Physical activity can counteract this and support your mental health. In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10, we took a closer look at the influence exercise has on the mind.
“Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change”
Mission Statement of World Mental Health Day 2026
Under the mission statement “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are putting mental health in the spotlight this year. They are calling for people who have experienced or are experiencing mental illness to have a say in decisions about support services.
For our everyday lives, this also means: talking openly about mental health and listening to one another. Find out here how exactly exercise promotes a healthy mind and how you can do something good not only for your body but also for your mind with Urban Sports Club.
Exercise Makes You Happy
Do you feel listless, especially tired, and in a bad mood during autumn and winter? Then you probably have what’s known as the winter blues, a milder version of winter depression. The cause is usually a lack of daylight. Light prompts the body to produce serotonin, a messenger substance that influences mood and alertness. Since there is less daylight in the dark season, the body releases less serotonin and significantly more melatonin, the sleep hormone. This throws your internal clock off balance and leaves you feeling drained and down. The good news: you can do something about it.
During exercise, messenger substances such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, as well as endocannabinoids, are released, which lift your mood.
During exercise, messenger substances such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, as well as endocannabinoids, are released, which lift your mood and can even put you in a kind of high. If you’ve ever pulled yourself together despite a lack of motivation, you probably know the great feeling that spreads through you afterwards. Finding the motivation isn’t always easy, but it makes you all the prouder once you’ve done it.
Research now also clearly shows that movement benefits your mood. A paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2026 summarized the results of many meta-analyses. Exercise noticeably reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, with endurance training showing the greatest effect. This is why exercise is also playing a growing role in the treatment of depression and can be a useful complement to therapy, though it cannot replace it.
What matters most is that you find something you enjoy. It doesn’t matter at all which sport you prefer. With functional training or HYROX, you’ll really work up a sweat; with yoga, you can focus on your center; and the sauna is a great place to relax.
Your Workout Against Stress
Mental illness today is often also linked to stress, caused by performance pressure and a fast-paced lifestyle. If you can’t switch off after work and find yourself stuck in an endless carousel of thoughts, exercise can help clear your head. Which sport helps most is highly individual. Some people literally run away from their problems and enjoy going for a jog, alone or with others, while others prefer to find their inner center through the mindfulness of yoga.
But exercise isn’t only good when you’re already feeling stressed. It also boosts your resilience. Being resilient means not letting stress, change, and challenges knock you off course. In other words, it’s mental strength. So exercise not only helps relieve stress but also works preventively in dealing with difficult situations.
Better Sleep Through Physical Activity
You usually only realize how important good sleep is when you experience sleep problems yourself. Poor sleep affects not only the body but also the mind. And more and more people are affected: According to the Robert Koch Institute, around 30 percent of adults had sleep problems between 2008 and 2011; in 2024, it was a good 35 percent. 16.3 percent report difficulty falling asleep and 31.7 percent report difficulty staying asleep, occurring at least three times a week. As possible explanations, the researchers cite increased media use, especially via smartphones, as well as several societal crises.
A good one in three adults in Germany has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
A Forsa survey commissioned by the AOK Federal Association also shows that 69 percent of people in Germany sleep less than seven hours per night. According to a YouGov survey for Doctolib from February 2026, 72 percent of those affected do not seek professional help.
Stress and strain are often the triggers for bad nights. Especially in the evening, when you’re no longer distracted, you start to ruminate. Exercise can be one way to healthy sleep, because if you tire yourself out during the day, you can sleep better at night. However, make sure you don’t do a particularly intense workout shortly before bedtime. In the evening hours, a more relaxing activity such as yoga is recommended. If sleep problems persist for a longer time, talk to your family doctor.
Exercise Against Loneliness
People don’t like talking about loneliness. Most find the topic shameful and are reluctant to admit to feeling alone or lonely, which makes the problem worse. According to the Federal Institute for Population Research, around 21 percent of 21- to 30-year-olds feel very lonely, compared to 14 percent of 31- to 54-year-olds. The Federal Government’s 2026 Loneliness Barometer also concludes that young adults (18 to 40) and people aged 75 and over are particularly affected.
This is where exercise can help: join a running group or have fun together in a class. Moving together makes it easier to start a conversation, without any pressure.
As you can see, exercise has a positive effect on your mind in many ways. Book your next class now or discover partners near you, and celebrate World Mental Health Day with a workout for mental balance.
