Writer: Try The Gym To Tackle Mental Health Issues
April 30, 2023
For many, working out is a chore that they hate. Many of us never want to step foot in a gym and don’t see the benefits that come with it.
I’m writing here to speak on my experience on how the gym has truly changed my life for the better and how it could change yours, too.
Working out daily comes with many positives. Working out results in better mental health, physical health, better overall mood, reduces health risk, strengthens your bones and muscles, etc.
The gym not only improves your physical health but improves your mental health as well.
As someone who has struggled with mental health all their life I truly know from experience that going to the gym once a day/ working out at least four times a week can make a drastic difference in one’s mental health.
I personally struggle with ADHD, OCD and anxiety and have seen a difference in my symptoms when I started going to the gym.
Growing up, my anxiety was not nearly as bad as it was once I graduated high school. Before graduating, I danced every day of the week and was super active. I noticed the busier and more active I was, the more focused and less anxious I was.
Once I graduated and became less busy, my mental health issues really spiked. I found myself being very depressed and having panic attacks daily. I wondered why my emotions were so out of the ordinary and what I could do other than medication and therapy because that was only doing so much.
I finally found myself becoming out of shape and getting sick more than usual and my physical health soon began to decline as well. I decided to get back to as healthy as I was before college. I began to go to the gym three times, then, four times a week, and now, I go five times a week. I found myself not getting sick as much as I used to, able to manage my weight better, and have my emotions handled way better than I did.
The gym helps me see what I am capable of; it’s an escape from the stress of the real world and a great way to get your body moving. I am a firm believer that the gym can really help turn someone’s life around. It teaches discipline, mental strength and just an overall great way to stay active and get fit.
My friends and I have been involved in sports all our lives and that coming to a complete stop after graduating really took us for a ride mentally and physically. Overall staying active and exercising is so important to someone’s physical and mental health/well being.
