The UK Government has never produced guidance on the amount of screen time that adults, children or young people should be exposed to.
This is despite the physical afflictions caused by excessive screen time being well-documented...
(headaches, dry eyes, lethargy, stiffness, body pain from posture, vision impairment, neck pain, finger problems, repetitive strain, fatigue, putting on weight, wrist pain, back ache, shoulder pain or respiratory impacts of a lack of fresh air)…
Maybe then, the links between screen time and mental health should be talked about more often to add weight to the argument.
People with low levels of physical fitness are 2 times as likely to have depression and 1.6 times as likely to have anxiety compared to those with better combined muscular and aerobic fitness.
(Source BMC Medicine)
So what actully happens when you get up and start moving your body?
How exercise combats anxiety and depression
First, it is simply a welcome distraction. Engaging in exercise diverts attention from the very thing you are anxious about and removing focus from a problem changes your perspective on it. We’ve all come back from a coffee break to an email we didn’t know how to reply to – a task we’re all struggling with – and almost instantly come to a clear decision on how to reply. It’s not a cure but it removes some of the pressure and allows your subconscious space to process.
With exercise and movement comes a sense of accomplishment. In a world where there is always more to be done at work and at home – you can look back at exercise and say, ‘I started that, and I finished it’. Seeing something through to completion, no matter how big or small, is a powerful feeling and it gathers momentum.
Getting your heart rate up changes brain chemistry, increasing the availability of important anti-anxiety neurochemicals, including serotonin, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and endocannabinoids.
Moving your body decreases muscle tension, lowering the body’s contribution to feeling anxious. Reducing the tight feeling in your chest and limbs when you’re anxious is a key contributor to keeping calm.
Exercise activates frontal regions of the brain responsible for executive function, which helps control the amygdala, our system reacting to real or imagined threats to our survival. It allows us to understand more about ourselves and how we respond to stress. The more we know and experience, the better prepared we are when fear/nerves/anxiety set in.
Exercising regularly builds up resources that bolster resilience against stormy emotions, failure and setbacks of many kinds.
We’re ignoring physiological benefits here, but the positive changes that happen to the body as a result of exercise often results in increased self-esteem. If you feel powerful physically it helps you feel powerful mentally.
Frequently exercise is done with or near other people and the psychological benefits of being in a social environment, such as a sense of belonging, are significant. While this is true, team sports or clubs aren’t for everyone and THAT IS FINE! Social interactions can come from other aspects of life. People can be draining, and you are well within your right to want to avoid them!...but no one should avoid exercise because they want to avoid people, that is just an excuse. Put your headphones in and go on a run.
Exercise will not stop life being stressful, but it better equips everyone to combat anxiety and navigate stressful situations. In a life packed full of such situations…surely even a slight advantage should be welcomed with open arms?
My next blog will look into why ingraining exercise at a young age, and thus being exposed to the tools outlined above early, is so important.
Look out for ‘The Importance of Starting Exercise Young’
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