Can exercise help with stress?

Exercise helps reduce stress by boosting mood, lowering anxiety, and improving focus. This article offers practical advice for UK teens to stay active, feel better, and manage stress through everyday movement.

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Stress is something most teenagers experience at some point whether it's because of school, friendships, family, exams, or just the pressure of figuring out who you are and what you want. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, anxious, or completely drained, you're not alone. And while there are lots of ways to deal with stress, one of the most underrated solutions is something you already know how to do: move your body.

Exercise isn't just about staying fit or looking a certain way. It's actually one of the best ways to manage stress, clear your head, and feel more in control of your emotions. But how exactly does it work? And how can a British teenager with a busy life use exercise to genuinely feel better?

This article will explain how exercise helps with stress, share the real-life story of a young person who used it to improve their mental health, and offer simple, realistic tips to get started even if you're not sporty or don't have much time.

What is stress and why does it happen?

Stress is your body's response to pressure. When you face a challenge or feel overwhelmed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help you react. This can be helpful in small doses (like helping you focus in an exam), but if stress goes on for too long, it can start to affect your mind and body in negative ways.

Common signs of stress in teenagers include:

Can exercise help with stress?
  • Feeling anxious, irritable or low
  • Having trouble sleeping or eating
  • Finding it hard to concentrate
  • Getting headaches or stomach aches
  • Withdrawing from friends or activities

Stress can build up from things like exams, social pressure, arguments at home, or trying to juggle school, work, and friendships. That's where exercise comes in not as a magic cure, but as a powerful tool to help you cope.

How does exercise reduce stress?

When you move your body whether it's walking, dancing, playing football or stretching your brain releases chemicals called endorphins. These are your body's natural feel-good hormones. They help reduce feelings of stress, boost your mood, and make you feel more relaxed.

Exercise also:

  • Reduces cortisol (the stress hormone)
  • Improves sleep, which helps your brain recharge
  • Increases focus and mental clarity
  • Boosts confidence, especially when you feel stronger or more capable
  • Provides a healthy distraction from overthinking or negative spirals

Even short bursts of movement can make a difference. You don't need to spend hours in a gym you just need to get moving in a way that works for you.

Real-life story: Josh's journey

Josh, 15, had always been a quiet student. When GCSE stress hit, he started having anxiety before school and found it hard to concentrate in lessons. Everything felt too much, he said. Id sit in class and feel my chest tighten. At home, Id just stay in my room.

Josh's PE teacher encouraged him to try doing 20 minutes of activity a day just something simple like going for a walk or doing a few home workouts. At first, Josh didn't think it would work. But after a week, he noticed that the anxious feelings didn't last as long. When I moved more, I felt calmer, he said. It gave me a break from everything in my head.

Over time, Josh built a routine of cycling after school and doing basic strength exercises at home. He still had hard days but he had something that helped. Exercise doesn't fix everything, he said, but it's the one thing that made me feel like I was doing something to help myself.

What types of exercise are best for stress?

The best type of exercise is the one you'll actually do. That means choosing something that:

  • You enjoy (or at least don't hate)
  • Fits into your routine
  • Doesn't feel like a punishment

Here are some stress-busting options to try:

1. Walking or cycling

Great for clearing your head, especially outdoors. Try listening to music or a podcast as you go.

2. Dancing

Whether it's TikTok routines, Zumba, or just moving around your room to your favourite playlist dancing is a great way to lift your mood.

3. Team sports

Football, netball, basketball or rugby team games offer physical release and social connection, which also helps with stress.

4. Swimming

Being in water has a calming effect. Swimming can be a peaceful way to move and switch off from daily stress.

5. Yoga or stretching

Slower movement can be just as powerful. Yoga focuses on breathing and body awareness, helping you feel more grounded and calm.

6. Strength training

Using your body weight or light weights can boost confidence and help you feel stronger mentally as well as physically.

7. Short workouts

Try 1015 minute sessions at home (YouTube is full of them). You don't need fancy equipment just space to move.

How to fit exercise into a busy life

You don't need to be an athlete or join a gym. Here's how to make movement part of your routine even if you feel like you don't have time.

  • Start small: Try 10 minutes a day and build up
  • Schedule it: Add exercise to your timetable like a revision session or a lesson
  • Make it social: Ask a friend to go for a walk or play a game together
  • Use what you've got: Use a skipping rope, stairs, or follow online workouts
  • Link it to things you enjoy: Listen to music, do it outdoors, or reward yourself after

How exercise helps in the long term

When you move your body regularly, you start to feel the benefits beyond just stress. You may find that:

  • You sleep better
  • You have more energy in the day
  • Your mood improves
  • You feel more motivated and focused in school
  • You're more resilient when things get tough

It's not about becoming a pro It's about looking after your mental and physical health. You don't have to be good at it. You just have to do it.

When to ask for more support

While exercise can help reduce stress, sometimes you might need more support. If your stress is turning into anxiety, depression, or affecting your daily life, talk to someone.

  • Speak to a trusted teacher, school counsellor or mentor
  • Talk to your GP or mental health nurse
  • Use support services like:

You're never alone and asking for help is a strong and brave thing to do.

Final thoughts

So, can exercise help with stress? Absolutely. It won't magically make life perfect, but it gives you the tools to handle pressure, improve your mood, and take back some control when everything feels overwhelming. Whether you're doing a quick walk, a dance around your bedroom, or playing five-a-side with your mates, movement matters.

You don't need to be sporty. You don't need to be perfect. You just need to start.

And when you do even for just 10 minutes a day you might be surprised by how much lighter life feels.

How are you feeling?

It is really important that when we need help, we feel able to ask for it. This could be speaking to a parent, a close friend, a teacher or someone else you trust. Sometimes it can be really hard to share our feelings with other people but if we are feeling low or don't know where to turn, sharing with others is really important. Teachers will always take you seriously and listen to your problems in confidence if you approach them for help. Likewise, parents, siblings or friends will help you if you reach out to them.

If you feel like you can't speak to anyone you know, there are people and organisations that can help support you:

  • Childline - Call them on 0800 1111 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • NSPCC - Call them on 0808 800 5000 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on help@NSPCC.org.uk
  • The Samaritans – Call them on 116 123 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • SANE – Call 0300 304 7000 for support (4:30pm - 10:30pm every day)
  • Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 (9:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday)

*Sometimes we will use real life examples in our articles to aid understanding. When we do, names and ages will be changed.