psychological
Adolescent and young adult aged students face common psychological issues that can negatively affect school performance. Stress, depression, and anxiety are some of the issues that students battle and are commonly linked together. Exercise can help to alleviate some of these problems and in turn improve academic performance.
Stress has been linked to anxiety, depression, burnout, and issues with sleep.
(Mayo Clinic, 2020) (Pascoe et al., 2020)
Exercise:​
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Results in an increase of brain endorphins that make an individual “feel good”.
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Stimulates the body’s fight or flight response, almost giving it practice for how to deal with stress.
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Helps take one’s mind off stressful events like school, allowing them to focus on their current task and forget about their stress.
(Mayo Clinic, 2020) (Pascoe et al., 2020)
Depression has been linked to an association with decreased exam grades, issues completing tasks, decreased concentration, and skipping classes.​
Exercise:
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Helps improve self-esteem.
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Associated with an increase in self happiness, motivation towards a goal, motivation to take complete control of one’s own life.
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Linked to increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor, potentially promoting general brain health.
(Archer & Garcia, 2014) (Hysenbegasi et al., 2005) (Mayo Clinic, 2017)
Anxiety has been linked to decreased motivation, decreased memory, increased stress, and issues with taking in and fully understanding information.
Exercise:
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Can potentially distract a person from their worries or anxiety triggers.
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Can lead to potential positive social interactions in addition to increase of self confidence.
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Can improve mood as a result of an increase of endorphins.
(Anxiety in the Classroom, 2021) (Archer & Garcia, 2014) (Mayo Clinic, 2017)
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