Counselling Corner articles feature tips from George Brown College counsellors. In this post, we hear from Alan Choi MSW RSW.
Physical activity is one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your mental health. Even moderate exercise has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress, clear the mind, improve sleep and increase your ability to focus.
Mental health problems such as depression and low mood, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and focusing and even past trauma have all been shown to improve with exercise, medication and talk therapy. Often, however, exercise is the easiest, least expensive and most readily available way of improving mental health.
How does exercise help mental health? When you exercise, levels of chemicals in the brain such as stress hormones change. Your sense of control, self-confidence, coping ability and self-esteem can improve. While exercising you distract yourself from negative thoughts, increase your energy levels, improve your sleep and reduce your muscle tension.
Any type of exercise can help
Exercising can be as complex or as simple as you’d like it to be. It can be as simple as moderate walking, taking the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator or doing everyday physical chores. At the other end of the spectrum are ideas such as joining a gym, starting an organized sport such as hockey or ultimate frisbee or taking dance lessons. Remember to set reasonable goals though and analyze the barriers that are stopping you from being more physically active now so that you can work around them.
A simple way to get more exercise is to think about what kinds of activities you enjoy and build them into your lifestyle. If you enjoy walking or hiking, try joining a group via the Meetup app as you’ll benefit from the additional socializing as well. GBC has a program called Mood Routes where students go on weekly walks in and around The George student residence to various green spaces. If you enjoy walking with dogs but don’t own one, consider volunteering at a nearby Humane Society or animal shelter or even a dog walking volunteer service such as Zoomies. If you enjoy rollerblading or cycling, try commuting to work or school on some days instead of driving or taking public transit. Research shows that any physical activity and not just formal exercise programs can make a positive difference to your mental health.
Physical activity is an important part of maintaining good mental health and treating and preventing mental health problems. If you would like to explore more ways to address issues such as depressed mood, stress, attention problems or anxiety, please reach out to Counselling and Student Wellbeing.
