Martial Arts and Mental Health?

Ben_Fica

Hi,

This might be a slightly unusual post but I thought I would post the question in anyway.

At the minute, in my personal life I'm going through a difficult period mentally. I've been dignosed with OCD and some mild depression. I'm doing my best to work through them and I feel like I make 2 steps forward and 1 step back at times and some days are better than others.

I feel as though I have no "focus" in life though despite having a great job, fiance, family and social life. From the outside people probably think my life is perfect and I do my best to put a "perfect" front on.

Now my question, has anybody used or found martial arts beneficial to their mental well being?

I've played sport all my life (football, hurling and soccer) but or some reason I'm being drawn towards martial arts for some reason. No exact art in particular but I feel if I found a martial art for me it would help in my personal life.

So has anybody taken to a martial art to help with their mental health? If so, what was the martial art and what did the martial art give to you? Or has anybody fallen into depression or any kind of mental anxiety whilst training and the training of their martial art help them / you get out the situation they found themselves in?

Would a martial art be beneficial to somebody like me?

Thanks for listening and I look forward to your responses.

darced

This post has been deleted.

Peetrik

Everyone is different, only way to find out if it suits you is to give it a go. You have nothing to lose.

Best thing would be to try as many different types/styles as you can as the experience is very different from style to style.

If you give an indication of what type (grappling/striking/wrestling/mixture) of style you are drawn to and where abouts you are based then I'm sure people can suggest specific clubs.

Best of luck in your search anyway!

pablohoney87

Martial Arts is great. It can be a great way to meet friends and becomes a huge part of your life.
However if you use it as an escape that is not the healthy approach.

If you have genuine anxiety problems martial arts can be a great tool to help calm and centre yourself and as a humbling experience can help put a lot of things in perspective.

However if you use training to distract you from your life and your problems that won't make them go away.

Yes, It will help you Focus, but having OCD you might want it now!! and you might not be able to get enough to begin with.
Try MMA which is a mixture and you can go every day to try something new.

bkavanagh

anyone know where there is thai chi classes around the naul??

smacl

pablohoney87 wrote: »

However if you use training to distract you from your life and your problems that won't make them go away.

True, but if your anxiety isn't based on a fundamental underlying problem, strenuous physical exercise can be a great way to let off steam. Particularly true if like me you work in a sedentary job. IMHO lack of sufficient exercise, coupled with poor diet, can easily lead to anxiety, bad humour, and certain types of mild depression. Getting the balance right is important.

maguffin

bkavanagh wrote: »

anyone know where there is thai chi classes around the naul??

Tai Chi classes in Malahide with Ross Cousens of Master Ding Academy Tai Chi Chuan.
Timetable of Dublin classes:

http://www.masterdingacademy.ie/dublin-classes.html

pearsquasher

pablohoney87 wrote: »

Martial Arts is great. It can be a great way to meet friends and becomes a huge part of your life.
However if you use it as an escape that is not the healthy approach.

If you have genuine anxiety problems martial arts can be a great tool to help calm and centre yourself and as a humbling experience can help put a lot of things in perspective.

However if you use training to distract you from your life and your problems that won't make them go away.

I completely agree... also, a lot of martial arts is about injuring someone efficiently, (through the of physical education, of course). I think you should be of fairly sound mind to be allowed train in this. In that way its is a little different to a less contact-full "sport".

I do believe improving physical skill is linked to mental wellness but it takes time. Perhaps direct counselling is the best advise.

Ben_Fica

First and foremost thanks to everybody for taking the time out to reply. I wasn't sure how my post would of been recieved.

Peetrik wrote: »

If you give an indication of what type (grappling/striking/wrestling/mixture) of style you are drawn to and where abouts you are based then I'm sure people can suggest specific clubs.

I don't have any particular type in mind. It might be a case of trying a few out and seeing.

pablohoney87 wrote: »

However if you use it as an escape that is not the healthy approach.

However if you use training to distract you from your life and your problems that won't make them go away.

I wouldn't be using it as an escape. I would be doing it for enjoyment, if I enjoy something I will look forward to it and that in turn would keep my mind active on something pleasent. Also if I was having a bad day I could say "Oh well not to worry, I can now look forward to (insert MA here) tonight"

pearsquasher wrote: »

Perhaps direct counselling is the best advise.

I'm working with a counsellor on a weekly basis.

