Why exercise is not enough for your mental health
A conversation with Tokyo-based therapist Marie-Solange Vottero
In our most recent podcast episode I talk to Marie-Solange Vottero, who is a Tokyo-based therapist and stress management consultant for companies. We talk about stress, managing stress and misconceptions about stress.
One of the most interesting ideas to come from this is that exercise/diet and a lot of the external solutions to managing stress are simply not enough. In fact, chronic stress can build over time even if you have a seemingly healthy routine, as it did for me when I got burned out.
A short clip below:
Key points that we cover:
Thoughts create emotions, and emotions create thoughts. To break emotional loops, we must understand the underlying thoughts—often deep-seated beliefs—we haven’t questioned.
Exercise and diet can reduce stress in the short term and support mental health, but they often don’t address the core beliefs and emotions fueling stress.
Not all stress is bad. Eustress motivates, while chronic stress drains us. Becoming self-aware and identifying which type of stress we’re dealing with helps in managing it before it spirals.
Stressors are external triggers, but stress is our mind-body response. Managing stress involves addressing both the stress and its root cause—often our own beliefs (“I need to be online 7 days a week”), which can perpetuate the cycle.
Many hesitate to try therapy because they think it signals a serious problem. In reality, therapy or coaching can help with self-awareness, even if you're not in crisis, to better understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and be your best self. (I personally use therapy like this, always working on something)