Training isn’t therapy. But it allow us to be truly present. Our true selves. Whether at risk of being pinned in a squat or choked out in BJJ or pushing for one more mile on a run, there’s no room to let those”voices” hold us back. We give up or fight on. That’s self reflection.
A lot of people love to talk about their workouts/training with captions like “therapy”. These are exactly the people most in need of actual therapy. There’s no substitute for working with a mental health professional to develop objectivity and insight into the motivations behind your behaviors.
Yet therapy is also a privilege that not all of us can afford. And the failure that is the American health care system is unlikely to prioritize preventative mental health any time soon. So many people must turn to whatever they can to help manage thoughts feelings and actions.
There is lots of research to suggest that exercise can mediate feelings of depression and anxiety. While they might not address the root cause, sometimes the best we can hope for is just feeling better. Eve for an hour. But why does exercise help with this?
Aside from the chemical cascades from dopamine & serotonin & norepinephrine, there also might be some inhibition of activity in the frontal cortex of the brain while engaged in hard training*. This is similar to what we see in meditation. This brain change “might” be the cause of what we describe as “being present” or “flow state”. So while exercise is not the same as meditation, there may be some corollary benefits to each.
There also seem to be a lot of cognitive benefits that occur after we’ve performed a bout of heavy exercise. While this doesn’t confer to mental health in particular, cognitive and mental health are inextricably related; they both influence one another at some level.
TLDR, don’t exercise in the hopes it will cure what ails you but don’t discount just how much it can help you to take the necessary steps to a happier, healthier life.
