Essay Sample on How Physical Activity relates to Mental Health

An individual needs to engage in physical activities for at least an hour in three days a week. Keeping oneself physically fit by participating in various activities helps to boost physical and mental health (Gerber et al. .2019). No matter how simply a person can engage in physical activities, it has some considerable benefits in an individual's health status. It is essential to consider that there are both physical and mental benefits of engaging in physical activities. However, it is necessary for an individual to recognize that the time he or she has been involved in these activities matters, the more frequently an individual participates in physical activities, the more health benefits in the long run (Hrafnkelsdottir et al. 2018). Many research materials have confirmed that people who participate in physical activities have more health benefits, including proper psychological state, longer life, and good health. It is, therefore, for an individual to maintain a positive attitude toward physical activities as part of the day-to-day lifestyle. This research aims to analyze the effect of outdoor physical activity on the mental health of people with depression.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Background

Organizations and industries have shown a significant concern in the wellbeing of employees, despite people in workplaces face mental challenges such as stress, which acts as an obstacle to performing regular duties at work. Many researchers have found that there is an inconsistency between physical activities and mental health despite being closely associated. Today mental health has been considered an excellent global problem that all the concern and responsible organizations and teams and professional individuals must address (Doree et al. 2020). Stress, for instance, is a considerate global health problem; in some cases, this results in a severe mental condition such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Therefore, it has been found that the best remedy is through physical activity. Modification individual's lifestyle is significant in determining how one can control mental health (Renaud et al. .2014).

Engaging in more exercise for at least the recommended time. A positive lifestyle, therefore, encompasses physical activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, and jogging. All these aerobic activities have a considerable impact on one's mental health (Gourgouvelis et al. .2018). Through physical activity, one can improve blood circulation that affects psychological reactivity to psychiatric conditions such as stress in the brain. Also, physical activities help to strengthen individuals' social interactions as well as distractions. Many s-researchers have concluded that physical activities promote cognitive functions and reduce symptoms of low self-esteem and social withdrawal; it promotes proper sleep, relief of stress, and increased alertness of the brain (Murawski et al. 2018).

Understanding Physical Activity and Stress

Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha 2014, affirm that stress is a reflection of an individual's psychological state. In many cases, stress occurs as a result of traumatic events. However, people react differently to stress; in some cases, the reaction may be prolonged, unaccustomed, or grinding process of recovery. If an individual fails to see a mental expert seek remedies of stress, the patient may develop a severe mental cognition (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha 2014). Stress is associated with several mental health conditions, which in some cases may lead to cardiovascular disease and a reduced immune system, which makes a person prone to contracting other diseases. Therefore, stress does not only affect cognitive function but goes a long way to being an indirect cause of the infection ibn general body health. In contrast with stress Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha 2014 physical activity as any form of movement produced by the body via skeletal muscles, the action results in energy expenditure in the body. Based on Keyes, Shellman & Hill, 2017 identifies three main components of mental health; these are emotional state, psychological, and social wellbeing of an individual.

Causes and Impact of Stress

The leading cause of stress is the ineffective management of time; it occurs when a person plans to complete many tasks within an unrealistic time limit. As a result of it is a sense of underachievement, failure, and lack of satisfaction leading to stress. Emotional problem contributes to mental dysfunctions and eventually stress. To avoid this problem, therefore, an individual should adopt a reasonable schedule and, more importantly, engage in time management skills to utilize resources and time effectively to achieve a given goal. Setting achievable targets within a specified time is advisable for every individual; it is also essential to put priorities right and do tasks successfully to avoid confusion and overstretching the mental capacity to handle responsibilities. Some of the tools that help in time management and task handling include task analysis analyses scheduling, prioritization techniques, and list-making tools.

Also, there are other causes of stress, which include life situations such as traumatic events. When an individual is faced with a trauma, the body defences counteract by creating a stress response mechanism, which makes one feel varied physical symptoms, feel intense emotions, and behave differently. In most cases, these have made victims suffer the effects in silence as they may not be able to share with anyone. Stress has negative impacts on the mental and general health of an individual; some of these include poor dietary practices, use of alcohol, smoking, abnormal behaviours, and cardiovascular-related infections (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014). Stress involves a considerate change in the environment of an individual that requires the body to react and adapt to the changes in the process; therefore, a person faces physical and mental challenges as a result. In other cases, stress leads to physical impacts such as headaches, blood pressure, chest pain, and upset stomach, which influence negative dietary (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014).

