Kickboxing - a well earned reputation for kicking mental illness

There is an abundance of evidence that exercise is an excellent elixir for depression and anxiety. But not exercise is created equally. Kickboxing however seems to enjoy a place right at the top. A blog post published by Amen Oyiboke in 2017 illustrates how kickboxing carried her through her depressive state and out on the other side. She hadn’t even realised that this form of exercise was going to become her point of healing until it happened.

Finding Strengths in what was perceived as weakness

Her story however is not unusual and unsurprisingly we discover that many high profile sports stars started their career in sport when they were trying to escape the “black dog”. Depression overcomes many because they find themselves feeling weak. Amen, talks about how kickboxing exposed her strengths, such as her capacity to persevere and implement discipline, both of which are coping mechanisms commonly used by depression sufferers.

By using these mechanisms as points of strength depression sufferers are able to alter their view on themselves and find something that makes them likeable especially to themselves. This has the natural domino effect of others reflecting the same recognition of those strengths.

Endorphins and more endorphins

We all know that exercise produces endorphins and the more you engage in endorphin inducing exercise the better you will feel about yourself. Kickboxing takes it one step further. Both women and men see a noticeable difference in the bodies in a short period of time. Apart from the emotional capital that is gained from the exercise, enormous physical capital is gained. When depression is exacerbated by poor body image, high intensity exercise such as kickboxing speeds up the process where that begins to change too.

Jacqueline Ledoux covers a little about the science behind exercise and depression as she discusses how kickboxing turned her life around.it is interesting to note, how the accounts by both these women tell of how they weren’t sure that this was the right thing for them, but they both went back anyway. It was that decision to return even after a very difficult almost endurance type training session that helped them realise how this was making a difference.

Stress relief, improved sleeping patterns and improved physical capacity all contributed to the  impact that kickboxing has had on the lives of people with depression. Understanding that the sport offers a lot more than simply swinging a kick or throwing a punch is what cultivates the commitment that its adherents offer.