Anxiety Cures
Exercise as an Anxiety Cure
Anxiety Cures...
Exercise is a wonderful all-around practice for gaining the upper hand on stress and anxiety, it is a powerful ally to add to your tools of anxiety cures. Besides all of the well-documented benefits of exercising on a regular basis, it also helps to greatly increase confidence and belief in the ability of one’s body.
During a panic attack, many of the symptoms are similar to those of a really good workout:
- Increased heartbeat rate
- Sweating
- Increased bodily sensations
- Rapid breathing
Exercise as an Anxiety Cure
One of the greatest advantages of a healthy cardiovascular workout is that it teaches you to be comfortable with your body in a heightened state of exertion. Vigorous exercise allows us the opportunity to safely exert our bodies to a heightened state of activity not dissimilar to the way our bodies react during a panic attack. Exercise pushes our boundaries out further of what is acceptable exertion, and trains us to become more comfortable with physical sensations such as heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat. This builds new confidence in our body’s ability to handle strenuous levels of exertion.
If you are giving your body regular opportunities to move from an exerted state back to a relaxed one, you will feel no threat should your heartbeat increase rapidly during a panic attack. You will have the experience and confidence to say to yourself that your body is well able to handle such a state as it has done so many times before. You have the awareness that in a short period of time your body will return as always to a more relaxed state.
For many, the compounding fear factor of a panic attack comes from the anxiety about unusual bodily reactions. Exercise is a healthy, self-imposed stress on the body, which is why exercise as an anxiety cure should play a pivotal part on your daily regimen. It helps us release the pent-up tensions inside, and can be a useful exhaust or vent for any emotions that need to released.
The requirement for proper exercise to help you build this innate confidence in your body’s physical ability is an exercise regime with a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. The exercise could be power walking, jogging, running, swimming—anything that gets you working up a good sweat. When beginning your exercise program, it is best to go easy and set modest goals. Choose an activity that is convenient to do and one you enjoy so that you will stick with.
Get your body in a heightened state of exertion, where you heart is beating rapidly and you are breathing heavily. The best exercise is one where you work yourself to a peak for a few minutes, then slow down, rest, and build yourself up again. This helps push your body further each time and always moving upward, never stagnant. As you really get your body in shape, your overall confidence improves. I’m sure you have already experienced the natural lift exercise can give. It sends a clear message throughout your body that having your heartbeat in quick succession, or increased respiration, are perfectly natural and well within your body’s capability.
Anxiety Cures
Recent research proves that exercise fuels the brain's stress buffers. Preliminary evidence suggests that physically active people have lower rates of anxiety and depression than sedentary people. Researchers are now looking at possible links between exercise and brain chemicals associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. Research carried out by Mark Sothmann, PhD, of the Indiana University School of Medicine suggests that biologically, exercise seems to give the body a chance to practice dealing with stress. It forces the body's physiological systems—all of which are involved in the stress response—to communicate much more closely than usual: the cardiovascular system communicates with the renal system, which then communicates with the muscular system.
All of these are controlled by the central and sympathetic nervous systems, which also must communicate with each other. This workout of the body's communication system may be the true value of exercise.
There is no doubt about it, beginning and sticking with a proper exercise regime takes commitment. If you feel you do not have the time to invest in this, you may have missed a very important point. Exercising will have a tremendously positive benefit on your mental, emotional, and physical health. Your energy levels will soar, your resistance to stress will increase, therefore reducing the general feelings of anxiety that we spoke about earlier. Your general outlook on life will improve as your confidence in your own body grows. As a final point on exercise, be kind to yourself, do not berate yourself if you feel you are out of shape because you can’t jog around the block. Take it slowly to begin with and be determined. If you can incorporate regular exercise into your life, the benefits will be profound.
(There are many books available at local bookstores, and on the Internet regarding proper exercise implementation. Should you have a health condition of course as always, consult your doctor first before including it as one of your chosen anxiety cures.)
Other Anxiety Cures...
Now we will turn our attention to another helpful tip for panic attacks and anxiety
Distraction as a tip for panic attacks
The “Panic Away” Program: Proof At Last that Panic Attacks and Anxiety Can be Eliminated For Good!
Much More than Anxiety Cures Discussed Back at the Home Page
|