“When they tell me that I’m happy, they don’t even imagine how hard I work for it!” How you feel depends only on you. This story proves that a person himself is responsible for what happens to him. The girl, who suffered from chronic depression, suddenly realized that this was no longer possible. She attempted suicide - unsuccessfully, fortunately for her.
After hospitalization and a course of treatment in the hospital, Claire decided to take a cool change life and take control of depression. This mental disorder was described by Hippocrates, emphasizing that depression can be treated with water procedures, physical activity and regulation of sleep cycles. Much has changed since ancient times, but the basics remain the same - a healthy, orderly lifestyle leads to relief from depression.
Sports and stress
Claire was able to cope with her depression through sports. As she continues to study, she values herself and her life more and more, learns to perceive any events positively, and no longer suffers from prolonged depression. This is an excellent solution for anyone who feels that their nerves are clearly not in order. Sports activities return harmony to the functioning of the nervous system, this is true.
Train your body, and you will become a resilient and strong person with a huge resource of happiness and vital energy. Sounds tempting, doesn't it? Tell your friends this girl's story - depression can be cured by sports!
Everyone knows that physical education and sports improve your figure, but stress and busyness prevent you from making sports a way of life. But with the help of physical activity you can reduce the amount of stress.
Any physical activity, including aerobic and strength exercises, helps relieve stress. Even if you are not an athlete and have long been out of shape, simple physical exercise will bring a lot of benefits, and over time will help keep stress under control.
Exercise and stress relief
Sport helps improve your overall health and also promotes a good mood. Why?
— Activity stimulates the production of endorphins. Physical activity helps your body produce feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins.
— Sport is meditation in motion. When you start moving actively, you may find that it helps you forget about any stimuli you encounter during the day and focus on moving your body. If you regularly release stress through movement and sports, you will gain additional energy and optimism. This will help you remain calm in whatever you do.
— Being active improves your mood. Regular exercise can help boost self-confidence and relieve symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. Exercise also helps improve sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All of this will help reduce stress and you will feel more in control of your body and your life.
Make activism work for good
A successful sports program begins with the following steps:
— Consult your doctor. If you have any health problems or are overweight, you should consult a doctor before starting training, who will tell you which training program you should choose.
— Walk before you run. Your training programs should start with light exercises, then you can gradually increase the intensity. The mistake many beginners make is that due to their great enthusiasm at the beginning, they can harm themselves. If you start programs slowly, you are more likely to stick with your workouts later on. Beginners are advised to exercise no more than 20-30 minutes a day 3-4 times a week, and gradually increase the time and number of sessions. Healthy people are advised to exercise about 150 minutes a week of moderate-impact aerobic exercise (including brisk walking or swimming), and about 75 minutes a week of vigorous-impact exercise (such as running). Also, the training program should include strength exercises for 2 hours per week.
— Do what you love and love what you do. Don't torture yourself with long runs if you don't like running. Any other physical activity will benefit you and help reduce stress. The most important thing is to find programs that you like. You can walk briskly, climb stairs, jog, ride a bike, do yoga, garden, lift weights, or swim.
— Plan ahead. Even if your work schedule doesn't allow you to study at the same time, if you carefully plan your studies in advance, it will be easier for you to get involved and not miss classes. Also, this way you can mark your workouts as matters of increased importance.
Make activity a way of life
Starting to exercise or lead a more active lifestyle is only the first step. We offer tips on how to get used to the programs and not give up over time.
— Set specific goals. When you start exercising, it's a good idea to have a specific goal. For example, if your top priority is de-stressing and recharging your energy batteries, you might set yourself goals to go for a walk every lunch break, join a gym, buy a pool membership, and so on.
— Find a company for yourself. If you know that someone is waiting for you at the gym to work out together, or you and a friend have agreed to go for a run together after work, this will be a great incentive not to quit training. Exercising with a friend, family member or work colleague will help you stay motivated.
— Avoid monotony. If you usually only run, try incorporating other activities into your routine, such as Pilates or yoga. You should not choose very monotonous programs that are easy to get tired of and will cause you to lose motivation.
Whatever you do, don't force yourself to do it if you really don't want to. It's best to find programs that you can enjoy and look forward to your next workout. This will help you make sports a part of your everyday life. If you exercise regularly or lead an active lifestyle, stress will not linger in your life.
Stress is a physiological reaction of the body to external influences that disrupts its own self-regulation (homeostasis). Stress reactions help us survive in dangerous situations, cope with external dangers, make the brain and body work faster, in some cases motivate us, and allow us to experience the fullness of life.
But if a person is stressed, worried and nervous for a long time, such an anxious state already becomes a threat to health. Stress begins to interfere with everyday life, various anxiety disorders appear - and these are already chronic diseases.
