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©ptsdinfo.net 2006
| Anxiety Management Exercise |
| There's no doubt that exercise can improve the symptoms of anxiety, as well as improving your health generally. It's not a cure in itself, but you'll feel better if you can work some exercise into your life. The ideal that's recommended is 20 or 30 minutes 3 times a week. But if you can't manage that, or if it's just too intimidating, you could try 10 minutes a couple of times a week. Any exercise at all is better than none - nothing is wasted. You'll find that aches and pains might disappear - lack of movement can stress parts of the body. |
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| What Kind of Exercise? Any kind of movement is good. If you are anxious or depressed, you might not feel like getting into exercise clothes - sometimes getting changed uses up all the energy that you thought you had. Let it be whatever it is for you. Don't be a perfectionist - just start from wherever you are. If you can get yourself out the front door, walk to the corner and back. If you're indoors, you might try to be standing more often - in itself, standing makes for a higher metabolic rate than sitting. Or maybe get up and high-step through commercials. |
| The Power of Stretching Stretching is not just for warming up or cooling down. It is also a form of exercise. Yoga is a good example. Do you have a cat or a dog? Did you ever notice that they stretch almost all the time? Try it - before you get up, stretch your body gently. Arch your back upwards like a cat or downwards like a dog. |
| Posture When you stand, check out your hands. Are your palms facing your hips (which is good) or are they facing the wall behind you (not so good). Sometimes people who are anxious tend to curl their bodies inwards, in a sort of protective mode. Unfortunately, this presses in on your lungs and makes off-kilter weighting throughout the body. It's a simple thing to fix - roll your shoulders back. You'll see that your hands automatically turn to face your body. Be kind to yourself - doing this a few times a day will help. |
When you press Go on a microwave, use those seconds for a stretch or a posture adjustment. It's amazing what you can accomplish in 90 seconds or less! |
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