By If you have a very stressful lifestyle, you need this
I don’t think one day goes by when I am not feeling stressed and anxious. People sometimes annoy me, everyone throws work in my face when I already have more than enough, and sometimes I’ve got to think for far too many people. It can get exhausting! Being a mum comes with stressful occurrences — think, teenage girls and their moods. I admit that there are days I feel like crying. Thank God above for writing — that’s one thing that seems to alleviate some stress. But there is one key thing I’ve been using for years, which does a fine job. The byproduct is less stress, anxiety and the ability to let go. We all must find ways to let go because holding in anger, frustration, and stress isn’t good for us over the long term. This one thing that has helped many people is something I have to do daily, or else the day doesn’t go quite smoothly. That thing I’m referring to is called ‘exercise.’ A study on the findings of exercise used as an anxiety reliever was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. This study was based on 286 patients with anxiety syndrome. Participants were assigned to group exercise, which was either moderate or strenuous, for 12 weeks. The results showed that their anxiety symptoms were significantly alleviated, even when the anxiety was a chronic condition. These anxiety sufferers went from baseline, then moderate, high to low levels after the 12-week program. For participants who exercised at a low intensity, the improvements in terms of the symptoms rose by 3.63. Symptoms improved more with the high-intensity exercise group, at 4.88. No one in any group had prior experience in exercising or counselling externally.
Key takeaways
The more intensely these individuals exercised, the more their anxiety symptoms improved. Previous studies on exercising with depression have also shown improvements in symptoms. But when it comes to anxiety, no one has compared the benefits of exercise. Therefore, this is probably the most extensive study on exercise benefits for anxiety sufferers. These treatment groups exercised for 60 minutes three times per week — although it was under a therapist’s guidance. Sessions included both cardio and weight training. A warm-up was followed by training around 12 stations for 45 minutes, then ended the session with a cool down and stretching. It’s a shame that studies like this aren’t considered by doctors a lot more. Today’s treatment for anxiety is cognitive behavioural therapy and psychotropic drugs. But these drugs have several side effects, and sometimes those patients do not respond well to medical treatment. Sometimes the symptoms can worsen. It’s beneficial for doctors and practitioners to lead patients towards exercise for treating anxiety as a drug-free lifestyle strategy. As we all know, exercising and looking after your health also leads to eating better and regulating weight. Both combinations put sufferers in a better position to enjoy their lives sustainably. How has exercise and modifying your diet helped you cope with your symptoms if you suffer from anxiety?
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