Anxiety and depression are serious mental illnesses that can respond favorably to psychotherapeutic and physical exercise. If you suffer from either disorder and are finding your life becoming unmanageable due to your symptoms, a qualified psychiatrist or therapist can suggest exercises that can help you feel better, often quite rapidly.
Anxiety and Depression Symptoms
It may be hard sometimes to tell whether you are suffering from anxiety or depression. The two disorders have symptoms that can overlap, including insomnia, obsessive thoughts and constant worry. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, generalized anxiety disorder is often accompanied by uncomfortable physical complaints such as muscle tension, difficulty swallowing, irritability, sweating and hot flashes. Washington University School of Medicine describes depression as a disorder that can sap your will to participate in activities you once found pleasant. You may spend much of your time crying, sleeping or feeling consumed by a belief that you are worthless. Both anxiety and depression can become crippling, keeping you from functioning normally and enjoying a fulfilling life.
Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, offers concrete exercises for confronting the false thoughts that are a hallmark of anxiety and depressive disorders. According to the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists, CBT is founded on the theory that our thoughts, not external influences like people or situations, are responsible for our emotions and behaviors. This short-term therapy gives clients homework assignments like going out in public and keeping a record of the thoughts they experience and the behaviors those thoughts generate. CBT exercises can be used even after the therapy ends to help you act opposite of what your depression or anxiety tells you, such as that you are worthless or that the world is too scary and you should just stay home.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a form of CBT that can be particularly effective in treating the anxiety inherent in obsessive-compulsive disorder. In exposure therapy exercises, the therapist is present while the client confronts anxiety-provoking stimuli. For example, if you become very anxious in the presence of germs, your therapist might go with you to a place where you can touch a public garbage can and help you resist the urge to wash your hands afterwards. Clients rank their anxiety level on a scale of one to 10, then continue to rate it while staying in the presence of the threatening stimulus. Throughout the exposure, anxiety peaks and then decreases, proving to the client that he can ride out panic attacks and the need to engage in compulsive behaviors.
Yoga
Yoga is a system of physical meditation currently enjoying a vogue in the Western world for its combination of intense exercise and mind-calming power. Yoga classes range from gentle restorative varieties like Anusara to "power" yoga like vinyasa and Bikram. The Harvard Medical School website states that yoga improves mood and promotes relaxation by reducing perceived stress and decreasing physiological arousal. Yoga's ability to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure and facilitate a state of self-reflection can prove invaluable to those suffering from anxiety and depression.
Expert Insight
Physicians and psychotherapists overwhelmingly support physical exercise as an effective treatment for anxiety and depression. In an age of limited insurance coverage for mental health treatment, physicians often point clients to CBT as a therapy that can prove effective over a matter of weeks or months and may be more affordable than extended talk therapy. Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are also widely prescribed for both disorders. In combination with physical exercise and CBT exercises, SSRIs may alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety enough that you can return to a normal, satisfying life.
