Stress, Mental Health and Boxing

May is officially Mental Health Awareness Month and mental health is something we are becoming more aware of every day. Stress, depression, anxiety, anger and plenty of other issues are on the rise and there are many aspects of modern society are contributing to this. And while we cannot fix/change much of these external problems, we can at least change the way we feel about them.

How to do this varies very much on the person and the problem but self-care is almost always part of the solution- doing things to benefit your own health and well-being, mentally and physically. We have had folks come to our club because their doctor specifically recommended that they try out boxing. And while all forms of physical exercise can have a tremendous benefit on our own mental health, boxing may very well be the best.

The obvious reason is because you get to hit stuff! Punching a heavy bag is therapeutic. You can hit it as hard as you want. You won't hurt the bag and so long as you do it properly, you won't hurt yourself either. It is a sudden, powerful release of energy and if you are looking for sources of that energy, stress, frustration and anger can certainly provide that for you.  But there are other benefits too:

Boxing makes you feel (and look) powerful

When you hit that bag, there is distinct tactile and auditory feedback. While heavy bags don't feel pain or get hurt (fingers crossed), they do let you know when they've been struck. They move, they shake and best of all for me, there is that sound. That smack of leather colliding at fast speed. And the better you get, the better the sound. You can really feel the power and it doesn't matter how big or strong you are either. Explosiveness comes from technique, rhythm and coordination.

When you finish a boxing workout, you have truly survived something

You didn't just survive it, you conquered it! Any decent boxing workout is going to be a unique physical challenge. Different than anything else. We encourage everybody to go at their own pace but that works both ways. If you've got to slow down, slow down. But if it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you, so that means pushing past barriers. Once again, as you become a better boxer, you get stronger and the workout becomes even more awesome! The challenge isn't just physical either. It takes perseverance and it takes grit to be able to get through. Your body wants to stop but your mind tells you to keep fighting. That is no small thing. It builds character as well as strength. Maybe you felt the fear or nervousness going in but you did it anyway. Maybe you had a tough day at work, didn't sleep well the night before, whatever but you chose strength instead of weakness and made it through. 

Confidence

When you feel powerful, when you chose strength and don’t just “make it through” a boxing workout, but truly start to become a boxer - someone who has learned how to box and is training to get better, even if only for fitness - your confidence will grow and grow. That feels good but there's even more. Other people sense it. They may not be acutely aware but on some level, they know. It changes the way they interact with you. I have seen this play out in bully-victim dynamics but also just in regular, adult, relationships where potential physical harm is not even in question. Confident people get more out of life and are generally happier. It is almost like magic! Not to mention the physical benefits like weight loss, clothes fitting better, toner muscles, etc., can do wonders for our confidence.

We are all fighters

Doesn't matter if you ever step foot in the ring on the cage, we are all fighters. We are all fighting something - mental, physical or otherwise. Boxing teaches us to fight physically, but just like with everything else, this correlates to mental and emotional fights too. It can symbolize us pushing through any problem that we face. Conquering our fears and coming out stronger for it. If you haven't tried it, there is no better time than now. Or if you have tried but kind of lost your mojo, it's time to rededicate with a new outlook that isn't just for your physical health, it's for your mental health and as we continue to learn, that is just as important!