Best Exercises For Depression Symptoms According To A New Review

According to the leading mental health charity Mind, 1 in 5 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England.

Additionally, the overall number of people reporting mental health problems has been rising in recent years. The number of people with common mental health problems went up by 45% between 1993 and 2023/24, in both men and women and suicide risk is at its highest for people in their 50′s.

Now, a new review by psycholologists from James Cook University has revealed that some exercises can be beneficial in tackling common mental health issues and the symptoms that come with them. 

Exercises that help with anxiety and depression

Writing for The Conversation, the researchers said: “Exercise is effective at reducing both depression and anxiety. But there is some nuance. We found exercising had a high impact on depression symptoms, and a medium impact on anxiety, compared to staying inactive.

“The benefits were comparable to, and in some cases better than, more widely prescribed mental health treatments, including therapy and antidepressants. Importantly, we discovered who exercise helped most. Two groups showed the most improvement: adults aged 18 to 30 and women who had recently given birth.”

The researchers urge that all forms of exercise reduce symptoms but the most beneficial exercises for both anxiety and depression were aerobic exercises such as running, cycling or swimming.

“For depression, there were greater improvements when people exercised with others and were guided by a professional, such as a group fitness class.”

If exercise isn’t usually your kind of thing, the researchers assure that exercising once or twice a week had a similar effect on depression as exercising more frequently. And there didn’t seem to be a significant difference between exercising vigorously or at a low intensity – all were beneficial.

They add: “For people who are hesitant about medication, or facing long waits for therapy, supervised group exercise may be an effective alternative. It’s evidence-based, and you can start any time.”

You’ve got this.

Help and support:

• Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
• Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
• CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
• The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
• Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.