Tips For Dealing With Anxiety Through Exercise

If you have anxiety, there is a good chance that you are having a hard time coping. You might be waiting to start with a therapist or a psychiatrist to get professional help, but those appointments might seem far away, especially if you live in an area that does not have a lot of these types of professionals, so they are overbooked. One thing that you can do to manage your anxiety while you are waiting for your appointments is to use exercise as a form of therapy. Here are some tips for doing so.

1. Increase Dopamine

The first thing that you want to do is simply get your body moving. This is helpful because when you are increasing your heart rate, your brain is making more chemicals that help you feel good, specifically dopamine. This can help ease any anxious thoughts that you have in the moment and help decrease your feelings of helplessness or fear. If you suffer from ruminating thoughts, such as constant, unwanted thoughts about how you are going to get hurt in your situation, then make sure that you are listening to music or a podcast or watching a movie while you exercise in order to keep those thoughts at bay.

2. Build Mastery

Another benefit to exercising is that it helps you build mastery. This means that it help you get better at something in a way that you can measure. This can help you put to rest any thoughts of your incompetence and help you form positive thoughts about yourself. For example, you can try to lift progressively heavier weights or do progressively more push-ups each day. The fact that you are getting stronger can help you combat thoughts about how you "never improve at anything" and give you concrete proof to refute your anxiety that you can't get better.

3. Stop Isolating

Finally, exercise can help get you out into the world and decrease your isolation. Your anxiety might tell you that the only place where you are safe from people's judgment is in your house. This can be self-reinforcing and make your anxiety worse. If you take a group exercise class, go to the gym, or even run in your local park, you can get out into the world and reduce the amount of isolation that you are experiencing in order to feel better.

For more information, talk to professionals that specialize in anxiety treatment such as The Center for Family Counseling, Inc.