Peetrik

Ben_Fica wrote: »

I don't have any particular type in mind. It might be a case of trying a few out and seeing.

Well in that case I'd suggest making MMA one of the styles you try as it should expose you to the various aspects of stand up/grappling/ground and you will hopefully get an idea of what you might like to do.

Hope you enjoy yourself anyway

smacl

Ben_Fica wrote: »

I don't have any particular type in mind. It might be a case of trying a few out and seeing.

I'd tend to try all the local clubs, nearest first, rather than getting hung up on a style. What's enjoyable is entirely subjective, and often comes down more to the people and instructor you're training with as the style. Even within the same style, the type and intensity of training can vary hugely, whether or not the club is competition focussed, whether people enjoy sparring, average age and ability of people training etc... If you've a local boxing club, I'd also put that on the list, as many people miss this, and IMO it's one of the best.

smacl

bkavanagh wrote: »

anyone know where there is thai chi classes around the naul??

Niall Keane teaches san shou from a base of practical tai chi chuan, which may be of interest. Very much a martial form of tai chi, not sure if he's classes anywhere near you. See http://sanshou.webs.com/

Ben_Fica

Peetrik wrote: »

Well in that case I'd suggest making MMA one of the styles you try as it should expose you to the various aspects of stand up/grappling/ground and you will hopefully get an idea of what you might like to do.

Hope you enjoy yourself anyway

Thanks for your recommendation and your help.

smacl wrote: »

I'd tend to try all the local clubs, nearest first, rather than getting hung up on a style. What's enjoyable is entirely subjective, and often comes down more to the people and instructor you're training with as the style. Even within the same style, the type and intensity of training can vary hugely, whether or not the club is competition focussed, whether people enjoy sparring, average age and ability of people training etc... If you've a local boxing club, I'd also put that on the list, as many people miss this, and IMO it's one of the best.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Jack_regan

Ben_Fica wrote: »

Would a martial art be beneficial to somebody like me?

For your specific needs of the three martial arts I've been involved with,(Judo, Taekwondo and Tai Chi Chuan.) I would be pushing you more towards the Tai Chi Chuan. That's not to say anything against other forms of martial arts and as other posters have said, try a few and see what you like and get the most out of.

Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung (part of the classes I was in) in particular would have a very calming effect on body and mind. I have not trained in Tai Chi Chuan over here so I can't recommend a particular class to you but what I will say is, I trained in the John Ding Tai Chi Chuan academy in London and there are a number of his practitioners running classes over here, so it may be of some interest to you.

Good luck with your quest and keep us posted with how you get on.

maguffin

Jack_regan wrote: »

Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung (part of the classes I was in) in particular would have a very calming effect on body and mind. I have not trained in Tai Chi Chuan over here so I can't recommend a particular class to you but what I will say is, I trained in the John Ding Tai Chi Chuan academy in London and there are a number of his practitioners running classes over here, so it may be of some interest to you.

Good luck with your quest and keep us posted with how you get on.

I agree..... see here:

http://www.masterdingacademy.ie/index.php

ATMatm

I had a terrible end to 2012 and was diagnosed with depression. I went through counseling for eight months and my councilor encouraged me to train as much as I could to stay active and to feel like I was achieving something. He encouraged me to pick one goal a week, month and quarter and try and achieve it. The focus this gave me really helped me to overcome this, especially while dealing with issues relating to my depression that were still active in my life.
I found that BJJ in particular helped my mindset as it's hard to feel sorry for yourself when someone is trying to pull your arm off. It was a great help to live in the moment during the hardest times of the year.
I hope everything goes well with your martial arts quest OP!

Izanaki

As Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, used to say, The real victory is the victory of oneself. I really believe that Martial Arts can help you in this process. Every time you train, you test yourself and you prepare for all challenges to come in life. Personally I've never suffered of depression and I'm sure i can't understand how it is like, but Aikido give really a lot to me in terms of harmony with everything stands around me and self-confidence.

If you want to give it a try have a look here http://www.facebook.com/aikidodublin

Good luck man!

Hank Reed

Man, start training, eating right and introduce Joe Rogan into your life and you'll soon feel yourself perk up.

JD DABA

Going to go against the grain here.
OP - imho you'd be better off practicing meditation (as its a spiritual issue/an issue with your mind), having a second group sport for the social contact and exercise, and then avoiding anything which puts violence into your mind.
Violent tv/dvd's/videogames, first person shooters, gruesome headline stories, combat sports and martial arts training.

