By Marina Gonzalez
Many people are living busy, stressful lives and they struggle with finding a way to relieve stress and relax themselves. However, there is a solution to relieve all the stress that people are holding onto in their mind and body.
Boxing is a mental health solution that people can learn to help relieve stress in both the physical and mental aspects of the human body.
According to the article “The Mental Health Benefits of Boxing” from the Spartans Boxing website, boxing is well known for reducing stress and anxiety, relieving stress, boosting confidence, and enhancing focus.
The article explained that the physical exertion of boxing helps clear the mind and relieve the symptoms of stress and anxiety. It is also considered to be a very meditative and mindful exercise because it creates mental engagement for the mind to concentrate on the different moves and combinations.
“You can learn to focus on one problem solving situation. The necessity of hyper-keen focus on a single element in spite of noise around,” said Eric Nolan.
Eric Nolan is an 8th degree black belt and the owner of the Eric Nolan’s Xtreme Training Center in Bakersfield, California. He has trained many Bakersfield residents in the style of boxing and other forms of martial arts.
Boxing not only helps enhance their focus, but also helps some learn how to focus on one problem solving situation instead of focusing on too many problems at once.
The article “How Boxing Can Improve Your Mental Health and Well-being” from the Contenders Boxing Studio website, explained that boxing creates a very social and supportive environment for people who are new to boxing.
When someone begins to learn how to box for the first time, they meet new people at the gym they train in. They get to know these people and may find out they have a lot of common interests.
“It’s an individual sport done by a team or a team sport done by a team. We find something that we are interested in that gives us value and joy. If others enjoy it, we get to share that experience too,” Nolan said.
Boxing training helps develop a special camaraderie between all of the trainees. They get to make new friends, who come from different backgrounds. They help each other develop their boxing skills and support each other.
A nurturing and supportive environment is something that everyone should have in their life, especially if someone is struggling with mental illness. Boxing can be a great way to meet people, who may be dealing with the same mental health struggles.
“Find a boxing gym that works for you, check it out thoroughly, make sure the coach understands what your goals are, and doesn’t put his goals over yours,” Nolan said.
Boxing is a solution that people can learn to apply into their daily life. If they are interested in learning how to box to improve their mental health, they can simply research the different gyms in their area. They can observe the classes and talk to a coach to figure out if it is what they really want to learn.
Mental health is a recurring issue for people who are living busy and stressful lives. Boxing is a solution that can be incorporated into a person’s daily life in order to help improve both their physical and mental health.
