How Exercise Benefits Mental Health

In both patients with diagnosed mental illnesses and non-clinical groups of people, exercise has been found by researchers to provide a number of mental health benefits. Research shows that regular activity improves:

• Confidence
• Emotional stability
• Mood
• Self-control
• Body image
• Overall well-being
• Assertiveness
• Independence
• Memory

Regular exercise also decreases:

• Substance abuse
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Confusion
• Depression
• Phobias
• Psychotic symptoms
• Tension
• Stress

Everyone struggles with stress to some degree, and many people meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder. There is strong evidence from research that exercise and physical activity can reduce both. A number of studies have proven that exercise can protect against symptoms of anxiety disorders and distress, and enhance psychological well-being overall. This evidence means that exercise could help prevent the onset of stress and anxiety.

Other studies have looked at exercise as a potential treatment for anxiety. Results showed that regular exercise sessions, for between three and 12 weeks and for 30 minutes at a time, does reduce anxiety, especially in patients living with chronic physical illnesses. Another study found that patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who did not respond well to standard treatments, saw reductions in anxiety after exercise sessions.

Depression is another common mental illness and one that seems to respond well to exercise. Physical activity has long been known to boost mood, but ongoing research has found that it can actually relieve symptoms in patients with major depression. The results for many patients are even as good as those seen with antidepressant medications.

Antidepressants are important for many people struggling with depression, but research indicates that for patients with mild or moderate depression, exercise can be just as effective at improving mood. And one study found that walking for an hour a day or running for 15 minutes per day significantly reduces the risk of developing depression.

Trauma disorders, such as PTSD, can be difficult to treat. A recent review of studies into the effectiveness of exercise in treating PTSD concluded that physical activity can be beneficial for these patients. The review found that exercise helps reduce symptoms in patients resistant to treatment in particular. In all types of patients, exercise used as an adjunct to standard treatment helped relieve symptoms and conditions that often accompany PTSD: anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

One reason that exercise may help PTSD patients get relief is that it forces the brain to focus on the body. It takes focus away from traumatic memories and intrusive thoughts. It may be especially helpful when using exercise for PTSD to direct patients to focus on breathing, heart rate, and other physical sensations when active.

Being active has long been associated with a boost in mood and lowered stress, so it may not be surprising that exercise can help manage anxiety disorders and depression. But there is also important evidence that being active can improve symptoms of more severe mental illnesses, including psychotic conditions like schizophrenia.

In one study of a group of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, half were assigned to undergo occupational therapy and half were given structured exercise programs for six months. The patients who exercised saw significant improvements in schizophrenia symptoms and depression as compared to those who only had occupational therapy. Those who exercised also needed less care during the study period.

While any exercise is better than none and beneficial to mental health in so many ways, the most effective strategy is to combine physical activity with being outdoors. Along with all the research that indicates how powerful exercise can be in improving mental health is growing evidence that being exposed to nature also helps.

There have been many individual studies that indicate there are positive mental health benefits to being outside and in parks and natural spaces. One of these analyzed multiple studies involving more than 1,200 participants to determine just how being active in nature impacts mental health.

The results show that there are major positive effects on mood and self-esteem. Being active outdoors improves both, and the effect is amplified when in a space with water as well as greenery. Participants with known mental illnesses got an even bigger boost to self-esteem than others. Both men and women and people of all ages saw benefits.

Physical activity is an important aspect of the mental health benefits of being outdoors. However, studies have found that the improvements in mood and other mental health factors from nature cannot be solely explained by exercise. They also cannot be explained by social interactions that many people experience when exercising outdoors. Although not well understood, there does seem to be a direct correlation between a connection to green spaces and better mental health.