[r.adical]

Out of curiosity's sake- how do you feel about physical activity in regards to your mental state? I'm not so much asking 'do you LIKE to work out'- I'm more curious to how your brain reacts to working out.

I'm very curious to how people living upstairs (in the brain) feel on this subject especially.

I feel, personally, that I NEED to work out daily in order to keep anxiety from building up. As much as I want to deny it, I feel as if there is a strict correlation between my physical health and mental, and acknowledging that has led to an outlet of frustration and anger that I needed without knowing it. Also, I guess the feeling of accomplishment is nice too. I think us constant-thinkers need that a lot.

[fretterfet]

I think exercise is, at most, a distraction for me. As long as it isn't something complicated I tend to just zone out when I'm doing it. It's never really worked as an outlet for me personally. Sometimes if I'm really upset I'll go on walks with my iPod, but that's usually just to distance myself physically from whatever the problem was.

[Aqualung]

Exercise helps my mind a lot. If I slack off for a week I start getting depressed & cranky so I just rest 1 or 2 days a week. I think I need the endorphins or I slowly meltdown.

[infpblog]

I like exercise. Actually, I like physical activity. I like keeping my body active whether it's dancing, rock climbing, yoga, biking or whatever. When I exercise, it makes me focus on my breathing. When I focus on breathing my mental state resets to equilibrium much quicker.

If I don't exercise, I feel sluggish. It takes longer for me to make decisions. It just seems my head works slower. I like feeling sharp and focused which is why I tend to be physically active daily.

[strangestdude]

This is my hypothesis; I think most INFP's are also highly sensitive person's (Elaine Aron's definition). And because of that we can be prone to excessive build ups of tension - exercise can help to release that tension, and it releases soothing neurochemicals.

So for me light exercise (ie. somatics), and bodily awareness practices (ie. body scan meditation) are an essential part of my life. When my tension releases and my structure opens up, I feel great physically and mentally.

[Kaspa]

Out of curiosity's sake- how do you feel about physical activity in regards to your mental state? I'm not so much asking 'do you LIKE to work out'- I'm more curious to how your brain reacts to working out.

I'm very curious to how people living upstairs (in the brain) feel on this subject especially.

I feel, personally, that I NEED to work out daily in order to keep anxiety from building up. As much as I want to deny it, I feel as if there is a strict correlation between my physical health and mental, and acknowledging that has led to an outlet of frustration and anger that I needed without knowing it. Also, I guess the feeling of accomplishment is nice too. I think us constant-thinkers need that a lot.

I have similar experiences. It keeps my anxiety at bay.

[Luke]

I definitely live in my head. I think exercise is good and being fit feels amazing, but I haven't found it to have a major impact on my mental state overall. I remain an anxious stress ball no matter how much I exercise. I think it can be really great for many people though.

[sarek]

Exercise is one of the cornerstones of INFP mental health. I just wish I hated it less.