How to Handle Setbacks as You Exercise for Mental Health
When you set off to do something different or out of your usual routine, you can be sure that you’ll encounter challenges along the way. Some of those challenges may be related to learning new habits or exercise. Picking up healthy new habits like exercising for your mental health can help improve your overall sense of well-being. However, that journey won’t be without its fair share of setbacks. What do you do when you find yourself in a tough spot? Kinds of setbacks you can encounter on your exercise journey As you start on your journey toward greater fitness to improve your mental, emotional, and physical health, it won’t necessarily be smooth sailing all the way. To begin with, one of the first challenges you might encounter is deciding what to take up as your form of exercise. Some forms of exercise, such as those that require equipment, may be expensive to get into. In other cases, your health may not allow you to take up certain forms of exercise. Other kinds of obstacles may include getting injured during whatever form of exercise you’ve chosen. That can be a setback because it can take time to heal and become strong enough to pick up where you left off. Sometimes, physical injuries can cause an emotional or mental block, leading to a negative association with that form of exercise or experience that will take time to overcome. Another setback you can experience on your fitness journey is that it can start to feel hard, or even boring. Waking up early, carving out time in your schedule, putting in the effort to do your workout and make sure you’ve planned your meals for balanced nutrition can feel hard or boring. It can lose some of its initial allure as you get [...]