How to stay away from depression? Use music to heal the soul and exercise to make the body and mind happy

Feeling down, depressed, and not interested in anything... People with this condition sometimes suspect that they have depression. Some people say that some people nowadays are too fragile and have a "glass heart" hidden in their bodies. So, how can we stay away from depression?

According to Beijing Youth Daily, the incidence of depression in the entire society is on the rise compared with the past.

One common manifestation of depression is the "empty-hearted" mentality, which means that a person's inner self has not developed healthily during growth. Once the external indicators used to build the self withdraw or collapse, it is easy to become depressed, and in severe cases, become a patient with depression. "Empty-hearted" people will find it difficult to find the meaning of life or the true meaning of life, and cannot feel the motivation from the inside out. Making great strides in material terms, but feeling powerless and anxious in spirit, this is probably one of the root causes of the high incidence of depression in recent years.

Music can heal the soul

Humans seem to naturally like music. Music has a strong effect in enhancing positive emotions and reducing negative emotions.

Bring a happy mood. Music can stimulate the brain's reward system and make us feel happy, just like food, sex, and money. When listening to music, a person's internal rhythm, such as heart rate, will speed up or slow down with the rhythm of the music, and finally reach the same frequency resonance. Especially when listening to cheerful and exciting music, a person's body will move in time with the rhythm of the music, such as nodding, tapping the feet, and tapping the table with hands. In addition, many people like to listen to music when exercising, because music can mobilize potential and make exercise seem less difficult and strenuous.

It helps to recall the good old days and warms people's hearts. Music can evoke good memories from the past. For example, when you hear the music played at your wedding, the unforgettable scenes and good memories of that time may come to mind one by one, making you feel warm. Music can effectively create visual images in the listener's mind. In this sense, music is a powerful stimulant. Through the visual images in the mind, the listener can calm down and relax.

Emotionally contagious. In the same way that people can pick up other people's emotions, they can also pick up emotions from music. For example, sad music makes people feel sad, and happy music makes people feel upbeat. This "resonance" can make people feel understood and calmer.

Resonant lyrics can release hidden emotions. Resonant lyrics will touch people's heartstrings and make people release the emotions and experiences hidden deep in their hearts.

A good night's sleep can ease anxiety

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, published a paper stating that the results of a study of the sleep and anxiety levels of 18 young adults using magnetic resonance imaging, polysomnography and other technologies found that sleep can significantly reduce anxiety levels, especially deep sleep. "We have discovered a new function of deep sleep, which can reduce anxiety overnight by reorganizing brain connections." Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, said that deep sleep seems to be a natural anxiety suppressant.

In addition to the above study, researchers also found similar results in a study of another 30 people: people who had more deep sleep the night before had lower anxiety the next day. Another online survey of 280 people also showed that the quality and duration of sleep the night before would affect the level of anxiety the next day.

Researchers say people with anxiety disorders often have poor sleep.

Exercise is a mood stimulant

Ma Jianwen, a national second-level psychological counselor and chairman of the Guangdong Aijia Psychological Research Institute, said that neuroscience research shows that exercise can stimulate the secretion of a chemical substance in the brain - endorphins, which can make people's body and mind in a relaxed and happy state.

Endorphins, also known as endorphins, are a type of morphine-like hormone secreted by the brain. The reason why it is called "endorphin" is that it refers to the morphine-like substance produced in the body. It can produce the same analgesic and euphoric effects as morphine and opium, which is equivalent to a natural analgesic. Functionally speaking, in addition to relieving pain, endorphins can also adjust negative emotions, make people happy physically and mentally, and resist sadness; they can also improve insomnia, mobilize the neuroendocrine system, and improve immunity; they can cheer up, stimulate creativity and improve work efficiency. Many people are reluctant to move when they are in a bad mood, but lying down and thinking about things will make the mood worse. It is recommended to move when you are in a bad mental state.

Ma Jianwen said that not all sports can produce this effect. Only moderate to high intensity sports can stimulate the secretion of endorphins, such as mountain climbing, basketball, badminton, running, etc., and you can persist for more than 30 minutes. But the more exercise, the better. Studies have shown that too intensive and high-intensity exercise can lead to more anxiety and higher nervous tension. It is recommended to exercise once every two days, and each exercise should not exceed 90 minutes. People who lack exercise or are not suitable for high-intensity exercise can choose to walk briskly, starting from 15 minutes a day, and increase to 20 minutes and half an hour after a week, step by step, so that the body can slowly adapt until sweating.

Ma Jianwen believes that regular exercise can help us release the negative emotions that accumulate every day and relieve them in a timely manner. (Source: China Youth Daily, Life Times, Beijing Daily)