Best Exercises for Those Suffering From Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are real and something many people experience regularly. Most have ways of dealing with it, but if you experience constant fear, worry, or panic, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. 

An anxiety disorder can lead to depression, substance abuse, broken relationships at home and at work, or worse. The good news is that they’re very treatable, and there are some exercises that can help you tackle this condition. 

At Revîv Functional Psychiatry & TMS Wellness Center in Fullerton, California, we treat all of our patients as individuals. This means a full and thorough evaluation from Hina Sidhu, MD to determine your specific anxieties and triggers. Dr. Sidhu will create a unique plan using the biopsychosocial model (societal to molecular) to overcome your issues and concerns. 

Types of anxiety disorders

In regards to mental illness, anxiety disorders are among the most common and affect over 18% of the population of the United States. That’s over 40 million adults over the age of 18, but frustratingly, less than 37% of them get treatment. While these disorders are highly treatable, many people aren’t getting the help they need.

While there are many types of anxiety disorders, there are five major ones: 

• Generalized anxiety disorder  
• Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Panic disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Social anxiety disorder, including phobias and fears

The best exercises to deal with anxiety

Dr. Sidhu uses a fully integrative approach, including medication and psychotherapy. Her plan will include sessions together, and also specific exercises when you’re alone. Using these important tools can make a huge difference and must be put into practice. 

Breathing or counting

There are many wonderful and specific breathing exercises, but simply done this involves nothing more than sitting still and breathing deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth. 

If you do this slowly and are truly focused, you’ll be relaxed after several rounds. You can also let yourself breathe normally and just count. 

Mindfulness

This is a word that gets thrown around a lot lately, and it has many different elements to it. But the bottom line is being in the present moment, mindful, and aware of everything around you, as well as the things that are going on inside your body and mind. And of course, accepting and being okay with these things in a nonjudgmental way. 

Just sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, and let it all go. 

Meditation

While there’s definitely an overlap to many of these exercises, and mindfulness and meditation are often lumped together, meditation is another specific tool that has so many different styles and techniques. The key is to find what works for you, but the goal is the same -- to quiet the mind. You can do this on your own, though a recorded guided meditation might be a good place to start and learn from if you’re a novice. 

Visualization

Think about what makes you happy. This could be a person, a place, or really anything. Whatever it is that makes you feel calm, happy, and safe is going to be a great way to counterbalance any anxiety you’re feeling. Keep this image handy in your mind so that when a trigger is released, you have this right there, too. 

These are just a few of the best exercises for those suffering from anxiety, and Dr. Sidhu provides you with all of these, as well as the best treatments to deal with your anxiety disorder head-on. 

At Revîv Functional Psychiatry & TMS Wellness Center, our entire staff is dedicated to getting you get the help you need. Suffering is no good for anyone, and neither is silence. Don’t wait or ignore your anxiety issues any longer -- call us or book online right here.