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Anxiety And Exercise
Blog | November 16, 2018
My mindset in my younger years is different than how it is today. First of all, back then I thought that when I’d turn older, I’d be ancient, but also very wise, calm and s hundred times more confident and totally worry-free. While I don’t feel ancient, I’m not as stress-free as I thought I’d be.
Stress and anxiety are normal parts of life, just like joy and happiness. The world is full of opposites, which I believe are necessary to create balance and also meaning. What would happiness mean to you if you never experienced sadness, stress, anxiety, or any other negative emotion? Negative emotions are not necessarily bad. They guide us, teach us and protect us. You can learn a lot about yourself from your negative emotions… however, they can become a problem if they persist, creating a negative emotional imbalance resulting in stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic anxiety disorders.
I had gone through major anxiety after I turned 30 and sought out professional help for the first time in my life. Anxiety can be triggered by numerous factors and combinations including:
- Genetics
- Brain Chemistry
- Substance Abuse
- Lack of Movement/ Activity
- Medical Issues
However, it’s common for stress to build up as a result of simply getting older. It gets made up of major life changes, losses, and health problems. In my case, it was just a stress build up over time by going through major changes like divorce, moving from country to country, loss of my blog, starting a new blog, change of work environment, and starting a new relationship.
Now I see the benefits of talking to someone who can help to sort things out in your head and work through your emotions. Personally, I am strongly against taking medications for depression and anxiety, even though I know people who had a good experience with them. I am not saying that medications are bad. My belief is that they would be bad for me. I have always been cheerful and positive minded person and I would feel like I am taking the cheap way out instead of facing the challenge and coping with it in a healthy and natural way.
There is no doubt that exercise has healing effects on anxiety and depression. Besides talking to my therapist every once in a while, exercise has been the number one go-to coping strategy for me. It has not been always easy to get myself motivated to exercise, especially when I’m feeling down, but once I get started, it always makes a huge difference. I get my mood elevated immediately after a few minutes into my training and feel amazing for hours afterward. The best benefits come from intense exercises that burn away stress hormones such as cortisol while improving the release of endorphins and neurotransmitters in the brain.
So the next time you’re dealing with the blues, or need to get over a funk, try kicking your butt with a short and sweet training session. Even a brisk walk outside can help. For further guidance and structure in your routine, consider signing up for the ZGYM.
Talking more often about exercise and the positive effects it has on anxiety is something I really want to do more on my blog, because anxiety and depression is something that has affected me, people that I am close to, and millions of Americans.
Share your insight, stories, advice, and opinions in the comments below. Looking forward to reading them.
Best,
Zuzka.
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Thank you so much Zuska life is hard,but not impossible to survive.Love you
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I have also suffered anxiety. I take natural remedies, like Bach Flower Remedies. Try them they are wonderful. Plus a diet consisting of mainly raw food.
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Thank you for sharing your story Suzana. I too have used exercises at several points in my life as a means to cope with stress (e.g. when I was working in banking). Over the years, the way I exercise has changed: I no longer spend huge amounts of time in the gym. I like to pair your approach to interval training (so much more effective!) with more paced-down practices like yoga and Pilates (I trained as a Body Control Pilates teacher).
All in all, I believe that offers the perfect combination of cardio, strength training and relaxation.
Thanks for keeping up your excellent work!
Best,
Elsa Alexandra
http://facebook.com/elsa.rocha1
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I cannot tell you how much exercise has helped me cope with absolute catastrophe in my life. I also turned 31 recently…I am not all where I had imagined I would be when I was 20. This may seem extreme but I really don’t think I would have survived if it weren’t for these moments of absolute euphoria and deep meditation that my workouts provide me with. You, Zuzka, have become a solid part of this ritual and I have nothing but gratitude…
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Thank you for being so brave as to post this I suffer from depression and have just recently stopped my medication. I too want to do this the healthy way. I have been taking vitamins, working out and have switched to a vegetarian diet and it seems to be working pretty well. More people need to talk about mental illnesses. THank you again for posting this it helps the community connect and know that eachother are not alone.
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You are so right! Exercise has helped me with anxiety, bad mood, migraines and stress, and it’s all because I started doing your ZWOWS, also I changed my diet, and now I’m eating a lot of fresh foods. Thanks for your motivation! You really help us!!!
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Thank you. Thank you so much for your honesty. That’s what I love about you. I’ve felt so alone and even ashamed of my crippling anxiety. If you can admit it to your fans, I can talk to others about it too 😉
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I help people to solve their problems, but in Russia 🙂 It’s not an ad, cause I don’t earn any money with it. http://www.antivsd.org
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Zuzka, you have been such a huge inspiration for me, and my friends and family as well. Thank you for sharing your life, and positive energy with all of us. I just had a birthday as well, on the 25th of April I turned 30…we are Taurus! 🙂
Your workouts keep my moods and emotions steady, and your positive and beautiful attitude have kept me singing your praises to all who will hear me. 🙂 Thank you so much, I want to give you a huge hug – I live in Australia, but if I ever meet you, that’s exactly what I will do!!