Adventures with anxiety: The importance of exercise
Hey everyone! Installment two of the “Adventures with anxiety” series is a post talking about the importance of exercise when it comes to maintaining good mental health and wellbeing, and keeping anxiety at bay.
Benefits of exercise for the anxious person:
Endorphins released (hormones released by the brain to relieve pain, reduce stress and improve mood)
You get to interact with class participants, teachers, gym buddies
You’ll feel a “little win” when completing a session or class
It burns off excess adrenaline released by trigger of sympathetic nervous system when anxious
Often gets you out of the house
Boosts confidence and self-belief
We all know that exercise has great benefits for our body and our mind. It’s been drummed into us since school, and is spoken about a lot in mainstream media. However, it’s not easy to become a lover of exercise if you’re simply not built that way. I have never really enjoyed exercising. I used to write fake notes from my mum to give to the PE teacher at school to say I couldn’t take part in this activity because I was on my period or poorly. My dislike of exercise definitely came from being ‘forced’ to do it a few times a week at school. In secondary school in that awkward teenager stage the last thing you want to do is get changed in front of everyone, show off your lack of coordination in front of everyone (including those that dislike you or perhaps even bully you) and then use a communal shower.
And so I avoided exercise at all costs. Back then, I was slim without trying to be. I ate all day and my metabolism helped keep me skinny. I don’t think I really appreciated this at the time, as now I am almost 30 years old, I’ve come to realise that that was a phase. My metabolism has slowed down, it’s harder to stay slim and much easier to put weight on if I have a few days where I don’t pay attention to what I eat.
In the last five years where exercise has become a means to staying the size I feel most comfortable at, it turned into a necessary evil. I still didn’t like doing it, but I did it sometimes to keep myself a weight I deemed acceptable. I tended to stick to running on the treadmill as it gave quick results and made me feel good about myself. It was easier than running outside as the machine would pace my run and track my time and calories etc.
And then I found yoga. If you know me well, you’ll know that I started yoga practice about 6 years ago and I loved it from the first instant I did it. It was a gentle form of exercise that included meditation and which I found improved my mental health massively. It allowed me to be social and interact with people in my class on a low-key, no pressure basis. It toned my body, improved my flexibility and allowed me to work on my breathwork. I felt more energised, calmer and happier.
I realised I had found my “thing”. It had taken me a long time and I’d had to try out several classes at the gym and forms of exercise such as running outdoors, running on the treadmill, weights, HIIT classes, spin, martial arts - the list goes on! Finding an exercise that I love has been both physically and mentally positive for me. It keeps my anxiety at bay the more I practice. I now easily notice the affect that skipping a yoga class has on my mental state.
On the other hand, I still sometimes feel anxious during a yoga class or whilst exercising, and I remind myself to pause or come back to my breathwork as that calms me. I also remind myself that if I need to leave the class, I have that option. I am choosing to be there. Sometimes I feel anxious before a yoga class, especially if it is in the evening, and find myself changing my behaviour through the day prior to a class. Because of this I try to do my practice in the mornings when I can.
So that’s it.. yoga is my “thing”.
It’s time for you to find your thing. Go out there and exercise your little butt off. Your mind will thank you for it.
Top tip: If you find that the thought of exercising in a class or group setting fills you with anxious feelings, ask a friend to go with you initially.