FIND MENTAL WELLBEING THROUGH MOVEMENT
Did you know that movement stimulates our Brain? Its like a natural anti-depressant and helps us to find mental wellbeing. Movement is something that we do every day, however, most of us do not get enough of it. There are plenty of benefits to movement and why we should corporate into our daily activities. Physical activity not only helps you think better but also learn and problem solve more effectually (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion et al., 2023). Movement can reduce your anxiety and depression will also improving your overall balance of emotion (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion et al., 2023). People tend to talk about the physical benefits to movement and how that improves their lives. However, we should be talking about the benefits movements has to our brain and the overall benefit that has to our mental health. Movement helps the brain improvement and its one of the most important organs in our body. The brain controls everything in the body including our moods. The brain is a reflection of how we treat ourselves and therefore needs to also moved.
When we move our body’s blood begins flowing throughout it. Blood will race through our veins and including the brain. This not only increases oxygen intake but ensures the brain gets the nutrients that it needs to thrive. This can help create brain plasticity. The brain’s capacity to adapt is ever changing to its conditions and this depends on many things (Di Liegro et al., 2019). It depends on availability of neutrons to modify the strength and comprehension to their connections in response to situations internally and externally (Di Liegro et al., 2019). Researchers have found that our bodies can generate do bring pluses and therefore regulating synapses to nuclear signaling. This meaning that we can help our brain slow down the neurodegeneration and maintain pathways for communication (Di Liegro et al., 2019).
When our brain is functioning better, we can start focusing on overall mental health. There is a correlation between having good brain health and mental wellness through movement. Researchers have found that people who are diagnosed with ADHD anxiety and depression would respond positively to cardiovascular exercise (Konopka, 2015). Researchers found that people with major depressive disorders report significant increase positive moods after 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise as well as people with anxiety report positive moods and their symptoms reducing after aerobic exercise (Konopka, 2015). Movement can be used as a tool to help take back your mental health. A part of this improvement is the dopamine release that happens when a person engages in movement (Konopka, 2015).
As you begin exercising depending on the intensity of your workout different neurotransmitters are released through your narrow system. As mentioned above these neurons can increase the well-being of your brain. Refocusing on that, we can also see the improvement of our mood. Endorphins, endocannabinoids, and dopamine are released when you move. Dopamine plays an important role in how you feel and the more dopamine you have the better you feel (Preiato, 2023). Dopamine also plays a key part in regulating a lot of things within our body. Without dopamine, we would feel empty, and lost and would not feel well. Dopamine increases sleep cycles, heart rate, mood, motivation, learning, and working memory (Preiato, 2023). Endorphins are also released and they help people block pain and increase sensations (Preiato, 2023). Endocannabinoids helps create a feeling of wanting to work out as well as the calm afterwards. Endorphins work with endocannabinoids to help create that utopia feeling you get after hard workout.
All in all we can see how movement can benefit our brain and benefit our mental wellbeing. By taking a few minutes out of our day we can start building the routine of movement. This would not only increase our health but increase our brain and therefore have a better mood.
However, movement can be hard when you don’t have a lot to go off of. I encourage you after you read this article to do your own research as well as look at the workshop that WJW Counselling and Mediation is hosting for children.
By Kelsey Jacobs Master of Counselling Student
Di Liegro, C. M., Schiera, G., Proia, P., & Di Liegro, I. (n.d.). Physical Activity and Brain Health. Genes. Retrieved February 14, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10090720
Konopka, L. M. (2015). How exercise influences the brain: a neuroscience perspective. Croatian Medical Journal, 56(2), 169–171. https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2015.56.169
Preiato, D. (2023, May 10). Exercise and the brain: The mental health benefits of exercise. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/exercise#:~:text=When%20you%20exercise%2C%20a%20number,oxygen%20supply%20to%20your%20brain.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Physical Activity, and Obesity, & Division of Nutrition. (2023, February 23). Physical Activity Boosts Brain Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 14, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/physical-activity-brain-health/index.html#:~:text=Did%20you%20know%20it’s%20good,of%20cognitive%20decline%2C%20including%20dementia.
