Exercise Relieves Stress, so You Should Probably Start Exercising Right Now.
The world is not kind to us right now. (You could argue that this never happened.) Given the economy, climate, and looming political climate of the next four years—not to mention the ever-present day-to-day stresses of survival—we could all probably use a little stress. relief right now. And that’s why you should get up and go for a walk immediately after reading this.
I will never claim that exercise is enough to meet everyone’s mental health needs, but it is superior to many other coping mechanisms such as drinking, ruminating, and crying in the shower. (The satirical site Reductress probably put it best: ” A woman who says exercise is like therapy must have suffered a pretty minor injury .”)
If you’re going through really difficult things right now, see a therapist. You have many options, even if your insurance sucks . We also have a quick overview of ways to calm panic and anxiety , including a video you can watch during a panic attack.
Why exercise helps
There are two reasons to exercise when your thoughts are out of control. First, the benefits it can bring to the rest of your day and to your long-term health. Exercise uses up nervous energy, calms the brain, and promotes better sleep. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America notes that people who exercise are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, perhaps because exercise helps us cope better with stress.
Exercise is not a panacea, and some people don’t get much mental health benefit from it. But exercise is also a way to take care of your physical body, and it contributes to your overall well-being, even if you’re one of those who doesn’t see a direct impact on your mental health.
But the other big reason, I think, is simply that it gives you something to do . When I’m running, I can’t check my phone. I accept that in this hour, in this minute, I am putting one foot in front of the other.
The best part of your day
Back in the fall of 2020, I read an essay about the pleasure and mental health benefits of walking . I kind of skimmed through it at first, but two lines stuck with me and I remembered them every time I went for a walk or a run or decided to lift weights in the garage while the world around me was falling apart. Author Sarah Miller had this to say about using her elliptical machine to combat depression:
It did make me less depressed while I was doing it, but as soon as I finished I fell into a deep depression again. I told my friend about this…he just shrugged and said, “Do it anyway. That’s a whole hour when you’re not depressed.
It seemed like a good deal. How much would I pay if I was in a state of anxiety to not have to worry for an hour? Or even be a little less anxious? Walking always seemed like a waste of time to me, even when I knew it was beneficial, but now I saw it in a different light.
I reviewed this essay in September 2020. According to Apple Health, which tracks my steps every time my phone is in my pocket, I doubled my average daily steps this month, up from the summer average of about 3,000 to nearly 7,000. Next month, I started walking even more.
In early November, as we waited for the election and then the results, I became completely immersed in my new coping mechanism. From November 3 to November 13, more than 11,000 steps were taken each day. I found out Biden won while going down one of my favorite routes. I originally wrote the article you’re reading on January 7th—yes, the next day, January 6th.
This all happened about four years ago, but the lesson remains. I now run more often than I walk, and there have been times when I gave up all outdoor workouts in favor of indoor cycling. The specifics change, but the principle remains. During particularly stressful times, I find that the amount of exercise I do increases. I call this my “anxiety cardio.” This brings me to another thing I took away from Miller’s essay, the epiphany she achieved as she continued on her journey:
These two [walking routes] overlapped—it’s a small town—and one day while I was doing my first walk, it occurred to me that I could just add a second one and go longer. You would have thought that I was discovering electricity. Could I just go and spend the best part of my day twice as long?
You can, you really can. If you run, walk, or do dance workouts on YouTube as part of your mental self-care routine, you can do more of these workouts. (From a physical standpoint, it might be unwise to suddenly double your mileage, but most of our bodies will be fine with a long walk or yoga class. Choose wisely.)
What you do while walking, running or other forms of exercise is up to you. I love to hike or run in nature, but the streets in my area are closer and save time. I choose the quietest streets and make my way along them. Sometimes I listen to podcasts or music, choosing a soundtrack depending on whether I want to distract myself from my thoughts or think about them.
I highly recommend that if you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or don’t know what to do, get up and do whatever form of exercise works best for you. The best part of your day is waiting for you.