Possibly choose tai chi or certain types of yoga.

Hank Reed

I both agree and disagree with the above comment. Tapping into your spiritual side and meditation definitely has the possibility to change your life for the better. It has an amazing calming effect on mind and body and can be practiced anywhere, even at the breakfast table by just bowing your head. However, martial arts can have the same effect and can also withdraw negative energy from your body, just as exercise can in general. With all these methods endorphines and dopamine levels rise which change the chemical set up in your brain resulting in an overall feeling of calmness and satisfaction. Sam Sheridan's book 'A fighters heart' is a great read on martial arts and has a chapter dedicated to meditation and buddism. I know I have mentioned it before but turn yourself on to the Joe Rogan experience podcast, here's an idea of what to expect http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qomTmVyLAI4 it has quiet literally changed my life for the better, iit will take a little getting used to.

I'd also recommend the use of isolation tanks as a way of clearing and opening your mind and there is also a certain plant that can have amazing positive effects on mental health.

JD DABA

Hank Reed wrote: »

there is also a certain plant that can have amazing positive effects on mental health.

if its the plant i think it is then i think maybe its to be avoided like the plague when it comes to improving mental health.

smacl

I don't know about anyone else, but advocating spiritualistic aspects of martial arts as a panacea for depression sends alarm bells going off in my head. Unfortunately, the martial arts world has more than it's fair share of tin pot gurus and snake oil salesman that are all too keen to either fleece the unwary and / or drag them into their little cult.

Plenty of great yoga and tai chi out there, and many martial arts do incorporate very specific philosophical traditions, but you do need to be aware there's charlatans out there too and they seem to draw in people with problems like flies on sh!t.

pearsquasher

smacl wrote: »

I don't know about anyone else, but advocating spiritualistic aspects of martial arts as a panacea for depression sends alarm bells going off in my head. Unfortunately, the martial arts world has more than it's fair share of tin pot gurus and snake oil salesman that are all too keen to either fleece the unwary and / or drag them into their little cult.

Plenty of great yoga and tai chi out there, and many martial arts do incorporate very specific philosophical traditions, but you do need to be aware there's charlatans out there too and they seem to draw in people with problems like flies on sh!t.

Spot on - martial arts are about dealing with physical assault - end of story. (martial sports throws in competitiveness which has its own mental facets) Any side benefits such as "well-being" and "spiritual growth", whatever they are, can be found just as much (and just as little), in other pursuits taken with the same enthusiasm. IE .. its down to you and your state of mind. Golf, yoga, juggling, the-latest-martial-fad.. whatever.........if you really get into them, will benefit your state of mind. What won't, is some "sensei" telling you he'll help you.

turfthrower

Yes, I'd agree with the sentiments above. Martial arts have no inherent ability to help people deal with mental illness, outside of the general benefit they share with any physical activity that involves meeting new people and getting out and about.

Some martial arts teachers might be inspiring people to be around, and might be skilled in creating good training atmospheres but there are lots that aren't and don't. Genuine depression is best dealt with through visiting your doctor and taking what they say to you seriously. Physical activity is undoubtedly a good thing but don't put the cart before the horse - martial arts training could be part of the solution to the problem, but it's really unlikely to be THE solution.

Peetrik

It boils down to, Strenuous exercise is good for your mental health. Martial artists will advocate MA, runners will advocate running, cyclists cycling etc because that's what works for them.

Find a sport/sports you enjoy and stick at them.

JD DABA wrote: »

Possibly choose tai chi or certain types of yoga.

You're going to need plenty of meditation to purge yourself of violence if Niall sees you equate Tai Chi with yoga

Hank Reed

JD DABA wrote: »

if its the plant i think it is then i think maybe its to be avoided like the plague when it comes to improving mental health.

Have you researched the subject or are you running with the common stereotypes?

Doug Cartel

Lads, if you want to discuss plants go to the horticulture forum.

Hank Reed

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Lads, if you want to discuss plants go to the horticulture forum.

I responded to the discussion with insightful information. It's all relevant.

Doug Cartel

It's not relevant to martial arts. I, as a moderator, am telling you to drop this subject.

Hank Reed

Ok tough guy, wouldn't want to upset a Moderator!

Ben_Fica, I hope you got some insight into how to deal with those issues. A little research will go along way. Enjoy your journey into martial arts and spirituality. All the best.