scenario most can relate to is having a thrown off sleep schedule because of the pandemic. Exercising can help with this too as it can regulate your sleep patterns. Additionally, exercising can be a good distraction when you are having depressive or intrusive thoughts. Again, it is in no means a cure, but it is a good distraction and can prevent a depressive relapse.

Exercise is a great way of battling anxiety and handling ADHD. Exercising is a great way to release physical and mental stress and anxiety. Exercising can also improve concentration and memory through the boosting of brain focus and attention chemicals. Overall, exercise is a great way to gain a sense of mindfulness to distract yourself from any anxiety or stress in your life.

By now it’s apparent how good daily or regular exercise is for the mind and body when dealing with mental illnesses. However, it’s often not as easy to get up and exercise as it sounds. Strong depressive episodes and bouts of anxiety can make it hard to find the motivation and push to get outside and run or hit the gym. Here are some tips and advice to get yourself started with exercising:

• Realize that even a little bit of activity is better than nothing. If you only have enough time or energy to run for 5-10 minutes, it is better than not running at all.

• Set realistic goals for yourself. If you haven’t worked out in months start with small exercise activities like going on a 20 minute walk. Don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting to meet lofty goals right away. Make small goals such as going on a short walk every morning for a week. Give yourself a long term goal to work towards as well such as running a mile without stopping by the end of the month.

• Find someone to hold you accountable to work towards your goals. Tell a family member about your exercise goals and keep them updated on your progress. This will encourage you to stick with it.

• Focus on what you enjoy doing. If you know you hate running, don’t run. Try other alternatives that work for you like jump roping, skateboarding, or weight lifting.

• Reward yourself and get yourself excited to exercise. Buy yourself a cute pair of workout leggings to get yourself excited to go to the gym. If you meet your long term goal reward yourself with the matching top.

Using these tips to get yourself exercising regularly is a great starting place and can help you build a great healthy coping mechanism to depression, anxiety, stress or ADHD.

Works Cited

“Benefits of Physical Activity.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 5 Apr. 2021,

www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm.

Robinson, Lawrence. “The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise.” HelpGuide.org,

www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm#:~:

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