What people don’t get is that it is just using your body’s naturally produced feel good chemicals - endorphins - to make you feel better. It is no different than relying on alcohol or drugs, legal or illegal, to treat your symptoms. You still have to do the hard work to try to cure or lessen your mental illness.
There are people who get “dependent” on exercise, but in a general sense it’s a hell of a lot better than drugs. Also, while dopamine is a big part of it, you also feel better because you’re healthier, and it likely helps with regulation as well.
But yeah, not magic. You still almost always at minimum need therapy and some sort of guided exercises or meditation if you don’t need chemical treatment.
Can they really be beneficial? Sure.
Are they actually a magic wand against genuine mental illness? No.
What people don’t get is that it is just using your body’s naturally produced feel good chemicals - endorphins - to make you feel better. It is no different than relying on alcohol or drugs, legal or illegal, to treat your symptoms. You still have to do the hard work to try to cure or lessen your mental illness.
There are people who get “dependent” on exercise, but in a general sense it’s a hell of a lot better than drugs. Also, while dopamine is a big part of it, you also feel better because you’re healthier, and it likely helps with regulation as well.
But yeah, not magic. You still almost always at minimum need therapy and some sort of guided exercises or meditation if you don’t need chemical treatment.