16 replies to this topic

[ViolettVol]

I've been fighting my anxiety on all fronts, but I really lack in terms of exercise - what I need is some single exercises I can do when an anxiety attack hits - I do the breathing stuff but it's not enough. I"m afraid to do anything too energetic not to pump my nerves up, so I need advice. Also, a daily sport type recommendation would be very useful.

[hippocampus]

yoga and similar techniques, meditation.
slow swimming.

[idquest]

I agree, any kind of yoga stretch or qigong. Here is the catch: most important thing is that your focus is to full extent on doing the exercise, not wondering around on a subject of your anxiety; the specific form of an exercise is much less of importance. THe stretch by itself will have little if any effect if you can't direct your mind on relaxing your body/muscles/tendons while doing it.

[Mike C]

I agree, any kind of yoga stretch or qigong. Here is the catch: most important thing is that your focus is to full extent on doing the exercise, not wondering around on a subject of your anxiety; the specific form of an exercise is much less of importance. THe stretch by itself will have little if any effect if you can't direct your mind on relaxing your body/muscles/tendons while doing it.

Well said! And the science backs it up.

http://www.eurekaler...u-toh111711.php

[niner]

I think that meditation is probably the best long term solution, if you do it right. However, I don't think it's such a good short term solution; I think that the anxiety will interfere with meditating, at least initially. It would be good if you could incorporate meditation into your life, though I think you'd have more success with it if you start when you are well, rather than when you're excessively anxious. If you want something to try while you are anxious, I'd go with something strenuous. Basically, I think you should go to the gym, warm up with some cardio, do a little stretching, then lift some weights. Get tired and sweaty and sore, hit the shower, and you will probably feel a lot better.

[shp5]

I've made very good experiences with taijiquan and qigong, they can really "ground" you. Feldenkrais is another candidate. I used the latter two in a psychiatric context with my patients (I'm a physiotherapist), partially with very good results.

Though, I am very sure that any kind of exercise that you enjoy will help. It is important that you do as much as you can, 1-2 hours daily, so that you can focus on what you are doing.

Edited by shp5, 28 November 2011 - 08:11 PM.

[TheFountain]

Tai chi has helped me tremendously with my anxiety, but not just the motions, knowing exactly what they mean as well, how they correspond to the 'energy centers' of the body, how that corresponds to buddhist beliefs, etc.

As I have said before Buddhism is the one system of belief I can tolerate for any extended period of time, precisely because it contains a cause and effect system of deliberation, some of it mental, some of it physical, most of it both. It is an ancient method of well being that I trust.

[Want_more_hair]

I find cardio (30-45 minute jogs) in the morning and then in the evening to help my anxiety tremendously. Weight training doesn't do this to me so much.

I jog 5x week and do some weight 2x week.

[nito]

what?1 stretching helps anxiety. Didnt know that really!

[malden]

Jep cardio seem to help me to

[maggieW]

I've been fighting my anxiety on all fronts, but I really lack in terms of exercise - what I need is some single exercises I can do when an anxiety attack hits - I do the breathing stuff but it's not enough. I"m afraid to do anything too energetic not to pump my nerves up, so I need advice. Also, a daily sport type recommendation would be very useful.

i find that pilates works wonders! i am always so relaxed afterwards

[icyT]

I like the relaxing exercises to use during attacks, though also to keep in mind that good compound strength movements can give us a sense of security to help make us confident and less likely to suffer them to begin with.

[Mace_Windu]

I've been fighting my anxiety on all fronts, but I really lack in terms of exercise - what I need is some single exercises I can do when an anxiety attack hits - I do the breathing stuff but it's not enough. I"m afraid to do anything too energetic not to pump my nerves up, so I need advice. Also, a daily sport type recommendation would be very useful.

i find that pilates works wonders! i am always so relaxed afterwards

I second this! I practice 5 days a week. It`s provided a great base for other activities like skiing and cycling.

Yoga may be the most well-documented of all the forms of mindful movement (tai chi, Pilates, Feldenkrais etc.) but any of them is better than doing nothing.

FYI, I`ve had battles with anxiety too. I never do any weightlifting any more but i did lots of it into my late 20s.

If you need help finding a studio let me know in what city you live and I can try and get some recommends from some of our senior instructors.

Good luck.

[jadamgo]

What works for me is intensive exercise that DOES pump up the nerves, then exhausts them. I.e. take ritalin then spend an hour on the elliptical listening to fast paced music, striding in time with the beat of the music, keeping my heart rate in the 140-190 range (depending on how hard I want to push myself).

Afterwards, I don't feel anxious. In fact, I don't feel anything until I've eaten and taken a shower. Then I feel calm and contented.

[MattJ]

I would recommend getting a membership at your local gym and doing at least 30 minutes of intensive cardio on the elyptical or treadmill. Whenever I stick to my workout routine I swear my anxiety completely disappears for a day or two. Good luck!

[Now]

I experience the opposite effect.

My generalized anxiety and OCD (and mood, motivation and energy) increase after intensive cardio, while social anxiety decreases. I think it has something to do with elevated dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine and serotonin levels during/after exercise.

[jadamgo]

Elevation of dopamine and norepinephrine would be expected to elevate mood, energy, and confidence (more accurately, "self-perceived social status"), though I see how it could send OCD-spectrum symptoms into overdrive. (I think there are multiple versions of GAD, one of which will in the future be diagnosed as "Purely-obsessional OCD." So if your GAD and OCD symptoms are linked together, they may both be manifestations of a single OCD-spectrum disorder.)

OCD-spectrum symptoms are more appropriately managed with meditation-related techniques than with intensive aerobic exercise. (The goal in correcting OCD symptoms is increased control of your behavior with decreased effort to control your thoughts and feelings. Meditation and meditation-like exercise works wonders for self-control and acceptance of temporary aversive states.)

But I second the finding that hardcore aerobic exercise is great for depression and social anxiety, as well as depression-related anxiety/agitation.