How Physical Activity can help your mental health

Mental Health is very important and there are so many other things than a therapist that help your mental health.  Exercise  helps you stay fit and healthy but it also helps your overall mental health. According to Active Norfolk, exercise can help you deal with depression, anxiety and stress. Exercise actually causes your body to release endorphins. Active Norfolk mentioned that Endorphins are the chemicals in your brain that relieves stress and pain. Playing a sport like tennis or doing a workout can help you forget about your problems. According to Active Norfolk, physical activity tends to trigger the chemicals in your brain to make you feel relaxed and make you feel happier.  

 

Physical activity tends to make you unwind from your personal life and help you concentrate on the exercise you’re doing. Physical activity helps with your concentration as well.

 Active Norfolk mentions that when you are physically active your mind is distracted from daily stresses. Not only does physical activity help with your mental health but it helps you engage with people. If it’s either people on your team or people at the gym, you can always meet new people.

 

A Lot of students use their sport or the gym as a stress reliever. That stress can either be from school or personal problems at home. According to active Norfolk, while you’re physically active, your mind is distracted from daily stresses. Being active can prevent you from having a breakdown and can prevent you from thinking about negative thoughts. Being active can also lift up your mood and help you feel more relaxed. As Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson said, “Lifting weights is why I don’t need therapy today.” Going to therapy isn’t the only option for bettering your mental health, going to the gym can help your mental health as well.

At Greenwood High School there are a lot of students who do some type of physical activity. In an interview Lian Chung, a senior at Greenwood Highschool, relates physical activity to his mental health. Lian Chung plays soccer at Greenwood Highschool and when asked if soccer helped him forget about his personal problems he replied with, “Uhh..yes, it does”. A single sport can have so many things that take your mind off of your problems. Lian Chung mentioned, “One thing about soccer that takes my mind off of things are my teammates”.

 

Mental health is a big thing in everyone’s life and it always gets better once you do something. When asked  if he feels better about himself one he finishes a game Lian said–with a positive attitude–” Oh yeah.” The last question Lian gave an answer to was if his mental health got better once he joined the soccer team and he replied, “yes, it’s gotten better socially’.  By seeing how the interview went and how Lian responded to the questions, physical activity is a great way to help your mental health.