That's why it's so important to find a way to free yourself from stress. It is worth noting that this phenomenon has been studied quite well by scientists, and there are many such ways to get rid of overvoltage.
One of the simplest is physical activity: experts confirm that some simple ones can relieve tension, eliminating many problems.
Simple and effective ways to relieve stress
How well a person copes with adverse effects depends on his health, temperament, personality and other factors.
All people perceive stressful situations differently. But the easiest way for each of us to normalize our emotional state is with the help of our favorite sport. Or even just physical activity. The main thing is to choose a type of activity that brings pleasure.
The effectiveness of such a simple remedy is easily explained.
- help to distract yourself;
- relax;
- improve health;
- improve appearance;
- help reduce the production of stress hormones;
- During sports activities, happiness hormones are produced, which quickly leads to a noticeable improvement in mood.
Some types of exercise help relieve stress faster and easier. Playing volleyball, basketball, football, and swimming is a good way to get rid of unnecessary causeless worries.
But not everyone and not always have the opportunity to choose this type of activity. But anyone can afford to go to a fitness room to practice yoga - fortunately, the opening hours of such institutions usually allow you to choose the most convenient time.
So, the top three convenient stress relievers.
Breathing is the most important physiological process, on which the well-being and emotional state of a person largely depends.
Our intermittent shallow inhalations/exhalations are common companions of stress. It is breathing exercises that best help to calm down, relieve tension, relax, and normalize heartbeat and blood pressure.
The special beauty of effective breathing techniques is that it is accessible to absolutely everyone.
In a state of strong emotional stress, yoga is a great way to calm down. Performing relaxing asanas makes it possible to relieve muscle tension, tune into a positive mood, and cheer up.
It does not cause severe muscle pain - on the contrary, bending, stretching and all other exercises are aimed at learning to relax the muscles.
Yoga practitioners try not only to reduce tension in the body, but also to clear the mind and thoughts - this also helps to relieve stress, anxiety, pacifies, gives a feeling of inner strength and calm.
Regular practice greatly increases stress resistance and relieves everyday irritability and anxiety.
Even a short run gives a powerful release of endorphins. All negative thoughts leave the head, the person becomes liberated. While running, you have time to restore your psyche and relieve nervous stress.
The body of a running person is saturated with oxygen, his muscles are trained, and endurance increases.
They allow you to stay in shape, trained people tend to look at small daily problems more easily, they switch faster from one activity to another, they love and appreciate themselves more.
Useful advice from experts: if you have the opportunity to run barefoot, you should definitely use it. The fact is that when running barefoot, the shock load is redistributed in a special way: the landing occurs not on the heel, but on the forefoot, accordingly, the muscles of the foot are loaded, and the bones and joints are less at risk of injury.
If you urgently need to get yourself in order, one of the simple exercises will help. You can choose what is easiest to do in specific conditions and what corresponds to your physical capabilities.
Exercise No. 1
- It is necessary to lie on your back on a flat surface, while your arms should be located along your body;
- raise your legs and try to touch the floor behind your head with your toes;
- stay in this position for two to three minutes.
- You need to stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, relax, closing your eyes - for about 30 seconds;
- then take several deep breaths and exhalations, so that in the respiratory cycle;
- then do at least 20 jumps in place; during the jump, you need to raise your arms up.
Exercise No. 3
- You should stand straight, raise your arms up, keep your head straight;
- tense all your muscles, starting with your fingers and moving down to your feet;
- relax the muscles, moving in the reverse order: first the legs, then the stomach, back, shoulders, arms. Repeat several times.
- Lie on your stomach, lift your head off the floor, bend your knees;
- grab your legs with your hands, feel;
- You need to stay in this position for a couple of minutes, without losing your breath evenly and deeply.
Exercise #5
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands behind your head;
- raise your left leg, bent at the knee, and bend over to touch your left knee with your right elbow;
A person’s stress response unfolds at the physiological, psychological and behavioral levels. Studies examining the effects of stress on the body have shown that exercise has a positive effect on all these levels and helps a person cope with stress.
Why does sport help relieve stress?
In the process of evolutionary development, humans have developed certain behavioral models of responding to stress. The physiological reaction, primarily the release of adrenaline into the blood, prepares a person to flee or fight.
However, in modern, civilized living conditions, the body cannot properly use the energy released as a result of physiological changes, intended for flight or attack. This increases the degree of fatigue and wear. Sports activities allow you to constructively and purposefully use this energy, protecting the body from exhaustion. That is why, from a physiological point of view, sport plays an important role in overcoming stress, helping to direct energy in a useful direction and use it safely.
In addition, at the physiological level, the following occurs:
Production of endorphins; When a person experiences stress, the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, increases, and there is a lack of endorphins, the joy hormones that are formed during sports.
