Can Exercise Calm Our Anxiety?
Exercise, oh yeah, it really does help!!!
Anxiety is known to be one of the most common mental health struggles across the globe. The American Psychological Association website describes exercise as an often-overlooked resource with beneficial effects on our overall health, including our mental health. Some experts even report that just taking a walk in nature or outside, can lower stress, increase blood flow and blood circulation throughout the body and brain, as well as help clear our thoughts with a temporary but healthy distraction. Having an exercise routine can benefit us in so many ways and let’s see how.
Can you believe it? Exercise can give our minds a much healthy stimulation and sensory distraction from all of the stress and anxiety we experience in our day to day. It won’t take away what is causing us the stress or anxiety, but it can bring our mind and body to a calmer more focused state so you can possibly work through your anxiety or stress a little more effectively. Some exercises can calm and distract us from negative thoughts, especially if we go outside and soak up the fresh air. Spending more time in nature can also help to quiet the mind. By exercising regularly, we engage our endorphins, which are known to not only boost our mood but also lower our stress levels. Being physically active can help lower the potential risk of anxiety, depression, and other mood disturbances. Counseling services or coaching services can help find ways to help improve thinking and behavior patterns to help with anxiety and mood symptoms.
Tips that can help when starting an exercise journey is to first, start off small and check in with your doctor on any medical concerns or if you have any underlining health issues. You want to make sure that starting this journey doesn’t cause any injuries or if you need to modify your physical activity levels you can fit it to your specific needs. The second would be to choose something that you enjoy and build from there. If you don’t like it, most likely you won’t do it for very long. This leads to the third tip, seek out a form of social activity to help build social connections which can also provide amazing mental health benefits. It can help increase motivation and allows for support which has been shown to increase feelings of belonging and inclusion. Last, but most importantly, celebrating the wins will help to keep you motivated and will positively impact both your mental and physical health. Give it a go, and see how you feel.
