Learning self defense is not just about the physical benefits you can get. Yes, there are some great physical things that will change inside your body, but you should focus on more than just that. In fact, there are many mental health benefits that will come with learning martial arts, self defense, and fighting in any capacity. If you haven’t thought about this before, perhaps the following will guide you in understanding the importance of learning the steps to stand up for yourself and others.
Confidence boost
No matter what martial arts you want to learn, no matter what classes you take, you will gain confidence. People who know how to stand up for themselves don’t walk around scared. They know that if something happens to them, they can calmly disarm them and avoid getting hit. Now, this is not to say that self defense will protect you from bullets in a gunfight, but it can give you the confidence to move forward when others are panicking. Staying calm when nefarious characters are trying to hurt you is hard, but when you know you have the skills to stand up for yourself, you’ll see things differently. While everyone around you is panicking, imagine going through slow motion and being able to fight back with relative ease.
Learn to manage stress
Besides the benefit of keeping your calm and increasing your confidence, self-defense lessons can help you manage stress. No matter which option you decide to learn, martial arts are known for teaching how to manage stress in all situations. There is nothing more stressful than being attacked, or dealing with a situation where you have to use your fists and feet as weapons. When these things happen, you can either panic or calm down. Managing stress affects not only the moments when you need to fight, but your work life, home life, and relationships. Reducing stress, fighting depression, improving mental health, and helping your daily routine are all benefits that come with this kind of learning process.
Fight depression and other mental health disorders
Learning martial arts does not replace having to use antidepressants or any other medication. This is not what this means. However, research studies have shown that individuals who train in self-defense classes manage mental health disorders a little easier. In some cases, individuals have been able to reduce or completely replace their medications as a result of improvements in their self-esteem and mental health. Now, this does not mean that everyone will get this benefit, but there are some that actually get these results over time. One thing is certain in this feature, those who study martial arts, learn how to stand up for themselves, and improve their mental health over time, because it is a lifelong learning process.
