I was caught off guard when I first learned how much physical activity impacted my mental state.

 

I used to think of mood and emotion as misty, intangible things. Something you ride out. Something you “try to cheer up” from. Or “calm down,” whatever that really means.

 

But then I started learning what was actually happening underneath it. Chemicals. Neurons firing. Stress hormones rising and falling. Patterns in the nervous system.

​

And that hit me.

If these states are physical, not just emotional, then maybe they’re more changeable than I thought.

​

That made sense. If mood is influenced by chemistry and neural activity, then doing something physical could shift that chemistry. Movement isn’t just exercise. It’s biology.

​

A walk.
Dancing. (If you don't dance try playing air guitar)
Standing up.
A cold shower. (Yes… everyone’s least favorite, even the people who swear by it. Yes, that’s me. And yes, there may be some swearing involved. But it works.)

​

The problem, of course, is knowing that and actually doing it are two very different things. When I’m feeling low or anxious, the last thing I want to do is move. Sometimes I want to wallow. Sometimes I’m waiting for a spark.

​

But like motivation, the spark often has to be created.

​

I’ve used the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown I heard from Mel Robbins. Decide what you’re going to do. Count down. 5…4…3…2…1. Move. Even if it’s just standing up. Even if it’s just walking outside.

​

Just start.

​

So what’s actually happening when we do that?

​

When we’re anxious, our system is often on high alert. Cortisol rises. Adrenaline increases. Thoughts race. The nervous system is in threat mode. Movement gives those stress chemicals somewhere to go. Instead of sitting in your body amplifying tension, they get used. Afterward, your system can settle. You’ve completed the stress cycle instead of staying stuck in it.

​

When we’re feeling low or unmotivated, it’s different. Dopamine signaling can dip. Energy drops. Everything feels heavier. Movement nudges those systems awake. It increases dopamine and serotonin, chemicals tied to motivation and mood stability. You don’t move because you feel better. You feel better because you moved.

​​

​I’ve also noticed something else.

When I feel off, I often reach for my phone. It feels like I’m doing something.

The novelty. The scroll. The quick hits of dopamine.

And it can feel like it’s working.

​

But those rapid spikes are stimulation, not regulation. They don’t calm the nervous system or rebalance stress hormones. When the scroll ends, I’m often left feeling the same, sometimes worse. Now I’m low and annoyed that I just burned 30 minutes, or more.

​

Movement is slower. Less flashy. But it regulates instead of distracting.

​

None of this means movement is a cure-all. It doesn’t replace therapy. It doesn’t fix everything. But it is a lever.

​

And when you’re in that dark or anxious space, sometimes the smallest lever is enough.

​

Stand up straight.
Take one slow breath in through your nose.
Walk around your house.
Step outside for five minutes.
Put on a song and move, even if you can’t dance. (Trust me, I know.)

​

Whatever gets you moving gets your chemistry moving.

​

And sometimes that’s the difference between staying stuck and shifting your mindset.