The impact of physical activity on the mind
- becca
- Mar 24, 2020
- 5 min read
Ya'll...I had to stay inside both days this weekend and I was so stir-crazy. I can only imagine how those of you who are truly self-quarantining are feeling. I still have to work out of the office, so I get a tiny bit of relief during the week. However, more than half of the people are gone, working from home, so it's still eerily quiet.
Towards the end of last week, when the office really started emptying out...I was in a really negative head-space. Our gym is closed, which is usually my source of relief during a stressful day. Now, we don't have that. And I've felt like I'm slowly starting to lose it...
I can't change the fact that our gym is closed. But I CAN have an impact on the amount of physical activity I get in a day...it just may look a little different than it did before the 'rona.
Here are a couple of things Clint and I have started doing during the workday to get the blood flowing just a tiny bit (and to release some of that tension we're all feeling):
1. Get up and walk around
Our company actually has a form of an indoor walking track that we're still allowed to use (very grateful for this), so we usually take a couple laps in the morning and a couple in the afternoon. This helps us recharge a little when we've been staring at a computer screen for hours.
2. Stand up
Our company recently upgraded all of the cubes to standing desks, which has helped tremendously (also super grateful for this). I try to stand for at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.
Outside of that, we've started doing smaller, indoor workouts when we get home in the evenings. There are a TON you can find on Pinterest. Simply search "at home workouts" or "no equipment workouts" and you'll find a bunch of different (and FREE) options to suit your needs.
Getting exercise in every day is important in a normal environment. Now, with things as hectic/stressful/unknown as they are, it's even more important. Like...INCREDIBLY important. I'm generally a happy person. I do stress things that I probably shouldn't stress, but I'm overall pretty optimistic. And I'VE been greatly impacted by this pandemic. When things start to impact our mental health, they trickle down to our physical health. And vice-versa, to be honest. You have to pay very close attention to both areas; they are both incredibly important to our overall well-being.
I'm sure you've also gathered that I'm very much a introvert. So I can only imagine how you extroverts are feeling if I'M...me...an extreme introvert...is stressing about not being able to hangout with people. Or, to be honest, go to Target on a Saturday morning. We're not able to do the normal things that would usually bring us so much joy. And we probably didn't even realize, until 'rona, how much joy those little things brought us. Now, here we are, stuck inside, just PLEADING to be able to sit down in a cute coffee shop with a cup o' jo in hand.
This, my friends, highlights even more-so, the importance of getting physically active during this time. Getting exercise relieves some of these little stresses we're now feeling that we didn't use to.
Exercise is known to be effective in dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, and more. Regular exercise helps you sleep better at night, gives you more energy (though you'd likely think the opposite), helps you have clearer memories, AND allows you to feel more relaxed at the end of the day. And this is during your regular life...not to mention with a pandemic causing complete panic in communities across the world.
It's not like you have to be a fitness expert to reap the benefits of regular exercise. A "modest" workout each day can have a lasting positive impact on your physical and mental health. I always say, "something is better than nothing". So get out, and get moving! You can read more about the impacts of being physically active on your mental health here, in an article from helpguide.org.
I am, by no means, a fitness expert. And I'm definitely not in the best shape I could be. But I know how my mind feels on a day when I haven't been very active. And it's not good.
Do ya'll ever have those weekend days where you just "Netflix & chill" all day? You sit on the couch, watch movies, take naps...and eat. And at the end of the day you feel mentally and psychically exhausted? Almost like you're sick? This is the impact that inactivity has on your mental and physical health. You don't feel that way because you're actually sick. You feel that way because you've forced your body into this sluggish state and it's hard to get out of it once you've started.
Now, I don't suffer from mental health issues. As I mentioned previously, I'm overall a pretty happy person. And I feel the impacts of a "Netflix & chill" day. How do you think someone with depression feels after a "Netflix & chill" day? I know with depression, it's very easy to feel exhausted and you don't get enough sleep on a GOOD day. But sitting on the couch eating food that is terrible for you is NOT doing anything to improve your mental condition. It may be extremely hard to get up off that couch, but the more you just sit there, the worse you're going to feel.
Take this impact of a "Netflix & chill" day on someone with depression and add the coronavirus to it. And all of the stress, uncertainty, ISOLATION, etc. that comes with the coronavirus. You have a disaster waiting to happen.
Putting someone with depression or a mental illness in isolation is the WORST thing you can do. Coronavirus is impacting so much more than simply those who contract the virus. If you have someone in your life who suffers from a mental illness, check on them regularly during this time. Just think about it...if you and I, who DON'T suffer from a mental illness are feeling the impacts of isolation...think about the impact it's having on someone WITH a mental illness. Be there for those people, as much as you can.
Being forced to isolate yourself can really burden your mind. I encourage you to do as much as possible to combat that burden. And one of those things is getting outside...being active. The government and health organizations are still very encouraging of getting outside, as long as it's not in large groups of people. You still have to practice social distancing, but at least you get your body moving and are able to breathe in some fresh air. Maybe FaceTime someone you love while doing it...that way you don't feel alone. :)
I'm thinking of all of you during this crazy, unprecedented time. And I'm praying for both your physical and mental health (and financial health, TBH). Let's do what we can to keep our heads held high. This too shall pass.
A place to be #unapologeticallyme
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