Impact of Physical Exercise on Psychological Stress

Physical exercise has many health benefits as epically when it is practised at a recommended time every day of the week. Some of the health impacts of physical activity include reduced cases of depression, negative affectivity, and anxiety (Washburn et al. 2014). Stress being an inevitable part of human life, it is vital to use the appropriate remedy to reduce the effects of the symptoms involved. It may not be possible to alienate stress; however, through physical exercise, it can be managed. When psychological functioning has affected the nerves in the brain, the whole body will feel the effect; therefore, it makes that if the body feels better through physical activity, the mind will be better. Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014 suggest that regular participation in physical exercise decreases levels of tension in the brain, enhances and stabilizes body moods, improves an individual's self-esteem, and sleeps.

Besides, physical exercise is vital in promoting the quality of life because, through aerobic exercise, the body can ban calories. Participating in physical activity helps to boost overall bogy mood and memory functions; achieving this state, an individual can successfully plan for realistic goals and work to achieve them within a reasonable schedule.

The Relationship between Physical Activity and Mental Health

Bernard et al. 2018 researched the effects of physical activity and mental health; they used approximately 8150 participants age 20-79. The researchers confirmed that participating in physical exercise have a grew impact of mental health with evidence showing low score on depression. Also, findings showed that mental condition is associated with sedentary time, which implies that physical activity is necessary to achieve psychological benefits. Physical exercise acts as a tool for promoting mental health, and individuals should, therefore, combine low to moderate and vigorous physical activities to outdoor to maintain good mental condition at all times (Bernard et al. 2018).

Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha 2014 identifies that there is an indirect relationship between physical exercise, behavior, and stress. The authors found that saver cases of stress are a result of low physical exercise. Individuals with stress find it har to participate in activities. Therefore, physical activity can be encouraged as a way of managing stress. Exercise is one of the best methods of maintaining health because it is efficient and not costly.

Vancampfort et al. 2017 identify that in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) use of drugs and mental problems are the significant sources of disability, which accounts for approximately 19% of the entire population with incapacity related stress. The causes of disability as a result of back pain have been closely associated with major cases of depressive disorders. Vancampfort et al., 2017 affirm that individuals who engage in less physical exercise are likely to experience extreme cases of depression and stress. The entire population of SSA will experience a significant increase in YLDs if there is the continued use of drugs, the effects will approximately range from 20 to 45 million YLDs (Vancampfort et al. 2017)

According to Vancampfort et al. 2017, mental and use of drugs problems will increase up to 66% of YLDs by 2050. From the research, two patients with HIV used vigorous exercise to reduce melancholy, quality of life, increased self-esteem, reduced emotional stress, and improved body picture (Vancampfort et al., 2017).

Furthermore, Van Dyck et al. 2015 conducted research to identify ways in which distal social, proximal social, and physical environment is associated with a mental condition. The findings from this research are consistent with previous research studies that highlight the benefits of including different elements at various levels when top understand the relationship between mental cognition and physical activity. Besides, the other findings indicated that relaxation time, recreation strolling, MVPA, transport-related strolling, and cycling also have positive outcomes when it comes to marinating mental health. The relationship between these factors was found to be 32.9% based on different types of physical exercise (Van Dyck et al., 2015).

Van Dyck et al. 2015 presents different explanations to explain the findings; for example, the authors encountered that overall commitment of natural elements, proximal social to clarify some of the physical activities, is a lot more critical than the involvement of social and physical environment. Also, the authors found that MVPA and other activities such as long-time strolling or walking are the leading mediators who are closely associated with physical exercise as well as leisure time, they have positive impacts on mental health.

Furthermore, Shellman & Hill 2017, affirmed that mental condition is directly linked to physical activity. In their research, they identified that there is a positive association between outdoor methods with mental health improvement, psychological resilience, and the general wellbeing of an individual. From the data analyzed after the research, they confirmed that there are mental health benefits as well as resilience as a result of timely outdoor education, which involves participating in outdoor physical exercise.