How does exercise impact mental health
- Rikki Davlin
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
written by R.Gonser
Mental health is defined as "one's emotional, psychological, and social well-being". But
what does this entail? How does poor mental health affect day to day life? And how can exercise function as a tool to improve and maintain mental-wellness?
Mental health has an impact on a wide variety of things, like mood, physical health, and overall functionality. Poor mental wellness can be resulting from lifestyle factors, genetics, and brain chemistry. And this begs the question; how much of our mental health can be controlled?
While it is obvious that some things are unpreventable, there are ways to mitigate the results of mental and emotional stressors. Things like exercise have shown great results in mitigating emotional and mental distress.
In an article titled “ Exercise and Mental Health” the author states partaking in physical activity can help reduce “negative thought patterns”. This is crucial to mental wellness, as various studies have shown neural mechanisms related to daily experiences and habits do have an overall affect on mental well being. In a report written by Denzi Fudan, It is stated that “self-generated mentation is associated with unhappiness (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010), as well as poor performance in sustained attention tasks” (in this instance mentation is referring to recurring thought patterns).
But where does exercise come into play here? That's simple , studies have shown that
exercise can release “feel good” endorphins like beta-endorphin, as well as multiple different hormones. These can influence mood, produce feelings of happiness, and even decrease pain. Not to mention regular exercise can increase physical health, and create positive habits and views on body image. Seeing as most mental distress is caused by factors pertaining to one’s self-worth. It is safe to assume partaking in activities that build positive habits, regulate reward systems, and generate good feelings would be beneficial to a person subject to a negative mental
health.
Speaking from personal experience, coping with exercise can function as a positive or
negative tool. Exercising, although hard, is very rewarding and makes you feel great . And in the great words of Socrates “ all things in moderation, including moderation.”. There is a point where exercise can become a negative tool. If it were being used as a form of self- harm or if it is performed in excess. Growing up I was always a heavier kid, and once I discovered exercise I loved it , but as I got older I developed body image issues and I started abusing exercise. It's important to know what the appropriate and safe amount is for you, it's also important to know your preferences. Exercise isn’t the only way to cope and it is always a good idea to reach out to friends, family, or a therapist when you are struggling with your mental health.
“Distinct patterns of thought mediate the link between brain functional connectomes and
well-being.” PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7462429/.
Accessed 12 June 2025.
“Exercise and mental health | healthdirect.” Healthdirect,
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-and-mental-health. Accessed 12 June 2025.
“How Does Exercise Improve Mental Health?” HelpGuide.org, 13 March 2025,
Accessed 12 June 2025.
“Mental illness - Symptoms and causes.” Mayo Clinic, 13 December 2022,
74968. Accessed 12 June 2025.
“Exercise and Stress: Get Moving to Manage Stress.” Sports Medicine,
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