A very common suggestion for helping with depression is to start exercising.
While this suggestion is definitely valid, and helpful.
People don't always understand why exercise would help them, and they don't know just how much they need to exercise.
People can get daunted when they hear "exercise every day" and have images in their head of working out in the gym every day for hours, and instead of doing what they are able to, they never even start since they feel they can't fully commit.
The good news is that even small amounts of exercise can help with anxiety and depression The benefits of exercise is definitely not a secret.
It helps lower blood pressure, prevent diabetes, obesity, and improves overall health.
Beyond physical health benefits it is becoming more and more clear that exercise helps with mental health issues as well such as anxiety and depression.
There are several reasons for this positive effect of exercising.
The first reason is that exercising causes the body to release a chemical called Endorphins.
This chemical is known to cause a feeling of happiness and well-being.
After exercising for at least 30 minutes many people report feeling exceptionally good about life; in fact this is so common that it has become known as having an "Endorphin High.
" This feeling can often set up a chain reaction throughout your day of making you exponentially better because of your improved outlook caused just by 30 minutes of exercise.
Surprisingly often anxiety is caused by a low esteem.
People start to feel bad about themselves and then eventually start thinking that they are not worthy of other people's affections, or that they are so bad that something terrible is going to happen to them.
It is undisputed that exercise can and almost certainly will improve your self esteem.
This is for several reasons.
The first is that exercising will help you lose weight and feel better about yourself because of the weight loss.
It also provides a sense of accomplishment whenever someone exercises.
You set out to exercises, which is not always the easiest or funnest thing to do, and you accomplished your goal.
This makes people feel good about themselves.
Finally exercises improves self esteem because it puts them in an exclusive club that is universally respected.
Everyone understands the benefits of exercise, and everyone knows they should be exercising, but obviously not everyone does exercise.
The third reason exercise can help with anxiety is that it is a social activity.
Isolation breeds depression and anxiety.
When you exercise you are around other people.
Even if you don't actually talk to or interact with other people simply being around them will benefit you and help you reduce your anxiety.
If anxiety is a problem you are currently dealing with I encourage you to start exercising today.
Don't be ashamed to start small.
If you have tried to jump in with both feet before and failed you actually should start small.
Start with two minutes of exercise per day.
Just go for a simple walk around the block every night.
Surely that is something you can do? After doing that for a week slowly increase it to three minutes.
Eventually you will be in the habit of exercising and you will feel weird if you don't do it.
Eventually work up to 30 minutes of exercise per day.