Trevor Browne

Student Support Services 

Mind-Body Connection

Mind-body connection.pdf

Self-Care

Exercise (or movement)

Young people should do at least 60 minutes of vigorous exercise every day for optimal health. 

There are lots of individual differences. Different exercises affect people differently, and every individual body has different capabilities. It’s important to find ways to move your body that work for you and that you enjoy!

Why is it important to move our bodies?

Exercise has social, emotional and health benefits, including reduced risk of diseases, increased concentration, increased confidence, and reduced aggression.

Lack of exercise is also associated with increased feelings of depression. If you are someone who struggles with stress or anxiety, exercise can mimic ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ response, which can

send your brain a message to calm down. This is because your brain thinks you have fought off or run away from a possible danger!  Studies have even shown that exercise is

actually an effective treatment for feelings of anxiety and depression.

Nutrition 

Nutrition is very important for brain health and your mental health, and we can only get nutrients from food. Our brain needs a lot of energy to function. In fact, 20% of the nutrients we eat are used by our brain as energy!  There are lots of important reasons why eating healthy is important for your brain. But let’s just take one specific brain chemical as an example: