So you’ve tried everything to get in a better mood. Well, there’s one more thing you might want to try that actually is scientifically proven to make you feel better.
Basic research has shown that people who exercise for even 20 minutes generally feel better. It’s a combination of all of those feel-good hormones rushing through your body and a better sense of self-esteem or self-image.
More advanced research has shown that people who have a history of depression also do very, very well with exercise. One study even found that a group of people treating their depression with exercise alone had a lower relapse rate than those with medication alone or even a combination of medication and exercise.
We are not saying you should ditch your meds and go rogue. Please do not make any changes to your current mental health routine without talking to your doctor. But if you have mild depression, seasonally impacted mood swings, or a generally bleak outlook on life, you may just find that just 20 minutes of exercise can make a lasting improvement to your mood.
