Benefits and Impact of Exercise on Mental Health
Assignment Instructions
Conduct a case analysis, two to four pages in length, of a fictional student detailed below, and evaluate the benefits and impact of exercise on his mental health. Your analysis should include the following critical elements:
Psychological Issues and Symptoms: What issues and symptoms does the student exhibit that might be helped by exercise?
Skills Training: Identify how skills training could improve the student’s performance and mental health.
Conclusions: Cite specific theories that explain the links between exercise and improved mental health to substantiate your analysis. Make final recommendations.
Jim is 6’ tall and weighs 185 lbs. Although he has an athletic build, he has never played sports because he believes himself to be awkward, non-athletic. He is more interested in video games than in sports games. The patient has a number of friends and is in a long-term relationship. While Jim reports that he feels pretty good about himself, he has lately been noticing—particularly in social situations—that his heart sometimes races, his hands sweat profusely, and he gets a little dizzy. A friend of his, who runs half-marathons, has been trying to get him to join him, but Jim is worried that running will only make his physical problems worse. He has had a clean physical exam and has now come to you to discuss the possibility of training for a half-marathon.
Identify any psychological issues that Jim has revealed and identify the symptoms he is exhibiting. Discuss one or two skills training activities you might suggest, and analyze how you think that might help Jim, followed by a conclusion that cites specific supporting theories.
What to Submit
Case study assignments must follow these formatting guidelines: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and APA-style citations. Page length requirements: Case study short papers are expected to be 2–4 pages in length, not including title pages or references.
Sports Psychology Case Analysis
Student's Name
University Affiliation
Professor's Name
Course Title
Due Date
Sports Psychology Case Analysis
From the case study, one can deduce that Jim is experiencing psychological issues. One of the psychological issues that stand out for Jim is social anxiety. The symptoms that exemplify social anxiety include a racing heart, sweaty hands, and experiencing dizziness when in social situations. Jim experiences these symptoms showing that he experiences immense physiological discomfort when in social situations. Evidence has revealed that social anxiety is a common phenomenon affecting many people in contemporary society (Kaczkurkin & Foa, 2022). The second psychological issue demonstrated by Jim is low self-esteem. Low self-esteem revolves around having a negative self-image. The aspect that identifies the low-self-esteem aspect for Jim is the fact that he considers himself awkward and non-athletic. The belief that he is awkward most likely comes from a negative perception of his physical abilities. Considering that he is well-built and has an athletic body, it can only take a negative self-image/ low self-esteem to consider himself awkward and non-athletic. It is important to address these two issues before they can escalate into more serious psychological disorders. The following is a discussion of skills training activities that can help Jim overcome the above-identified issues.
One of the skills that I might suggest for Jim is cognitive restructuring. Cognitive restructuring is an aspect of cognitive behavioral therapy that helps replace negative/ irrational thoughts with helping thoughts. Helping thoughts are those that are not only realistic but also positive. For instance, instead of thinking that he is awkward, this skill will...