Mental health is rightfully at the forefront of the national conversation today, having spent far too long over-stigmatised and under-acknowledged. The statistics show that an overwhelming majority of us are touched by poor mental health at one point in time or another, with 1 in 6 reporting a common mental health problem each and every week.
Managing mental health is just as crucial as managing one’s physical health, and in much the same way is easier said than done. However, there are some novel ways in which your mental health can be improved – one of which may seem more like leg-pulling than medical reality. But real it is: we are about to show you how skiing can be a good thing for your mental health.
Skiing is a widely popular winter sport, even if it does require a little cash in order to get to the slopes each year. The following tips, though, should be enough for you to personally and professionally justify more than one ski trip a year.
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Boosts Mood and Reduces Stress
The most immediate benefits that a ski holiday can present to you is through the management of your brain’s hormones. Just as with any other form of exercise, exerting yourself on the slopes catalyses the release of endorphins, giving you that post-exercise high as you finish. Further, the time spent in fresh air taking in those amazing landscapes will naturally reduce the levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – in your brain. As such, you’ll feel lifted, calm and stress-free as soon as your first slalom is over!
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Encourages Mindfulness and Present-Moment Awareness
The benefits don’t stop with these immediate exercise-related improvements, though. Learning to ski is a mindful exercise, and even if you already know how to ski the act of skiing is also one which requires a great degree of concentration. This is mindfulness, straight and simple.
Mindfulness is a mental health ‘hack’ of sorts which can help your brain reject circular or catastrophic thinking, by taking it away from rumination on the past and future and instead concerning it with the present. If you’re mindfully booking your next ski holiday, France could be a fantastic shout for mindful skiing, thanks to its beautiful Alpine views and sometimes-twisty slopes.
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Increases Self-Esteem and Confidence
Skiing is a mindful activity both during and apres-ski, as it commands your brain both in activity and in reward. The successful descent down a given route is naturally a cause for celebration, and can be a powerful boost to your self esteem to boot. The more you ski, the more you see yourself improving at something – and hence, the more confident you get in general.
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Combats Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
As a final note, it’s important to mention one of the more common mental health maladies which affect us in the UK: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which crops up in the darker winter months. Taking a ski holiday in the wintertime exposes you to more direct sunlight and more fresh air than you might get at home, giving you some welcome reprieve from the winter blues.
