If you have Anxiety Disorder or Depression – or both – you may be frustrated by the duration of treatments then an accelerator is just what you need. Medical science now acknowledges strongly that the marginal benefit of physical activity and exercise is, instead, a major weapon against these conditions. Physical exertion is beneficial for almost all emotional ailments but it is priceless when fighting anxiety. There are multiple reasons why this is true.
First let’s examine the purely physical effects of strenuous exercise in the physiology of the anxiety sufferer. With strong levels of both depression and anxiety come high levels of powerful and often debilitating hormones and chemical residuals. These negative-effect hormones are not normally eliminated in the next 24 hours, staying in the system for several days. When the kidneys cleanse the blood of an individual with dissolved adrenaline and related hormones they are more effective at separating and removing them if the blood is flowing from strenuous exercise, which also raises its temperature.
On the plus side – adding to your body chemistry levels – strenuous exercise produces valuable and important endorphins which produce not only a sense of wellbeing but they make the next day more easily deal with.
The question of degree – how much should I exercise – most experts agree that a schedule of limited exercise is wisest, especially in the beginning when exercise is probably the last thing on your mind. Beginning with minimal levels of exercise will allow you to build on your success and feeling better makes this much easier to accomplish. Set reasonable goals and document your plan as well as your accomplishment on a daily basis. The reason to keep a record of your success is so that you can increase the level of exercise over time. In the strange and wonderful psyche of the human being lies a treasure of emotion, in that just keeping a record that reflects success is itself strong medicine.
Getting motivated to start is the biggest challenge. Staying motivated is clearly mental but is much more easily accomplished if yesterday contains some successes, namely a recognition that you are caring for your body. You should ask your medical professionals for their input and if you have access to, and can afford it, a personal trainer is highly recommended. The final point that should be made is that the raised body temperature produced by exercise is recognized as producing a calming effect on the body.
The emotional benefits of physical exercise are many and hopefully don’t bear repeating here. Again, the best way stop panic attacks and generally impact depression is to fight your way to positive thinking with exercise.