Saturation of organs and tissues with oxygen.
Regulation of blood sugar (glucose) levels.
At the same time, on a psychological level, during stress, a person may feel disappointment, irritation, guilt, shame, apathy, hopelessness, and loneliness. There is a disruption in behavior due to the occurrence of unforeseen and unusual circumstances, and the person intuitively tries to return to his usual ways of behavior.
Most often, these methods become harmful and self-destructive habits - smoking, drinking alcohol, displaying impulsiveness and aggressiveness. A person may begin to overeat without feeling hungry, but simply to calm down, or to perform habitual actions, but inappropriate and useless in the given circumstances. Therefore, on a psychological and behavioral level, sports are beneficial and can contribute to:
Organizing and streamlining activities, putting actions and thoughts in order.
Gaining a sense of control over the situation, a deficiency of which a person experiences during times of stress.
Increasing self-esteem and self-confidence. Playing sports can bring joy and satisfaction from achieving even small results.
The emergence of goals and motivation, getting rid of hopelessness, passivity, and refusal of activity.
Distraction from negative thoughts. Physiological changes that occur during stress require time to stabilize. During this period, any moderate physical activity is beneficial for a person’s psychological state, as it allows one to experience negative emotions without focusing on disturbing and debilitating thoughts.
What sports are good for stress?
Almost any sport can be used as a way to combat stress. It is important to take into account a person’s physical capabilities, preferences and interests.
It is necessary to properly regulate the load so as not to overload the body. After training, a person must still have strength, he must feel a surge of vigor, and not exhaustion.
The resumption of previous interests or hobbies - running, race walking, playing tennis, swimming - can have a positive effect on self-esteem. A person can choose an already familiar sport or physical activity, or try something new, for example, yoga, cycling, morning exercises.
Water treatments and outdoor activities have a positive effect on both the body and mood. Group sports or team sports provide a sense of togetherness, belonging, support and confidence.
Important rules for playing sports under stress
Thus, to cope with stress through exercise, there are several points to consider:
moderate load so as not to overload the body to the point of exhaustion;
start the lesson with a general physical warm-up of the joints to prevent damage;
correctly assess your physical capabilities and set achievable goals, which will allow you to increase your self-esteem and gain satisfaction from the result;
focus on the process, for example, monitor your breathing, tension and muscle function, which allows you to escape from negative thoughts and experiences;
engage both individually and in a group to be able to feel support and belonging;
exclude gambling and aggressive sports that contain a competitive aspect.
Preventing stress and getting rid of depression comes down to a simple recipe: more physical activity. In the battle between sports and bad mood and depression, sports wins.
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Exercising helps lift your mood, improve your tone, give you optimism and ease the symptoms of depression.
Important! It is worth distinguishing between clinical depression and what is popularly called “depression”: bad mood, depression and loss of strength. Severe depression is a mental disorder that is a disorder of affect. It is characterized by the “depressive triad”: decreased mood and loss of the ability to experience joy, disturbances in thinking (negative judgments, a pessimistic view of what is happening, etc.), motor retardation. With depression, self-esteem is reduced, and there is a loss of interest in life and usual activities. In some cases, a person suffering from it may begin to abuse alcohol or other psychotropic substances. If you notice all of the above symptoms, in addition to exercising, seek qualified help.
Regular exercise, in addition to the obvious health benefits in the form of strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, improving your figure, helps:
- Reduce stress.
- Drive away anxiety and depressive feelings.
- Raise self-esteem.
- Improve sleep.
- Increase vital energy.
- Get a healthy and fit look.
People who exercise have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and irritability. Exercise begins to act as an antidepressant on certain neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with bouts of depression regain a positive outlook on life. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces fears and associated symptoms such as increased heart rate and breathing.
— Jasper Smits, Director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University Dallas (USA)
Despondency - fight!
Let's turn to physiology.
Sugar level
Dosed loads balance blood sugar levels and eliminate chronic muscle strain, which occurs in constantly nervous people. This allows you to keep your stress levels under control and turns negative into positive, because... contributes to the outburst of accumulated aggression outside and with benefit, and not on loved ones and with scandal.
Endorphins
During exercise, the body produces endorphins, natural antidepressants. Endorphins (chemical compounds similar in structure to opiates, which are naturally produced in neurons of the brain) bring a person into a state of euphoria, for this reason it is often called the “happiness hormone” or “joy hormone.”
Oxygen
Physiotherapists explain the beneficial effects of sports for depression by the fact that physical activity causes an active flow of oxygen to all organs of the body, including the brain. It helps reduce the symptoms of many mental concerns such as sadness, depression, stress, insomnia.
