Exercise and anxiety: Learn how exercising can immediately change you into a less worried person

Having anxiety is common for many people. Regular exercise can help you deal with it healthily.

Dealing with Anxiety

Many people suffer from having fear over things they shouldn’t worry about. They feel anxious when their heart rate speeds up or their blood pressure increases. Their brains are prone to mistaking these physical events as being dangerous. Exercise makes you view your increased heart rate and breathing in a new light. When you exercise, you teach your brain that these symptoms do not necessarily mean that danger is near. Hence, exercise helps stop you from jumping to worrying conclusions. Exercise changes how you perceive anxiety symptoms and makes you less sensitive to them. Much research has shown that it can be as effective as certain medications in battling anxiety. If you have been anxious lately, you should ask yourself if you have been moving enough.

Social Anxiety

Another common problem people have is social anxiety. Breaking out of social anxiety can be difficult because it can prevent you from connecting with another person. Social avoidance results in fewer interactions with other people. And fewer interactions can make socializing even more scary. Exercise can help break you out of that vicious cycle by reducing the amount of anxiety you have. Regular exercise will let you view anxiety symptoms (like increased heart rate) more positively. Also, team-based sports can help you socialize within a more relaxed context. Just as anxiety can create a vicious cycle, having courage can make a virtuous one. When you start socializing with someone and prove to yourself that you are fine, you become even braver. Exercising can be just what you need to jumpstart this process.