By: Soumya Chaudhary
Abstract
Introduction
Mental health is an important aspect of life and poor mental health is very prevalent among teenagers. Managing school, academics, extracurricular, and relationships while facing various hormonal changes and the process of development can be difficult to navigate and this might cause multiple issues and can also be fatal. However, there are various methods to help mitigate this during adolescence and this can be reduced through a lot of useful practices. Running is an intervention that not only helps improve the physical health of individuals but also helps improve mental health. It can be a very useful intervention for a teenager struggling with various issues. This article aims to analyze articles that help prove that running can be a good intervention for mental health.
Running and Mental Health
A study conducted depicted that running has been proven to help improve mental health. The results of the study found that male runners who were deprived of running for 2 weeks showed more symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to the runners who had continued running. They found that many groups of non-runners, who started running showed increased signs of positive mental health and were able to reduce their anxiety. The study also noticed higher levels of creativity and higher levels of self-esteem in those children who continued running and were runners [1]. This depicts that running and doing physical activity is directly proportional to improvement in the mental health of teenagers and various other age groups. Running has also been proven to help improve short-term mood, and since many adolescents tend to choose harmful interventions to help reduce short-term mental health issues which can be very dangerous to the individual since running is proven to improve mental health in a short-term period and quicker, it can be beneficial for teenagers to consider running as an intervention[2]. Running not only helps with short-term mood disorder, anxiety, or depression, but physical exercise and running can be beneficial for long-term disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and panic attacks. It helps in decreasing stress hormones, helping distraction from negative thoughts, promoting confidence, acting as a source of social support, and may prove as a buffer against stress [3]. Running is just another source for antidepressants and can be as useful as them. It is also a natural form of antidepressant which can come with almost no symptoms. It not only releases endorphins but also helps in increasing serotonin. Running is also a cost-effective intervention and is very cheap, making it very useful for teenagers [4] .
Conclusion
References
1. Oswald, F., Campbell, J., Williamson, C., Richards, J., & Kelly, P. (2020). A Scoping Review of the Relationship between Running and Mental Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8059.
2. Cummings, J. (2021, November 21). Mental health benefits of jogging and running. Verywell Fit. https://www.verywellfit.com/the-mental-benefits-of-jogging-2911666 3. Star, K., PhD. (2023, January 3). The mental health benefits of physical exercise. Verywell Mind.
4. Proactivers. (2023, May 30). Running vs. Antidepressants: Exploring the Benefits Running for Mental Health - Proactive Rehabilitation & Wellness. Proactive
Rehabilitation & Wellness. https://pro-activehealth.com/running-mental-health/
Comments