It's Bell Let's Talk Day, a phenomenal initiative for promoting awareness, acceptance and action to creating positive change around mental health. Let's normalize talking about our mental health, especially if we're struggling. #BellLetsTalk
So how does Pilates help your mental health?
There’s no question that any exercise makes you feel better physically and mentally - whether it’s taking a walk around the block, lifting weights at the gym, or dancing in the living room with your kids – but it’s a little easier to hear it than to DO it when you’re feeling lost and overwhelmed.
It takes a LOT of mental energy to convince yourself to move when you feel like doing anything BUT.
Even if it seems pointless, moving a little will help you get a little clearer, more grounded, and feel a lot less like the sky is falling.
So, if any kind of exercise helps your mental health, what about Pilates is so special?
Pilates isn’t punishment
The point of Pilates isn’t to ‘work off’ the bag of Sweet Chili Heat Doritos you inhaled last night, lost and floundering, scrolling through Netflix, unable to decide on something to watch.
Pilates is supposed to help you do life better.
Joseph Pilates wanted people to move better, feel better, have better intimate relations (yes, seriously!), and live longer, fuller lives. He wanted everyone to be able to trip and not fall. To play with their kids without regretting it for a week. To live confidently and with mobility well into their twilight years.
He didn’t want people to waste their time on exercise that wasn’t effective, efficient, and supportive for a lifetime.
He certainly wasn’t thinking about how many calories you could burn. He was thinking about how functional his exercises were for living real life!
Endorphins are real
You’ve heard it before because it’s true. Endorphins are like a little ‘high’ for your body when you do something challenging with it. They’re the feel-good chemical your body produces, and even just a little movement can absolutely boost your mood.
A quick ab series, a one-rep drill of the entire mat series, or even just a single Hundred (which takes about a minute!) will help you feel better, fast. Even if you’re dreading doing it.
Learning something new helps
Sometimes we can get in a bad place in our heads because things are stagnant.
Our brains and bodies enjoy stimulation and challenge.
If you’re not growing, you’re declining. So, learning something new, even something small, can help your brain create new neural pathways, which helps it feel more alive!
There’s so much to learn about Pilates, it doesn’t get boring. You keep focusing on how your body is moving today, and since that’s always changing, it’s always challenging.
Repetition is reassuring
Pilates matwork has an order, and that order can be incredibly reassuring when your brain is working overtime. Your body loves things that are familiar (and safe), so if you’re having a hard time, getting on your mat to just do a little gives your body and your brain comfort.
The things you’ve done over and over are like a balm to your anxiety, so the more you know your Pilates practice, the better it is at calming you.
There’s that Pilates feeling
Whether you’ve just done the Hundred or an entire workout, your body feels longer, stronger, and more connected – “that Pilates feeling”. There’s nothing like it.
You’re in the moment
It takes focus to do your Pilates practice. You’re considering your body in space at every moment, so there’s no time to have your mind wander off somewhere else. It laser focuses you into the parts of you that are moving, and that can do wonders for taking you out of the chatter in your head.
Find strength & purpose in your movement & your body
We don’t tend to give our bodies enough credit for how amazing they are. Using your body brings you clarity and focus. It strengthens your body and your mind! Your Pilates practice gives your body the chance to do purposeful movement that feels great.
Decreases pain
The stronger your core is, the less pain you have in your back, neck, and shoulders. When you’re anxious, it’s easy to get tense and tighten up these areas that tend to take the greatest amount of stress. Your Pilates practice keeps all of your muscles strong and connected, and knowing how to move to minimize the strain in all the wrong places keeps these vulnerable places more relaxed and less overworked.
Show integrity to yourself
Doing what you say you will demonstrates your integrity. We tend to keep promises to other people more easily than we do for ourselves. Your Pilates practice – whether 5 minutes or 45 – shows that you’re worth taking care of, even if you don’t think you are.
Deciding to add it into your life is a step to showing up for yourself in all the other areas of your life. It helps you hope.
Movement is a gift to yourself.
You might be feeling alone, but Pilates is like giving yourself a hug, or a pat on the back (and you could probably use that right now).
You may feel like the inertia is overwhelming, but moving even just a little will bring you a step closer to getting out of that tunnel.
Go for a 5-minute walk outside. Grab your mat and Roll like a Ball for a minute. Then call your health care provider, or a help line. There are free services available throughout Canada, some of which are listed below. Please use them!
You are necessary, and important. Please talk to someone if you’re struggling.
Xo, Kimberly
Some Canadian mental health resources:
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:
call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth
call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults
You can also visit Wellness Together Canada to access different levels of support, including:
one-on-one counselling
credible articles and information
self-guided courses and programs
peer support and coaching
Kids Help Phone is for struggling youth & young adults.
Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Canadians aged 5 to 29 who want confidential and anonymous care from trained responders.
Visit the Kids Help Phone website for online chat support or to access online resources for children and youth.
If you need help, you can also call a:
family physician
psychologist
mental health nurse
social worker
You may also want to talk to another trusted professional, such as a counsellor or spiritual leader.
Please, talk to someone. It does help.
Comments