Archive: April 2008

Mind Games

Fuhgeddaboudit! Exercise could be the antidote for your anxiety

by Lisa Marie Metzler

Fuhgeddaboudit! Easier said than done for the 40 percent of people who worry every day. New studies suggest that women worry more than men and we may inherit the worry gene from our parents. “Genetic predisposition to worrying, anxiety, or nervousness may play a role in two ways. Not only does the person have the hereditary mix to worry, but in addition, if exposed to a worrying environment (raised by worrying parents) chances are their worrying may have become evident early on,” says Dr. Gabriela Cora,  psychiatrist and president of the Executive Health and Wealth Institute.
More than nail biting

“Worry is usually driven by a need to have a guaranteed outcome,” says Bob Livingston, LCSW and author of The Body Mind Soul Solution: Healing Emotional Pain Through Exercise. “Worrying can become habitual where you immediately turn to the feelings of anxiousness in your stomach, the endless spinning of your thoughts and the sense that disaster is about to occur,” says Livingston.

Chronic worrying can cause an unfavorable impact on our health. Constant worriers experience physical symptoms like headaches, neck and back pain, ulcers and a lack of energy. 

Some turn to excessive drinking, smoking or eating to self-sooth. Stress caused from worrying also stimulates the production of cortisol, which can lead to weight gain and lower the levels of good HDL cholesterol all which can lead to heart disease. Yet, even with the health risks, people can’t stop the anxiety cycle. “You believe that there is not an alternative to this way of being because you have been processing information in this manner your entire life,” says Livingston. The good news is you can stop the worry cycle.

Walk if off!

There’s a reason people take a walk to clear their head—it works! Anxiety, frustration and stress can all be relieved by exercise. “Exercise creates a sense of peacefulness, clarity and improved self-esteem because of the changes that occur in the brain neurotransmitters while working out,” says Livingston. Feel-good endorphins, Norepinephrine, which teaches the body to deal with stress, and Serotonin, which also affects mood, are all released during exercise.”

Livingston says that you should begin to feel calmer and feel the worry decrease as you exercise. When you’re done exercising there should be a noticeable contrast to the anxiety or stress you were feeling before. Increased clarity and confidence should be evident. “You will discover that the issues that once seemed impossible to approach, much less resolve, have become much easier to work through,” says Livingston. Working through those issues gives worriers a sense of control. “The more the person can control the unexpected, the better,” says Dr.Cora. “Checking for driving directions ahead of a trip, visiting a potential place and its surroundings before moving or visiting a college campus and taking a tour before moving in would help,” recommends Cora. When you’re exercising, you not only gain physical strength but mental strength as well. Use this time of renewed clarity to get a fresh perspective of the situation. Imagine a positive outcome, create lists, and gather information – whatever helps you to gain a sense of control over the issue.
 
The Path to Enlightenment

Livingston recommends the following while you’re exercising:

1. Notice if you are feeling anxious or worried when you begin your workout. What is making you anxious? Are you worried about some project at work? Are you anxious about a relationship? Are you having a conflict with someone?
2. Notice when a sense of calmness comes over you. What does it feel like? Do you notice your worrying decreasing or dissipating? What does your body feel like now? Do you feel strong and confident? Do you see yourself differently? Do you feel better about yourself?
3. Now, focus on the issue that was making your anxious in the beginning of your workout. Do you still feel anxious or has the anxiety decreased? If so, do you notice how clear thinking you are? How is the strategy planning going? Is it going smoothly? 

“This process teaches us how to find the place inside that provides the faith and knowledge that we have the power to discover the solutions to our own traumas. This place that holds our wisdom is known as the soul and for some, God,” says Livingston. The advantages of sweating worry away are too great to ignore. With a regular exercise program you’ll soon notice you don’t worry as much. Your focus will be more on living happily in the present and not worrying about the future. Plus, your physical appearance and general health will improve!