Anxiety Attacks and Exercise
I read a few interesting articles this week about the connection between vigorous exercise (or lack thereof) and anxiety attacks. I won’t post a full blown “article” on the subject; I simply wanted to gently remind anyone dealing with frequent anxiety attacks that physical exercise (even walking) is still one of the best ways to reclaim your natural calm and sense of well-being.
Did you notice that I used the word ‘natural” in that last paragraph? Think about it; is it possible for anxiety to be the “natural” state of any living thing (including me and you)? Of course not–your natural state is calm. So reducing or eliminating anxiety issues can be as simple as reverting to your “natural” state. That’s where frequent exercise and motion come into the picture.
When we exercise — even moderately– our bodies tend to return to their natural (there’s that word again) state. And as you may have heard me say before, our mental processes and our physical processes are NOT two separate things. They are interconnected to the point of being virtually indistinguishable.
Keep in mind the importance of physical motion and exercise in reducing anxiety attacks. I can assure you that I personally feel much more relaxed and calm when I am able to work out at least 2-3 times a week, and I try to get at least some physical exercise every day (OK, I take the day off on Sunday–so sue me 
When you change what you are doing with your body, you also change what you are doing with your mind. Keeping the body vibrant and in motion returns us to our “base state,” which has nothing to do with anxiety attacks, and everything to do with feeling just fine…
Jon Mercer
Stop Anxiety Attacks
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Powered by FireStats
January 29th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I enjoy your posts and reading the information on your site. Although I have tried to be more faithful about exercising, (not faithful enough!), I sometimes start to feel anxious while I’m exercising. Will that go away?
February 24th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Hi Jon
Thank you for your wise advice on how to manage panic attacks by offsetting with exercise. I will do some more research on this and perhaps add it to my site. That has been very helpful.
Take care
Brad
February 26th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I personally feel much more relaxed and calm and I am able to work out at least 2-3 times a week by trying some physical exercise every day to avoid anxiety attacks.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I exercise on a regular basis, however, ever since I have been having severe anxiety attacks I actually get panic attacks when I work out and because of this I have stopped working out. I am so worried that I am going to have a heartattack since the left side of my chest has been tight for days now and my arm has felt strange and tingly. Do you have any advice?
March 24th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Hi Sara, The best thing to do is to see your doctor and get checked out, just to certain that there is no physical problem causing the tight and tingly feelings. If your MD finds no physical cause, it is very likely an anxiety symptom.
Most people feel better just knowing that they don’t have a “real” condition, and this can help put things into perspective if the symptoms show up again.
I recommend the Easycalm Series to learn how to deal with the control issues which are at the root of all anxiety symptoms: www.easycalm.com
All the best,
Jon Mercer. MA
http://www.easycalm.com/
April 15th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Excellent post. Thanks for your contribution to our mental-health community.
I cannot say enough about exercise to help control anxiety and panic. It is a tremendous release valve to keep stress from building and leading to panic attack triggers.
Thanks !!
Bill
March 9th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I think you made some good points.Keep working ,great job!
April 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Keep up the good work man, surely bookmark this!
October 26th, 2009 at 3:58 am
Right on !! Damn I’m getting addicted to your blog
January 9th, 2010 at 6:58 am
i get Panic Attacks when i am in a huge crowd of people or in front of lots of strangers. it is difficult to control panic attacks and i would usually have a shortness of breath when it happens.
April 16th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
This is world and we are not safe from trouble as we will in heven. Anything can be happened anytime anywhere. Nobody knows what will going to be happened in the next hour of his/her life. Though all of us at least have an expectation from the time or the future, sometimes reality goes far away from our expectation. And when things go out of our control, panick attack may be formed on human brain. You should try to be ready for everything. Just this kind of feeling may let you pass some toughest time of your life as most of the time panic attack comes when reality goes beyond our imagination . True fear may comes in anyway, remain active and analyze the situation wisely. Be confident, boost you mental power, believe that you can handle.
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:57 pm
I have had anxiety since I was 19yrs old. Now I’m 27 yrs old. I started having them on a regular basis about 6 months ago. It seems like a jail or something I’m stuck in. I have tried all sorts of anti depressants & little things to help me & non are really kicking them completely out. Why? How can I control this? I feel my heart pounding & racing & I feel so out of control. Its such a wierd feeling. Excersize used to help not I start to panic during excersize because my heart races & I freak completely! Any advice??? Thanks…
September 20th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
My dad had anxiety too. I learned so many thinks from the article. Thank you.
October 10th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
[…] : Energize.comHow to Handles Stress and Anxiety: Exercise! — Strengthen Your Mind Mental FitnessThe Anxiety/Panic Attack JournalHow To Minimize Abdomen Flab and Stay Refreshed and EnergeticThe Anxiety/Panic Attack […]
October 31st, 2011 at 8:17 am
have had anxiety since I was 19yrs old. Now I’m 27 yrs old. I started having them on a regular basis about 6 months ago. It seems like a jail or something I’m stuck in.
December 12th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
I have been suffering panic/anxiety attacks for about a year now. I will go long periods of time without having them and then I wake up in the middle of the night in a frenzy. Then they continue for weeks. I’m still learning from them, as is my doctor, who is trying to draw a line between adrenaline and anxiety. I’m full of theories I guess but I do find that when I feel the big one coming on, I put on some sweats and tennis shoes and go for a vigorous walk. It does help immensely. I just turned 50, I’m about 75 pounds overweight and I have hypertension controlled pretty well with meds. I take lorazapam for the anxiety when needed. I sometimes take Zolpedim at night to help me sleep. I agree with the responder above, it feels like a prison when you can’t shake them. Any advice or anything is very much appreciated.
GOD BLESS!