The Body – Mind Connection
What if I told you that there might be a connection between your anxiety and your body? Sometimes anxiety can manifest in the body as physical aches and pains. It also can show up as stiff muscles, tension headaches, and exhaustion. The good news is there is a way you can help your anxiety and your body at the same time – through exercise!
It’s understandable if the gym is not your thing, or you feel that you never have enough time in your week. Many people hate going to gyms and do not like getting their sweat on. What if you could still exercise without getting sweaty, and get it done in 30 minutes? Even 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day can uplift your mood, decrease your anxiety symptoms, and make you healthier! The body and mind work together, so you must work both to feel better.
Here are some quick facts about exercise and mental health:
- Endorphins: Endorphins are the happy chemical in your body that cause a pleasure response. Your body releases endorphins with simple aerobic exercises. This could be walking, jogging, yoga, dancing, biking, or palates, for example.
- Quality of sleep: Exercise not only helps during the day, but the benefit continues at night when you go to bed. 30 minutes of exercise a day can help you to have a better night’s sleep. Many people experience anxiety symptoms with lack of adequate sleep.
- Blood Circulation: Exercise increases blood circulation throughout your body. This can help you to feel more awake. It also lowers blood pressure and increases oxygen throughout your body. It can also help if you suffer from inflammation or other illness.
- Distraction: Exercise is also a good distraction from your worries. Many find that while exercising they are distracted from their worries. They focus on nature, the music they are listening to, or their own breathing and heart rate.
- A Feeling of Accomplishment: Sometimes anxiety causes people to think they can’t do something. It may trick their brains into thinking they are lazy, or of low self-worth. These thoughts are not true. After exercising many report feeling better about themselves. They feel good that they used their time to achieve new goals for themselves.
- Better Health: Exercise has many benefits to the brain, but also keeps the entire body healthier. In the winter months, flu and other cold viruses tend to become on the rise. With a good diet and exercise, you can keep yourself healthy. Your body will thank you for the 30 minutes a day you dedicated to support your immune system and metabolism. A healthy body equals a healthy mind!
Begin
If you are feeling lost with where to start with exercising, try putting on a pair of headphones with your favorite tunes and begin walking. Walking can help you to use good self-reflection and be in tune with your body. Be encouraged to use deep breathing on your walks, and tap into your senses. As you walk, observe what you smell, see, and hear. Notice the small things like a butterfly fluttering by, or how the wind sweeps up against your arm.
If it is rainy out, get yourself a yoga mat or a comfortable rug to lay on, and visit YouTube for yoga or meditation videos to follow along at home. It is a quick and free resource for you to use before your day starts, or even at the end of your day, whichever works best.
A Few Final Tips
Remember to not be hard on yourself because sometimes it is hard to start a new routine. Be encouraged once you start even with 10 minutes a day. The way you will feel afterward will keep you coming back for more. Use good time management and self-care to block out these few minutes a day to focus on your physical health. Consider journaling your experience before and after your walks. This will help you to track your goals and to use good self-reflection. For more information, see Exercise for Mental Health.
