There is a significant connection between your mind and your body, and improving your physical health will, without a doubt, be beneficial to your mental well-being. However, getting fit from physical activity and dieting is only one part of the solution, and many people need some extra assistance when it comes to achieving the best results. In this article, you will learn about why therapy can be a valuable asset in helping you improve your mental health alongside committing to an active lifestyle.
How Fitness Helps Reduce Stress
Before we dive into why counseling and therapy is an important part of better mental health and well-being, it’s important to consider what exercise and a healthy diet do to improve it first.
There are a number of evidence-based reasons why getting exercise and eating right are excellent choices for people who are looking to decrease stress and ward off conditions like anxiety and depression, such as:
The Release Of Endorphins
Endorphins are naturally-occurring opioids in the body that can help reduce pain, aid in relaxation, and produce feelings of euphoria. For some people, exercise and endorphins can also provide a boost of energy as well.
No matter what, endorphins will make you feel good, and people start exercising for this reason alone and will chase the “runner’s high.”
Reducing Physical Stress
If a person has poor physical health, this can make them more likely to develop mental health issues as well, and the converse is also true as well.
By making necessary adjustments, people can reduce the impact that certain conditions have on their body, such as ones associated with obesity, or prevent them entirely, and this can, in turn, help improve their mental health as well.
Getting Better Sleep
Sleep is essential for numerous functions in the body, and if you don’t receive enough of it, it can affect your overall mood and cause you to feel depressed or anxious, especially if a person struggles with chronic sleep issues.
Exercise can help improve your sleep quality in different ways, but for many people, it’s simply just tiring, and that alone can help people have an easier time winding down and getting some shut-eye.
Increased Self-Esteem
Diet and exercise can help people achieve their fitness goals, and there is no question that when people start to notice positive changes in their physical appearance, they start to feel better too.
A person’s emotional well-being can rise significantly when they make progress, and even small accomplishments along the way can make them feel like they have the potential to achieve anything.
Why Therapy Compliments Exercise & Dieting
Now that you’ve become familiar with how fitness can help improve one’s mental health along with their physical health, it can make it easier to understand where counseling and therapy can fill up any holes and be a supplement to any routine.
Here are some areas that counseling and therapy excels:
Facing The Problem Head-On
One aspect where exercise and dieting can sometimes fall short is that it doesn’t always directly deal with the problem directly.
For example, if you struggle with a mental health issue, like depression or anxiety, exercise and dieting, while they can certainly make you feel significantly better, might not be the solution because it doesn’t address the core reason of why you feel the way you do.
Coping & Problem-Solving Skills
Relating to the previous section where an active lifestyle doesn’t entirely deal with mental health issues, counseling and therapy sessions are designed specifically for these reasons and can give you the tools you need to overcome them.
For example, one method known as cognitive-behavioral therapy is extremely successful in treating patients because it helps identify problematic and distorted thinking patterns, and by addressing them, it can then change a person’s thoughts and feelings. This strategy alone can help with numerous conditions.
Relationship-Building
One aspect of therapy that makes it incredibly effective is that it gives someone an outlet to discuss how they feel, and the relationship and trust-building that is formed with a therapist can be an invaluable part of a person’s progress.
Friends and family can certainly be supportive, but having the professional and unbiased guidance from a therapist can be exactly what someone needs in their corner.
Finding A Therapist
As you can see, therapy and fitness can complement each other very well and cover each other’s bases. However, just like how people need to find a diet and fitness plan that works for them, they also need to find a qualified counselor or therapist who is right for their needs.
BetterHelp simplifies that process with its online counseling and therapy services, and its licensed professionals who specialize in various areas can help people address any concerns that they have.
Online therapy is also affordable and convenient, and all you need is a reliable internet connection and device to connect to it, including mobile devices and tablets, which can connect using the BetterHelp app from GooglePlay.
To learn more about what BetterHelp has to offer, please visit their homepage or check out their LinkedIn profile down below:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/betterhelp-com/about/
Conclusion
Hopefully, by reading this article, you’ve learned why you should consider adding counseling and therapy to your life. Even if you aren’t currently struggling with anything, in particular, you can also learn additional ways to enrich your life, such as improving your communication with other people. Like fitness, therapy is just another resource you have that can help you lead a happier and more fulfilling life.
About Author:
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.