There’s no question about the fact that martial arts are hugely beneficial to our physical fitness. But did you know that these activities are good for the mind too? People who struggle with anxiety and/or depression have difficulties in summoning the energy to leave their beds. With that in mind, you may find it hard to believe that martial arts are a good remedy for such issues. However – as someone who’s facing mental illness issues, you shouldn’t try something like a radical obstacle course. Instead, just an hour a day at a martial arts gym will do wonders! How? We’ll explore this in detail below.
Easing Stress
Naturally, saying that life does not always go the way we want it would be an understatement. And all the stuff that we’re not satisfied with can cause quite a lot of stress. While it may not look like much at first; this stress build-up is often the first and primary trigger in anxiety and depressive states. Sure, there are situation-specific forms like postpartum depression; but generally, the day-to-day stress of life is enough.
And when we’re stressed out, our bodies generate higher amounts of cortisol. This is one of the hormones that affect our moods, potentially causing anxiety; especially in a “fight or flight” scenario. Too much of it is known to cause depression, especially in situations where long-term stress becomes overwhelming enough to cause a sense of helplessness.
If you don’t think this is harmful enough – cortisol also has a role in the retention of belly fat! But don’t worry, you can deal with both of these issues with one simple thing – physical activity. Not only will you burn a lot of fat while working out; but your body will constantly be under low, manageable levels of stress. That’s why you’ll become immune to it, significantly reducing your average cortisol levels.
Staying Active
If you lead a particularly sedentary lifestyle, one thing is certain; it’s not very dynamic. That’s why this kind of lifestyle has much higher anxiety and depression rates than others. Plus, physical inactivity is a known trigger of obesity, cardiovascular issues, type 2 diabetes; even causing cancer.
Especially for people who spend a lot of time sitting down; like office work or studying – regular martial arts training is a great fit for being fit! Plus, not only will you stay physically active; but you’ll also train to be able to defend yourself from any attacker. That’s definitely an invaluable skill and something that will make you feel more secure in your own skin. There’s nothing like the feeling of physical superiority and safety that comes with martial arts training.
You’ll be in a better mood
When we get older, there are plenty of things that can start to go wrong with our bodies; especially if we haven’t spent our youth taking care of them in the proper way. Cars are a pretty good comparison here; if you don’t do all the needed maintenance regularly, they’ll last you far shorter, and provide a bumpy ride.
And as we age, one of the things that happen is dopamine loss. Dopamine is one of the most important brain chemicals in terms of happiness and pleasure. And as we age, each passing decade sees us lose more than 5% of the dopamine receptors which help us experience approval and pleasure. Naturally, this makes anyone more prone to anxiety and depression.
But even if you knew this, were you aware that this process can be eased quite a lot? If you want to feel happier even on the toughest day; even a short training session in a martial arts club will give you a quick dopamine fix. Apart from that, training of this sort provides you with a great endorphin rush as well. If there’s one thing that’s certain – it’s that you’ll be happier when you leave the training area than when you came to it.
Better Sleeping
One of the many unfortunate side effects of depression and anxiety is sleep deprivation. And even if you manage to fall asleep in such a state, you will probably not end up feeling well-rested. Worst of all – a lack of sleep will speed up the levels of cortisol production in your body. As we’ve mentioned at the beginning of this article, increased cortisol levels are sure to cause stress. Obviously, that kind of vicious cycle isn’t easy to get out of.
If you’ve been suffering from such sleep-related issues, we recommend thinking about martial arts training as well; it’s guaranteed to get you to sleep better and more calmly. There’s no complex science here – quite simply, if you become more physically active, your body will be tired enough to fall asleep far more easily; regardless of what kind of negative thoughts you’d otherwise have in mind. And once you start sleeping better, the management of depression and anxiety will become less of a burden too.
More Optimism
Once you start talking to any kind of martial artist, you’ll notice one thing; not only are they physically tough, in the traditional sense of the word; but they’re mentally tougher as well. Martial arts training, just like life in general, is filled with challenges and obstacles. Learning to overcome such difficulties in training will allow you to be better disposed toward life hurdles as well.
So, if you find yourself always finding the negative side of things, you should think about martial arts training. Soon enough, you’ll see your weaknesses become strengths. And once that happens, you’ll also become more positive and optimistic about any problem; having the feeling that you can easily turn a bad situation around!
