Exercise and Mental Health: How to Find the Balance Between Helpful and Harmful

You’ve probably heard it a million times– "Exercise is good for your mental health!” 

Well, I’m here to tell you that it can be. Emphasis on CAN. 

While I appreciate science-backed resources that explain the effects of exercise on the brain and body, I also understand the intricacies of mental health. Many research studies focus on the cause-and-effect relationship—how movement increases dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, the brain’s natural mood boosters. How exercise can help regulate stress hormones and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

But here’s the thing—mental health isn’t as simple as "just go to the gym and you’ll feel better." Those studies often overlook the complexities of individual experiences. They fail to acknowledge that, for some, exercise can be just as damaging as it is helpful (as it was for me).

What about the person who uses exercise as a form of self-punishment? Or the one who feels like they have to work out to “earn” their food? 

What about those recovering from eating disorders or compulsive exercise behaviors?

Mental health solutions can’t be one-size-fits-all. Telling someone to exercise without considering their relationship with movement is like handing out the same answer key to classes taking entirely different tests—it just doesn’t work. 

That’s why personalized, one-on-one therapy can be so powerful—it takes into account the whole picture, helping individuals find what truly works for them.

How Does Exercise Affect Mental Health? The Science Behind Movement and Mood

Before we dive into the complexities of exercise and mental health, let’s start with the basics. Why can exercise have a positive impact on mental health?

Physical activity stimulates the release of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, neurotransmitters that play a major role in regulating mood. Exercise also lowers levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that, when elevated for too long, can lead to chronic anxiety and sleep disturbances, as well as other physical health issues.

Beyond brain chemistry, exercise has been shown to improve cognitive function, sleep quality, and overall energy levels (Healthline). It increases blood flow to the brain, enhancing concentration and memory. Exercise also helps regulate circadian rhythms, making it easier to fall and stay asleep—something that’s often disrupted by anxiety and depression. But for those struggling with depression, even getting out of bed to exercise can feel impossible, which is why it’s important to acknowledge that exercise isn’t always an accessible or immediate solution for everyone.

Signs Your Workout Might Be Hurting Your Mental Health

Understanding when exercise is beginning to have a negative impact on your mental health requires self-reflection. The key is recognizing why you’re choosing to exercise.

The same habit can be motivating and healthy for one person but stressful and compulsive for another. Below, I’ve broken down common signs of disordered exercise and how to tell if your relationship with exercise is helping or hurting you. 

1. You Exercise to “Earn” or “Burn Off” Food

   
   

Healthy Mindset: You’re moving because it makes you feel good—maybe you ate a little more than usual the night before, and a workout helps you feel energized and balanced again. Or maybe you’re running a Thanksgiving 5K because you love the tradition, not because you have to "deserve" the big meal afterward.

Unhealthy Mindset: You feel compelled to workout because of anxiety or guilt, as if you need to "undo" what you ate. If exercise feels like a punishment, it could be a sign of a disordered relationship with movement–one I personally struggled with during my binge eating disorder.

2. You Feel Guilty When You Don’t Workout

   
   

Healthy Mindset: It’s normal to feel a little disappointed when you miss a planned workout, just like missing any commitment to yourself. But you move on and know that one missed day doesn’t define your progress.

Unhealthy Mindset: Missing a workout triggers extreme guilt or anxiety, often paired with obsessive thoughts about body image and the perception that missing a workout will impact goals. You spend the whole day mentally berating yourself or planning how to "make up for it." If that’s your experience missing one workout, it may be controlling your life more than it should.

3. Prioritizing Workouts Over Everything Else

   
   

Healthy Mindset: You enjoy working out and make time for it in your schedule, but not at the expense of relationships, responsibilities, or self-care.

Unhealthy Mindset: You cancel plans and miss important events. You feel panicked if your schedule doesn’t allow for a workout. Even when you show up to obligations, your mind is elsewhere, anxious about how you’ll fit in exercise later. 

4. Rest Days Feel Uncomfortable or Impossible

   
   

Healthy Mindset: You recognize that rest is necessary for recovery, and while you might feel a little restless, you trust the process and allow your body to recharge.

Unhealthy Mindset: Resting feels unbearable. You either avoid it entirely or force yourself to do something physical every day to feel "productive" or "in control." You might even push through exhaustion because taking a break feels like losing progress.

5. Pushing Through Exhaustion or Injury

   
   

Healthy Mindset: You listen to your body—on days you’re feeling particularly drained, you take a lighter approach or rest. If you’re injured, you allow yourself time to heal.

Unhealthy Mindset: You ignore pain or exhaustion and push through no matter what. Even when your body is begging for rest, you convince yourself it’s not an option.

Experiencing one of these signs doesn’t automatically mean your relationship with exercise is unhealthy—it all comes down to why you’re doing it. The same behavior can have a completely different impact depending on the mindset behind it.

By being honest with yourself about your motivations, you can shift your approach to exercise so that it truly supports your mental and physical health, rather than becoming another source of stress. But when you're deep in unhealthy habits, recognizing that shift can be incredibly difficult—something I know firsthand.

How I Rebuilt My Relationship with Exercise After an Eating Disorder

My relationship with exercise had become extremely toxic during my eating disorder. I was exercising for all the wrong reasons–as punishment for my binges, preparation for an upcoming binge, guilt, embarrassment, obsession. You name it. 

To mend my relationship with exercise, I stopped going to the gym altogether. Despite my obsession with working out and everything else I was going through at the time, I hit a point of desperation. I was desperate to stop binging. Desperate to get my life back. I was willing to do whatever it took. I knew that the gym was no longer a place I enjoyed or a place that was healthy for me anymore. So, even though I had tied so much of my identity to the gym, I knew that if I ever actually wanted to heal, I had to rebuild my relationship with exercise from the ground up.

Instead of forcing myself to the gym, I opted for gentler ways to move my body.  I walked outside. I stretched. I picked up a basketball and just played—something I hadn’t done in years.

After a few months, I missed the gym. Not because I was unhappy with my body or because I was binging and felt a need to punish myself, but because I had a true, genuine desire to pick up weights. To feel my muscles working. To get a sweat going. That’s when I knew I was ready to go back.

Even now, years later, I still check in with myself: Am I going to the gym because I want to, or because I feel like I have to?

Some days, I recognize that I’m slipping into that old mindset, and I make the conscious choice to skip the gym. Not because I fear falling back into bad habits, but because I’ve worked too hard to let exercise become something negative again.

Exercise can be an amazing tool for mental health—but only when it serves you, not the other way around. The key is to listen to yourself.  Pay attention to why you’re working out, and make sure your relationship with exercise is one that supports you—mind and body.