Anxiety is a normal experience of life, and more than 40 million adults experience anxiety disorders, making it the most common mental illness in the United States, reports the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA). Exercise can help to reduce your symptoms of anxiety because it can elevate your mood, reduce tensions, improve your sleep and increase your self-esteem, suggests ADAA.
Relationship of Anxiety and Exercise
ADAA says exercise has been found to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. People who exercised had lower rates of anxiety when compared with those who lived a sedentary lifestyle, ADAA says. Exercise has the ability to ward off symptoms of anxiety after about five minutes, and this reduction in anxiety can last for several hours after the physical activity is over, the ADAA says. Exercise allows your brain to cope better with stress because exercise influences overall improvements in mental health, ADAA says.
Physical Effects
Exercise causes your brain to release neurotransmitters that make you feel better and improve your overall mood, reports Mayo Clinic.com. Also, the increase in body temperature that occurs as a result of exercise can have calming effects.
Psychological Effects
MayoClinic.com says engagement in regular exercise can cause your self-confidence to increase; you will feel good about what you have accomplished and how you feel about your body. Also, exercise can easily distract you from your worries, allowing you to refocus and calm down. In addition, exercise allows you the opportunity to increase the amount of time you spend with others socializing, suggests Mayo Clinic,com. Exercise can become a positive coping mechanism that you can turn to during times of stress and anxiety, which will help you build resilience.
Beginning to Exercise
The best exercise is the kind you enjoy because if you enjoy it, you will be more likely to exercise consistently. Mayo Clinic.com suggests you provide yourself with goals you want to reach and accomplish. Goals will help to maintain your motivation. As you begin your exercises, attempt to make it a routine, something you do at the same time every day. This will help you maintain a regimen and continue to reduce your anxiety. Remember to begin with low levels of exercise so that you can safely work up to more intense workouts, reducing your risks of injury and burnout.
Considerations
To gain the anxiety-reducing benefits from exercise, MayoClinic.com suggests 30 minutes or more of exercise at least three to five times a week. ADAA reports that when you engage in higher-intensity exercises, such as running or swimming laps, the amount of time required to reduce your anxiety levels decreases.