Psychological benefits
During periods of stress and despondency, people tend to isolate themselves from the world around them (which subsequently drags them into the abyss of depression even deeper than everyday troubles). Therefore, experts advise playing sports in the fresh air or with a group in the gym.
You try something new for yourself, something different - and that’s good.
There are many factors here, objective and subjective. Expanding your social circle. The emergence of new interests, knowledge and goals. Change of environment and switch from depressing thoughts. Getting rid of aggression, anger and other destructive emotions. Increased self-esteem: if a person succeeds in completing the exercise, he becomes more confident in himself, and this pushes gloomy thoughts into the background, allows him not to fall into despair, and a positive result will be reflected in the mirror.
Also individual perceptions: for example, you really like your new uniform, and jumping rope reminds you of childhood.
The first study to find out how physical activity affects mood was conducted back in 1970. Two groups of men took part in it. The first one was training for six weeks: the program included jogging, swimming, and cycling. The second one led her usual sedentary lifestyle. As a result, it turned out that physical education enthusiasts recovered from their depressed state much faster.
What sport is best for getting rid of depression?
Any physical exercise, any activity helps relieve the symptoms of depression, even if it's jumping on the spot. The main thing is that you like them and don’t force yourself to do them.
At first you will probably have to push yourself, but then you will enjoy the training.
- cycling,
- dancing,
- walking or race walking,
- at short distances,
- morning or evening,
- aerobics classes of moderate difficulty,
- classes in the hall,
- tennis,
- aqua aerobics,
- any cardio training (even running in place and jumping rope).
For some, triathlon, bodybuilding, powerlifting or cross-fit classes are also suitable. It's individual. Choose what you like and brings pleasure. After all, it is important to cheer yourself up and feel a surge of strength.
The main thing is to set goals for yourself. For example: swim 300 meters, walk 5 kilometers, be able to do 10 pull-ups or push-ups. Yes, these are small goals. The main thing is that they are achievable. And every time it’s a victory: both over yourself and over a bad mood. And victory means not giving up and moving on.
Important! EIf you are over 50 or have diabetes or heart disease, consult your physician before starting exercise.
Frequency of classes
How often should you exercise to relieve stress and improve your mood? Morning exercises and yoga can be done every day. The same applies to walks.
If training requires physical activity (aerobics, gym, running, swimming, etc.) - two or three times a week, devote 30-60 minutes to training. Because the body needs rest, no need to exercise too much - this is one of the.
Try to exercise for at least 20-30 minutes three times a week. Start doing exercises with 20 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 30, and then to 40, and to 60 minutes.
When you get used to playing sports and they become a habit for you, you can change the time and set of exercises for greater convenience and interest (workouts should not get boring).
Daily menu
Nutrition is always important, but especially in sad moments. After all, you want to please yourself and eat away stress. We also get endorphins from food.
Some tips:
- Avoid stimulants - forget about tea, coffee, energy drinks, cola and sweets for a while. Plain water, mineral water (it sizzles so funny), juices, milk, kefir.
- Start your day with a breakfast rich in protein and carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits). Food will give you energy, and colorful fruits will lift your spirits.
- Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. They contain many vitamins necessary to maintain stable blood sugar levels, which usually rise sharply under stress (this can lead to the accumulation of excess weight).
Eat healthy. It's delicious too. The idea that only pastries and chocolates will save you is an illusion. Your body just doesn’t have enough endorphins, which are easiest to get from sweets. Just knowing that you are taking care of yourself will help in the fight against sadness and depression.
We wrote in detail about proper and healthy nutrition in the articles “
Tatyana Lisitskaya - Master of Sports of the USSR in rhythmic gymnastics, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Gymnastics at the Russian State University of Physical Culture and Sports, senior coach of the USSR national aerobics team.
After this exercise, you will feel calm and rested, especially after a long and stressful day at work.
Sit quietly in your office chair or your favorite chair at home. Place your hands on your hips, palms up. Do not cross your legs or cross your legs.
Look up. Smile. After this, look into the distance, trying to pass through walls, houses, and go far beyond the horizon (you can close your eyes, mentally expanding the space around).
Slowly clench and unclench your hands several times (4-8). You will feel how, without your control, your breathing becomes even, calm, and rhythmic. Now lift your soft (slightly bent at the elbows) arms up in front of you and, without changing position, lower them down (repeat 4-8 times).
Place your palms on your eyes and keep your eyes closed for 2-3 minutes. Now cover your ears with your palms so that your elbows are pointing to the sides and your fingers are pointing back. Hold the pose for one minute, slightly squeezing your ears, then suddenly release your hands.
When you finish your anti-stress mini-program, smile.
Don't get discouraged and don't give up on your studies! Look to the future with optimism.
