Anxiety and exercise go together like peas and carrots. If you are suffering from anxiety then exercise will invariably help. One of the biggest problems though is that if you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, finding the motivation to exercise is difficult. One of the symptoms of ongoing anxiety is apathy. You become so wrapped up in yourself and your worries and concerns that it is difficult to think beyond this and get yourself moving. So what kind of exercise will help with anxiety and how do you motivate yourself. One of the things that I have found from years of suffering from an anxiety disorder is that the last thing you should do is add pressure to yourself by creating too rigid an exercise regime. If you set yourself up for failure by being too ambitious this will only add to your anxiety which is the last thing that you need. Anxiety disorders are brought about by an inappropriate response to stress. All of us suffer a physical reaction to stress. This is perfectly normal. Put someone into a life threatening situation and their pulse will increase and breathing will speed up as adrenaline is pumped into the blood. This is the fight or flight response. It is normal and healthy. The problems start when our body starts to react in this extreme fashion when there is actually no real threat. Modern living confuses our bodies. We can end up feeling threatened in a variety of different situations, none of which are life threatening or dangerous. The result is that our body over-reacts to stress creating the anxiety cycle. If you have an anxiety disorder, the adrenaline response in your body has become over sensitised, often to the extent that even a small amount of additional stress can cause frightening feelings of anxiety or panic. Exercise helps to burn off this excess adrenaline and restore the natural balance in your body. But don't start out trying to run a marathon. I found that the easiest way to get exercise was to change my routine very slightly. Start by walking to the local store rather than driving, walk up the stairs at work instead of using the lift. Find a hill nearby and walk up and down it. None of this is particularly difficult to fit into your day and you'll be surprised at how quickly you start to feel more relaxed. Exercise is a great habit to get into. It will help you relax, it will help you sleep and because the body responds to exercise in the same way as it does stress (faster pulse, deeper breathing) it also educates your body that this is normal. So that next time you feel anxious or have a panic attack, you will find that you cope with it and return to normal much quicker. As to the sort of exercise. Cardio exercise is best, anything that gets your heart beating faster. Fast walking, running, swimming, rowing. All of these use the major muscle groups of the body and all of them will burn adrenaline and help with anxiety.
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