5 Best Sports for Fighting Depression

People suffering from depression aren’t always ready to treat it. While it may be hard to convince a person of a need to take medication, it may be easier to help them with advice about sports.

According to the World Health Organization, about 300 million people in the world suffer from depression. Not all of them have access to proper medical assistance. While medication is often an integral part of depression treatment, there are many ways to help patients with their fight against the condition. One of them is to convince them to take up a sport.

While any physical activity is excellent for fighting depression, some of the sports are preferable. Let’s take a look.

1. Golf

Golf gets the top spot on the “best sports for fighting depression” list since it has numerous benefits. While it’s a competitive sport, which may increase the level of aggression, the mood is bound to be lifted by the slow pace, fresh air, and extra movement.

Besides improving the mood, golf can help patients lose weight and fight cardiovascular problems. The best part about it is spending many hours outside. Many depressed individuals can’t leave their homes, slowly developing sociopathic conditions. Putting on golf shoes and grabbing the clubs can prevent such a problem.

2. Yoga

Even though it’s not an Olympic sport, yoga is an excellent way to fight depression symptoms. While it helps you with keeping your muscles toned, yoga can also reduce stress. The breathing techniques people learn while practicing yoga can help them avoid anxiety and panic attacks.

Yoga is closely connected to meditation, which is a powerful stress-fighting weapon. Yoga improves overall health and well-being of a patient while dealing with numerous aches and pains.

The best part about yoga is that it’s suitable for the majority of people regardless of their age and medical conditions.

3. Horse Riding

Horse riding may seem to be a complicated sport, but if 7-year-olds can do it, why can’t you? Horse riding has numerous benefits. Powerful yet kind animals have been used for numerous therapy types for many years.

Equine-assisted therapies have recently been approved to treat depression. Such therapy sessions can improve self-esteem and allow the patient to relax. The rhythmic movement of a horse can assist with sensory and motor problems. At the same time, it helps with mental issues.

Horses are highly sensitive to the rider’s emotional condition. This sensitivity can help make the riding more enjoyable. Meanwhile, horses are big and powerful. This often helps people overcome fear and develop confidence, which they can apply later in life.

4. Skydiving

While it may seem that extreme sports are as far as you could get from battling depression, it’s just the opposite. Recently, researchers have found that skydiving can improve the mental health of a depressed patient.

The process helps the body release endorphins. Meanwhile, it has a certain humbling effect, which allows the person to put emotions into perspective.

Even though skydiving is an excellent way to battle depression, it’s not good for everyone. People with certain health conditions have to be careful when choosing this sport.

5. Boxing

Boxing is one of the simplest ways to fight stress and depression within seconds. You don’t need to get out of the house to do it, which is highly important for depressed people. All you need is gloves and a bag. You can find boxing drills on YouTube.

Even though boxing is unlikely to be the only remedy for serious cases of depression, it can definitely become your favorite stress-reliever.