From the international bestseller Atomic Habits by James Clear: “Small changes have a transformative effect on your career, your relationships, and your life.” Well, the same is 100% true for little efforts like movement for mental health.

As we all know, struggling with mental health challenges like extreme sadness, anxiety, or even just feeling “off” makes everything slow down. You lose motivation. You sleep too much or too little. There are days when you cannot even find it in yourself to take a bath, lay your bed, let alone get some work done. You literally feel worse by the minute, which often (I don't know about you but for me) leads to some vices like the abuse of social media. In short, your body mirrors your mind: lower mood, decreased morale, and then a small change — less movement.

But here’s the part we often forget — movement works the other way too. Just like Sir Isaac Newton famously said in his Third Law of Physics: For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Movement can kickstart a positive chain reaction in your brain, helping you feel better, sharper, and more alive.

In this post, we will discuss in detail the importance of movement for mental health, and how to make the most of it for better mental health and productivity. 

The Power of Movement on the Mind: Why is Movement Important.

In 1916, a British explorer named Ernest Shackleton led a 800-mile journey by lifeboat to save his crew after they were trapped on the Antarctic sea ice for nearly two years. Guess what? Not a single one of the 27 men died. This remains one of the greatest survival stories in history.

The ship, which he named Endurance, unfortunately, got trapped in thick, unbreakable ice in the Weddell Sea during Shackleton’s quest to explore the entire continent of Antarctica. Imagine being in such a situation—frozen in place, with limited space, no hope of rescue, and endless freezing darkness. Most people would simply give up, stay still, and try to "save" their energy, sinking deeper into hopelessness. But Sir Ernest did the exact opposite.

He believed that without morale, the men would die mentally long before they died physically. He was determined to keep the spirits of his crew alive and refused to let them succumb to despair. He ordered them to remain active every single day. Even through exhaustion, dehydration, and frostbite, the crew set up camp, tore it down, hunted for food—any small activity—as long as they didn’t sit idle.

Finally, after several months, the ice began to break apart, and Shackleton seized the opportunity. They launched lifeboats and sailed to the nearest remote and barren place called Elephant Island. However, their demise did not end there. Elephant Island was also too isolated for any hope of rescue. Shackleton again without giving in, selected five men to join him, and together they set sail in a small lifeboat across 800 miles of the world's most dangerous seas to reach South Georgia Island — a whaling station to find help. 

After surviving brutal storms and near starvation, they landed on the wrong side of South Georgia Island. Without stopping, Shackleton and two of his men climbed over mountains and glaciers for over 36 hours straight, without maps, to reach the whaling station. There, Shackleton was able to organize a rescue mission. He returned and saved every single member of his crew.

All of this, simply because they kept moving. Without movement, despair would have overwhelmed their minds and bodies, and they likely would have died.

Of course, movement alone didn’t save them. There was morale, connection, and a strong sense of purpose. And while we may not be shipwrecked in Antarctica today, life can often feel like a wreck. The good news? There's real science proving that even small daily movements (no need to climb mountains and glaciers) can make a powerful difference for our minds.

The Science Behind Movement For Mental Health

Several research studies back the tremendous effects movement or physical activity has on our mental health. In a 2022 scientific review of 15 studies involving over 191,000 participants, it was found that even small amounts of physical activity, such as walking, significantly reduce the risk of depression. You may find it interesting that even those who did only half the activity recommended by the World Health Organization (as stated below) saw an 18% lower risk, while those meeting the full guidelines had a 25% lower risk. In other words, the more you move throughout your day, the more benefits you enjoy. aIn fact, if less active adults were to meet activity guidelines, about 11.5% of depression cases could have been prevented.

Why is Movement Important For Mental Health?

The story of Shackleton, and I'm sure many others you've heard, is truly inspirational. But beneath the burst of energy from moving, what exactly is the explanation for this? 

Movement improves mental health by triggering a powerful combination of biological, chemical, and emotional responses all at once.

First, when active, your brain releases a flood of feel-good chemicals like dopamine (the pleasure and reward hormone), serotonin (the mood-stabilizing hormone), and endorphins (your body’s natural painkillers and mood boosters). These chemicals create intense feelings of happiness, calm, focus, and overall emotional balance.

At the same time, your nervous system kicks in; your heart rate rises, circulation increases (especially to the brain and muscles), breathing deepens, metabolism improves and muscles activate in perfect rhythm. All these events signal the body and mind that something energizing and positive is happening.

Recommended Movement For Mental Health.

Assuming you wake up at 5 AM, go through your morning routine — making your bed, reading a chapter, brushing your teeth, taking a bath, and enjoying breakfast with coffee. Then tackle work, come home, and follow your evening routine (washing up, eating dinner, brushing your teeth, etc.), you are technically moving, right?

But is this movement enough to benefit your mental health? Not really.

It’s not because you aren't moving but because the human body adapts. Everyday activities become part of your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT, meaning your body treats them as its "normal," and they no longer stimulate additional benefits.

That said, it’s still much better than living a sedentary lifestyle. But as the research mentioned earlier shows, more purposeful movement leads to more mental health benefits.

According to the World Health Organization, adults (18-64) should aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. This includes activities that make your heart beat faster and your breathing a little harder, but still allow you to hold a conversation. Alternatively, adults can aim for 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week. 

Here are a few examples of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activities you can incorporate into your lifestyle;

The Bottom Line 

Movement isn’t just about burning calories or ticking off another item on your wellness checklist. It's more of nurturing the delicate balance between resilience and vulnerability that your body and mind depend on every single day. Movement, in all forms, no matter how small, is a powerful act of self-care. Therefore, whenever you feel like giving in, remember that like Shackleton, movement is key to regulating your hormones, balancing your mood, and creating a resilient, thriving nervous system that's ready for whatever life throws our way. 

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