This will immediately lift your mood: “Very important” – 2024-05-05 23:21:30

Those looking for help due to anxiety or depression are nowadays increasingly advised to increase exercise and physical exercises.

Advice on increasing exercise in mental health disorders may be strange to the patient, but scientific evidence shows that exercise has a good effect on the mind.

– Regular exercise, in particular, has been found to reduce symptoms of depression and lower the likelihood of depression, says the line manager, specialist psychologist in psychotherapy Jan-Henry Stenberg From Hus.

According to Stenberg, it is not exactly clear why exercise can reduce depression, but various hypotheses have been presented.

– The research data gives the most support to the endorphin, nerve growth factor and distraction hypotheses, the self-efficacy and control hypothesis and the social interaction hypothesis, summarizes Stenberg.

What these hypotheses contain will be explained in more detail below.

Even light exercise can help lower your mind. Adobe Stock / AOP

The nasty cycle is broken

Exercise produces endorphins, which are a type of pleasure hormones.

Exercise promotes the growth of brain-derived nerve growth factor and thus has a positive effect on brain function. This, in turn, improves mood and the brain’s information processing.

Exercise can also be used to break certain types of harmful thought processes.

– Worrying about things, i.e. constantly spinning negative emotions, their causes and consequences in the mind, is a typical symptom of depression.

– Exercise makes it difficult to worry at the same time and offers an opportunity to get rid of negative thoughts and leads to the release of resources, which in turn can enhance problem-solving ability, says Stenberg.

Exercise also increases the experience of one’s ability to stand.

– Achievable feelings of autonomy can lead to the experience that one’s mood can be influenced by one’s own actions, Stenberg describes.

Necessary contact

The sociability associated with exercise can add to the positive effect of exercise on mood.

Due to a mental health disorder, a person can begin to avoid and withdraw from social activities, which means that positive experiences from social contacts are missed. As a result, they may become withdrawn and isolated.

– Group exercise and, for example, dance, have a strong social aspect. However, humans are fundamentally social and need contact with others.

Stenberg believes that everything stated above about the connection between exercise and mental health supports each other.

– I consider exercise to be a very important factor in mood and psychological well-being, Stenberg states.