1. Exercise begins with psychological self-help
I don’t know if you have this feeling: when you are feeling low, even if you just go downstairs for a walk, the mood will be inexplicably relaxed. I used to think that exercise is to lose weight or shape up, until one day the pressure is too much to breathe, I found that exercise is also a psychological “self-help”.
I’m an average office worker, sitting in front of a computer for at least eight or nine hours a day. Tshaj sijhawm, not only the neck stiffness, shoulder pain, the mood is becoming more and more irritable. Especially overtime into the night, a lying down brain is still turning, insomnia has become the norm. Tom qab ntawd, on the recommendation of a friend, I tried to go jogging for half an hour after work every day.
2. Exercise isn’t just about sweat, it’s about dopamine
To be honest, it was really painful at first. When I first started running, my breath was short, my legs were heavy, and I wanted to give up after five minutes. Especially to see others easily run ten kilometers, even one kilometer of their own efforts, the psychological gap is particularly large. But the magic is that every time you stick to it, the whole person becomes a lot easier, especially the brain is clear, and the mood is stable. You fall asleep faster at night and feel much better the next day.
After a few weeks, I noticed that the little things that used to drive me crazy, like the train coming a few minutes late or my co-workers sounding a little tougher, didn’t seem to bother me as much. A calmer state of mind and significantly less anxiety. Exercise not only improves my sleep and physical state, tab sis qhov tseem ceeb tshaj, it affects my mood and personality.
Tom qab ntawd, I looked up some information to understand that during exercise, the brain will release dopamine, endorphins, these “zoo siab cov tshuaj hormones”, can effectively relieve stress and anxiety, and even known as natural antidepressants. Some studies have also shown that aerobic exercise is almost as effective as counseling and medication for mild depression.
Although exercise can’t solve all the problems in life, it can give us an outlet to breathe before we are about to break down emotionally. Every run or sweat is like a reconciliation with myself, reminding me that when my body moves, my mind won’t be trapped all the time.
3. Feel more in control of your life
But it’s not just chemistry that changes things. The biggest change for me was actually a sense of control.
The pace of modern life is too fast, mobile phones ring constantly, work never gets done, and many times we feel like we are wound up, pushed forward by time and tasks. You wake up with a to-do list, and you close with unread information. Tshaj sijhawm, people begin to develop a sense of “loss of control” – not that we are living, but that life is pushing us.
But when I’m running, the world seems to slow down. The headphones put soothing music, footsteps and breathing to form their own rhythm, even if the traffic is heavy, noisy, my heart is quiet. For half an hour, I didn’t have to speak, didn’t have to respond to messages, just focused on who I was in the moment. There is no push, no performance, no KPI, just me and the road under my feet. Lub xeev ntawm purity thiab concentration yog ib yam dab tsi uas kuv tsis tshua muaj nyob rau hauv kuv lub neej txhua hnub.
Koj tuaj yeem hais tias nws yog kev khiav tawm, tab sis kuv nyiam hu nws “nrhiav kuv tus kheej.” Nyob rau hauv tus txheej txheem ntawm kev txav, Kuv rov hais lus nrog kuv lub cev, rov hnov lub suab thiab ua pa, thiab rov nrhiav tus kheej uas tuaj yeem ua kom qeeb, tuaj yeem tsom, tau khoob. Txawm tias nws tsuas yog rau ib nrab teev, qhov kev xav ntawm “kev ua tswv cuab” ntawm kuv lub sijhawm txaus los pab kuv tawm tsam kev ntxhov siab thiab kev qaug zog ntawm hnub.
Thiab, dhau sijhawm, Kuv tau pom tias kev tawm dag zog tau ua rau kuv tsis tshua muaj kev cuam tshuam sab nraud. Kuv muaj kev xav ruaj khov, Kuv txiav txim siab ntau dua hauv kuv qhov kev txiav txim siab. Tej zaum qhov no yog lwm qhov tshwm sim ntawm “zoo li tswj tau” : tsis tswj txhua yam, tab sis muaj peev xwm nyob ruaj khov nyob rau hauv lub ntsej muag ntawm lub neej tsis paub tseeb.
