The number of people who experience anxiety, depression, and poor mental health, in general, is growing every day. And although there are professionals who help people fight mental illness, it’s just not accessible to everyone.

Battling anxiety and depression is hard but there are several ways to help yourself manage them and improve your mental health.

Take martial arts for example.

Martial arts help develop not just the body but also the mind. It teaches you how to be disciplined while allowing you to develop a healthy body and mind.

Here are 5 ways martial can empower your mental health:

Brings happiness
Do you know that exercise or physical training releases endorphins and serotonin which are known to be “happy chemicals”?

High-intensity physical training such as martial arts only takes about 5 minutes for these happy chemicals to be released while moderate-intensity training like jogging it takes about 20 minutes.

Improves your sleep
Serotonin is also known as the “feel good” chemical that the body release after dopamine. It is highly associated with improving good sleep.

Study shows that exercise drops sleep problems and insomnia. Only 30 minutes of moderate physical training can help you to sleep adequately at night by improving your level of deep and restful sleep.

Build a community
When you train in martial arts, you get to be part of a community that shares the same interest, practices, goals, and values. You get to be part of a community with solid support that gives you a sense of security.

Being part of a community and having a solid relationship with people is associated with developing good mental health. It eases your anxiety and depression and helps you to relax and improve your overall state of mind.

Empowers your mind
What makes martial arts different from others is how it puts emphasis not just on body training but on shaping your mindset, mental discipline, and a sound mind.

Martial arts also improve self-confidence and self-belief that you are capable of controlling your body and mind to do powerful things.

Promote a healthy diet
Fuelling your body with good nutrition helps you to get the most out of your physical training. Plus, good food is your foundation for having a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Promoting a healthy diet is part of training martial arts. It even comes naturally for a martial artists to become disciplined in the food they take as well.

There are many ways you can do to help yourself manage your anxiety and depression and exercise or training in martial arts is just one of them. However, it would still be best to consult with doctors for professional advice and treatment.