How Martial Arts Relieves Stress

The everyday hustle and routines in life can be very stressful. And that’s not even taking into account the surprise moments that throw us for a loop and stretch us thin! It’s important to acknowledge your stress and what builds on your anxieties. Finding activities to participate in, such as martial arts, can be a great stress reliever. As National Stress Awareness Month is recognized in April, let’s take a look at how practicing martial arts relieves stress for people on and off the mat.

Improve Breathing

When engaging in a physical activity, your breathing pattern can make or break your experience. So, as you learn to breathe during martial arts, you are not just helping yourself on the mat but with your stress outside of classes.

Poor breathing techniques often prolong feelings of anxiety. Slow and controlled breathing helps improve your physical symptoms of anxiety and balances out your body. If you take your breathing skills learned on the mat and adapt them to other situations, you can calm yourself down and make stressful situations less mentally and emotionally taxing.

Confidence Building

One of martial arts’ greatest benefits is building self-confidence. Whether it’s confidence in your physical abilities, fitness, mentality, or anything else, you can carry that with you indefinitely for a more positive outlook on life. No matter what difficult challenge or situation you face, you can face it knowing that you are someone who is able to conquer obstacles. As you further find self-improvement, your confidence will grow and help your stress dissipate. 

Releases Dopamine

The release of dopamine activates the reward system in your brain. Your brain then can provide greater focus and motivation to help you “lock in” for different situations. Martial arts releases dopamine through physical activity and the satisfaction of achieving goals. This healthy release of dopamine will provide you with a sense of joy and can help lower your sense of anxiety. Simply put – martial arts can improve your mood to lower your stress.

Acts As a Therapeutic Activity

Stress isn’t the only negative emotion people experience on a daily basis. Bottled-up emotions of anger, frustration, despair, etc. alongside stress can put you in a position where you’re desperate for a form of release. There may be no better release than martial arts. Whether you’re punching, kicking, grappling, or throwing, you can channel your worries and feelings into a productive activity that will chip away at negative emotions. That being said: it’s always important to not channel these emotions into hurting anyone you are training or sparring with, but to release them in a healthy way.

Friendship Building

There may not be anything that helps people’s mental health more than developing strong relationships with other people. Well, martial arts schools are one of the best places for that! You can join a community of different individuals all looking to become better people on and off the mat. The friendships you build on the mat can carry over outside of the school and add more positivity in your life.

A Break from Stressors

If nothing else, training in martial arts allows you to take a break. There are so many stressors in life – if you don’t take time to focus on something else, this stress can build in a bad way. Martial arts provides a time to be productive and disconnect from thinking about your anxieties. Locking in and focusing on a goal gives you a break to think solely about yourself and what’s happening on the mat. Just taking that self-care time and practicing martial arts relieves stress without you even thinking about it.

Martial arts can relieve stress, and Kicksite can relieve the stress of running a martial arts school! If you’re an owner or instructor who could use some help, our martial arts software just might be the answer for you. Book a demo to see what we have to offer and get a complimentary 30 days to try it out!