4. Every type of exercise has its own form of healing
Tom qab ntawd, I tried yoga, ua luam dej, tom roob, and different sports gave me different feelings.
- Yoga made me re-understand the body and found that many emotions are hidden in the body, such as long-term hunchback and inner self-confidence;
- Swimming is a kind of extreme relaxation, the feeling of being surrounded by water makes people feel as safe as returning to the mother’s womb;
- Walking is more like a spiritual journey, walking in nature, tus “noise” in the heart will come down from itself.
5. Exercise is not a panacea, but it can help you become stronger
Ntawm chav kawm, exercise is not a panacea. It cannot solve all problems, pay your mortgage for you, or make your boss suddenly kind and your work easier. Reality remains reality, thiab txoj kev nyuaj ntawm lub neej yuav tsis ploj mus vim koj tau khiav ob peb mais. Tab sis qhov tseem ceeb ntawm kev tawm dag zog tsis yog hais txog “daws teeb meem”, tab sis qhov ua rau peb muaj peev xwm ua tau ntau dua thaum ntsib cov teeb meem no.
Thaum ib tug neeg muaj lub cev thiab lub hlwb qaug zog, lawv tau yooj yim swb los ntawm qhov tsis tseem ceeb. Dab tsi ua kis las coj tsis yog lub zog ntawm lub cev nkaus xwb tab sis kuj muaj kev puas siab puas ntsws. Nws muab koj lub qhov hluav taws xob thaum koj nyob rau hauv lub siab tsis zoo thiab kev ntseeg siab me ntsis thaum lub siab tuaj. Nws zoo li lub neej tau muab koj txhais tes phem ntawm daim npav; kev ua si yuav tsis txhim kho daim npav, tab sis nws muab koj lub zog thiab kev cia siab ua si txhua tus tsis muaj kev ntshai.
Kev tawm dag zog kuj ua rau peb paub tias peb yog “hauv kev tswj hwm”. Koj tuaj yeem xaiv kom sawv, tawm mus thiab tawm hws yam tsis tau tos lub sijhawm lossis kev pom zoo los ntawm lwm tus. Cov txheej txheem no pib thiab ua tiav los ntawm koj tus kheej yuav maj mam txhim kho kev ntseeg hauv koj lub subconscious tias “Kuv tuaj yeem hloov qee yam”. Thiab qhov kev ntseeg no tseem ceeb tshwj xeeb tshaj yog thaum ntsib cov kev tswj tsis tau ntawm lub neej.
Txawm tias nws tsuas yog peb caug feeb hauv ib hnub, nws txaus los ua ib qho kev txhawb nqa sab hauv. Tsis txhob ua ib tug neeg muaj zog kov yeej lub ntiaj teb no, tab sis kom tswj tau tus kheej ntawm nws tus kheej thiab kev ncaj ncees nyob rau hauv lub ntiaj teb niaj hnub hloov pauv no.
6. Muab sijhawm rau koj tus kheej kom txav mus los
Yog li, yog tias koj tau poob siab tsis ntev los no, tsis muaj zog, thiab txawm pom nws qaug zog los qhib cov ntaub, vim li cas ho tsis muab sijhawm rau koj tus kheej mus? Nws tsis tas yuav khaus, los yog koj tsis tas yuav teem lub hom phiaj loj los ntawm qhov pib. Even something as simple as walking 5,000 steps a day, taking a lap around your neighborhood, or doing a few sets of stretches at home is a start.
You’ll find that even a light sweat or just a few minutes of movement can loosen up your mood. Often, it’s not that we truly “can’t do it,” but that we’ve been trapped by our emotions for too long and need a gentle nudge to awaken our inherent vitality.
This vitality doesn’t need to please anyone or achieve any specific goal; it exists simply for you. It’s like lighting a lamp, allowing you to see your own rhythm and direction again amidst the hustle and chaos of life.
Kawg no, I would like to share a quote that I really like:
“Sports are not about changing the way others see you, lawv tab tom hloov txoj kev koj pom lub ntiaj teb no.”
