Bianca Michaela

Want to know exactly what’s up with anxiety disorder and exercise? Today we’re taking a deep dive into everything you need to know.

You may or may not have heard that physical exercise can help with our mental health, but if you’re anything like me you’ll want to know exactly how anxiety disorder and exercise are linked.

You are going to learn all about anxiety disorder and exercise, the benefits, what happens to our brains when we work out, what we need to do to get the benefits and also any tricks to help us along the way.

After reading this Quick Guide about anxiety disorder and exercise, you will be able to make a plan for yourself to help incorporate the exercise you feel is right for you.
(Note; I am not a medical professional, this is all research I conducted whilst suffering with my own mental health, please speak to a medical professional about your condition.)

This post is a Quick Guide; Anxiety disorder and exercise.

What does working out do for your mental health exactly?

There have been multiple studies to show the effects of exercise on mental health but no one study has been able to narrow it down to exactly why we feel better because of exercise.

There are multiple mechanisms in play when we exercise and so no researcher really knows which effect is the one making us a little calmer and happier. Changes from working out are seen in two ways.

1. Psychological.

These are changes in our mind, and we can see this with enhanced self-efficacy – when you commit to an exercise programme and carry it through your belief in yourself begins to improve, and you will also feel good for completing a workout for yourself.
Workouts can also help to distract or even quiet our brains for a minute of peace. I know when I go to a dance class my brain is no longer focused on all the problems from my day/week/year but it’s now in tune with what I am doing instead of worrying. Exercise can help to take your mind off things for a moment of rest.

We also get to experience the benefits of social interaction for our mental health if we are working out with friends.

2. Physiological.

Just the act of moving decreases muscle tension, this decrease lowers the body’s effect on making us feel anxious with all the tension we’re holding onto.
Getting our heart rate and blood pumping increases the amount of anti-anxiety neurochemicals we have available. The systems including serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine and endorphins are increased all helping to stabilise our mood. Changes in anxiety, depression and most mood states can be explained with the endorphin and monoamine hypotheses.

With this, we understand that the people who experience the best benefits from exercise are those experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression, because of the greater change in mood states we can experience.

Exercise, sleep and meditation.

Exercise also helps to improve our sleep, and researchers have thought the improvement of sleep is one of the biggest contributors to helping the brain through exercise. (I don’t know about you but I will try anything I can to actually get a full night of rest :P)
Getting in a good workout also activates the front part of our brain which is the part that helps us with emotional regulation, this means we have a better reaction to perceived ‘threats’ whether they be real or imagined and instead of reacting we can respond to events and situations.
You may have heard many times that we should meditate and relax more, exercise has presented benefits like those experienced with meditation and deep relaxation.

Exercise and our response to anxious situations.

It’s believed exercise may also be acting like exposure treatment for those experiencing anxiety. Researchers looked at subjects who took part in a 2-week exercise program, the subjects showed improvements in anxiety sensitivity. When we work out our body experiences similar sensations to those we get when we have a fight-or-flight reaction – an increase in heart rate, change in breathing also with sweating. Because the sensations are experienced regularly with a safe activity (exercise) they become less associated with the response to danger.

Indicating that exercise is helping our brain to cope with stress better, those who part-take in a regular exercise regime are 25% less likely to develop anxiety or depression in the next five years.
A study conducted by Blumenthal looked at the effect of exercise on mood. In the study subjects with depression were put into separate groups and assigned exercise, antidepressant therapy or a placebo pill. The results found subjects in the antidepressant and exercise group had more success than those in the placebo, giving signs that exercise is comparable to antidepressants.
Not only that but the subjects were followed up with a year later, and those who still took part in regular exercise had lower depression scores. Showing the importance of exercise for helping mental health, but also for preventing relapse.

So now we know the benefits, what do we need to do to reap them?

How much?

The anti-anxiety effects of exercise have been seen to begin taking effect from anything as little as five minutes of exercise. They note that a ten-minute walk is just as effective as a 45-minute workout.
To really reap the benefits though, it’s recommended to do 30 minutes of exercise for 3/5 days a week. The exercises which stir up the most benefits are rhythmic, aerobic exercises. For example, swimming, jogging, cycling or walking all at a moderate or low intensity.

What type?

A study (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2011) looked at two groups of subjects doing different intensities in their exercise. (Four kilocalories per kilogram vs sixteen kilocalories.) Both groups experienced improvements but those with the higher intensity found it to be more effective.

Although they did find there were some correlations between gender and family genetics. They noted women with a family history of mental health experienced improved effects with a lower intensity. Whereas men with a family history, and both men and women without, saw better effects with higher intensity exercise.

That being said, people have experienced the benefits with any type of activity, whether it’s strength, aerobic or Tai Chi. This is because when it comes to treating anxiety more is better, but any exercise is better than none, meaning you can choose which exercise suits your needs and you’ll see the benefits.

Is exercise the only way?

We know now that physically active people have lower rates of anxiety than sedentary people. But the catch-22 is that those dealing with anxiety and depression tend to be more sedentary because of their mental health. They do less intense forms of activity and also move around a lot less during the day.
This brings about the concept that even just increasing our physical activity (how much we move in a day) can help with the effects of anxiety. So it’s not just exercise. We can help ourselves by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Or parking a little further away from where we need to go. We can see benefits even while doing some household chores.

The effects of exercise can be seen immediately to help with mood regulation. A walk can deliver several hours of relief (just like taking something to help with a headache). You should be able to see a short alleviation of symptoms from your first workout. A regular workout routine can significantly reduce symptoms over time.

Top Tips.

So now we have a better understanding of the effects and how to achieve them. Let’s look at some top tips to get you started along the way.

• Note how you feel along the way.

Be mindful of how you feel before the workout, during the workout and after the workout. Can you see any improvements? Experiment with some activities and see which one you feel the greatest benefit from.

• Make sure not to over-exercise!

This won’t only make you dread your upcoming workout, consequently making you less likely to do it again. But it can also delay the mood boost experienced from exercise. (Don’t exercise past your respiratory threshold, this is the point where it becomes hard for you to talk.)

• Try not to skip your workout at a time when you’ll get the biggest payoff.

The worse your mood the bigger your payoff. Imagine this is just like when we take a painkiller for a headache. This is when you’ll see the effects the most.

• To start, pick an activity which doesn’t increase your anxiety at the thought of doing it.

Think of an activity you might enjoy, and you can manage today. Whether it’s a walk or a light home workout, or even taking the stairs. Find comfortable ways to get yourself moving. I know some days the gym can seem overwhelming to me. This can cause feelings of anxiety, and on those days I opt for a run or a home workout.

• Find the fun.

Once you’ve got yourself moving, start to think of the future. Think about activities you will enjoy long-term so you can continue to experience any benefits.

• For an added bonus take a walk through the wild.

Studies suggest nature also has desired effects against anxiety.

I hope this gives you a little motivation to get moving a little more in your day!

This post was a Quick Guide on Anxiety disorder and exercise, the benefits, how to get the most from it and my top tips.