Can Exercise and Meditation help with Anxiety and Depression?
And just like that, another month of 2020 has gone by and we have less than a month before the start of the Fall season.
It is an important time to give yourself a wellness check as so many crazy things have happened over just the past 6 months.
In this month's last newsletter, I want to talk about the benefits of Exercise and Meditation on our health and wellbeing as we go into the Fall season, a time when many people struggle with seasonal depression each year.
Depression and Anxiety disorders are among some of the most common psychiatric conditions experiences by Americans each year (~10-19% of the US adult population).
In the article Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Benefits of Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation the authors examined the current available research of using non-pharmaceutical convention such as exercises, yoga, meditation, tai chi, and etc. to help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders.
The following conclusions were made:
"As an adjunctive treatment, exercise seems most helpful for treatment-resistant depression, unipolar depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder."
"Yoga as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy shows positive effects, particularly for depression."
"As monotherapy or an adjunctive therapy, mindfulness-based meditation has positive effects on depression, and its effects can last for six months or more."
"There are no apparent negative effects of mindfulness-based interventions, and their general health benefits justify their use as adjunctive therapy for patients with depression and anxiety disorders."
As the Fall and holiday season are approaching, things will be a bit different this year. Many annual experiences that you are looking forward to around this time of year will probably not be how you usually expect them to occur.
Regardless of how you feel about traditional celebrations and the social gatherings that come with them, it is always a good idea to prepare yourself physically and mentally. Having a meditation and/or exercise routine that can work for you and your lifestyle can be very beneficial for your health.
Hope you guys found this article helpful! Until next time!
Be Well,
An D. Luong, PT, DPT, CSCS
Source: Saeed SA, Cunningham K, Bloch RM. Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Benefits of Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation. Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(10):620-627.