Exercise for Anxiety: Yay or Nay?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Exercise for Anxiety: Yay or Nay?
6
Sat, 01-20-2007 - 2:23pm
Treatments for Anxiety Disorders

Exercise for Anxiety








If you exercise regularly, you know that a good workout can help you feel less stressed and better able to cope with problems. But can exercise help relieve anxiety disorders?

Some research shows that physical activity can modestly decrease anxiety symptoms. Exercise also boosts self-esteem slightly and improves social interaction skills, both of which can help reduce anxiety. Just how exercise helps isn’t known, but researchers believe a combination of factors probably come into play. Exercise increases endorphins, natural chemicals that act like painkillers. And when done with a friend or in a class, it can promote social interaction.

While it’s fair to say that exercise is beneficial for both mind and body, studies reporting that it reduces anxiety should be viewed with caution. For one thing, few of these studies used subjects diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Instead, they relied on participants’ self-reports of anxiety symptoms. It’s unclear whether the reported benefits would hold true for people with anxiety disorders. Furthermore, the studies didn’t differentiate among types of exercise, intensity, or duration, so it’s impossible to recommend a specific regimen. Despite the unknowns, the authors of a recent review article in The Physician and Sportsmedicine recommended that clinicians strongly encourage people with anxiety to exercise regularly in addition to adhering to proven treatment programs.

Besides boosting your mood, regular exercise offers a host of other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, protecting against heart disease and cancer, and helping prevent diabetes.

 

 


 



Avatar for peoplearenuts
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 01-20-2007 - 2:31pm
I think that it can help relieve anxiety. It may not make it "go away" but I know when my anxiety peaking some days I just felt like I had to keep moving. Aerobics helped me burn some of it off, and yoga helped me calm down and become more centered.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sat, 01-20-2007 - 2:33pm
Much as I hate to do it, I feel exercise is very helpful in burning off anxiety. I do feel better, as if all's right with the world. It temporarily suppresses my appetite, too. jan

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Sat, 01-20-2007 - 7:52pm

Definitely a yay!

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sat, 01-20-2007 - 9:55pm
WOW! You changed your hair too! LOL Nice:)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2004
Sun, 01-21-2007 - 9:52pm

I say Yay to exercise as well. It just seems to help all around. I don't know if it's a chemical thing or not, but my old Tdoc always told me that exercise was a great way to burn off the excess adreniline that results from a panic attack.

I find that low impact exercise, like walking, helps me more than anything. And doing it outside is even better. My current Tdoc encourages me to walk outside as often as possible. Especially when I'm having that feeling of depersonalization. According to her, it helps to keep you in the moment and to feel more grounded, because you're experiencing so many different things, like the feel of the breeze and the various scents and sounds. So, not sure if it's the walking or the experience of walking that helps more. lol But I still say yay to exercise.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-08-2005
Wed, 01-24-2007 - 2:47pm
I cannot say enough good things about exercise!!! My father has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for years and when I was seventeen and had my first panic attack, after I had calmed down he sat me down and explained many important things to me. At the time I had no idea what was happening to me and I literally thought I was going to die. He explained to me that a big part of controlling and manageing anxiety is to excercise and eat a more healthy and balanced diet. He said that if it weren't for him going on half hour walks every night he would be a lot worse off. I remember when I was younger, before I ever thought about exercise my father would always take long walks every night, even in the dead of winter. He would just bundle up and I thought he was crazy!!! I would think why in the world would you want to go outside and walk in the snow? But now I understand and sometimes I join him on those long walks :)