DOES WALKING HELP IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
Depression is a serious mental illness marked by such symptoms as
feelings of hopelessness, restlessness, irritability, and fatigue. When you have
depression or anxiety, exercise is often the last thing on your mind. Walking
is the cheapest and easiest way to get relief from depression. John Arden,
Director of Training for Mental Health at Kaiser Permanente, explains how
walking can be an immediate anti-depressant--without the bad side effects of
medication. Walking increases endorphin production and neuron development,
helping to reduce depression and anxiety and aids in weight loss. Studies have
shown that patients who walk regularly have a 40% better remission rate of
depression.
According to the Mayo Clinic, something as simple as walking can be
a natural remedy for anxiety, panic, and depression. Walking can be a great
overall mood enhancer and a number of other benefits such as helping the body
release endorphins which can serve as a mood elevator. It also helps
stabilize mood.
“Researchers
analyzed the results of 40 randomized clinical trials involving nearly 3,000
patients with a variety of medical conditions. They found that, on average,
patients who exercised regularly reported a 20 percent reduction in anxiety
symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.‘
How Does Exercise Reduce Anxiety?
Neurotransmitters
are important chemicals that transmit signals throughout the nervous system.
During physical exertion, neurotransmitters known as endorphins are released.
These neurotransmitters decrease pain and cause feelings of euphoria, among
other functions. The endorphins released during walking and other types of
exercise contribute to a physiological response and feelings of happiness.
Exercise
also diverts your attention from the issues causing your anxiety. It is a
simple fact when you are engaged in an activity like walking or swimming you
are focusing on the task and on your body’s movements. Walking outside forces
you to pay attention to your surroundings in order to remain safe, but even
something as easy as stretching in the park allows you to take in the sights,
sounds and smells around you. With all of this going on, you forget about what
was worrying you in the first place.
Here Are
10 Reasons For You To Use Walking As A Natural Remedy For Anxiety:
·
Walking doesn’t
cost you any money.
·
You don’t need
to learn any special technique to walk.
·
It doesn’t require
any special equipment.
· You can do walk at
any age. If you start walking now, it’s something you’ll likely be
able to keep up into your golden years and beyond.
·
Walking makes you
feel better.
·
Walking makes you
physically healthier too.
·
You can walk alone
or with others.
·
It’s a great routine.
·
It gives you
something to look forward to enjoying.
·
Your routine of
walking for anxiety, and walking in general, can serve as a great example to
others and improve their lives too. It can be a great motivation for others to
become physically active.
Mental
And Emotional Benefits Of Morning Walk To Reducing Stress And Anxiety
1. Elevate Your Mood to Start the Day
A brisk morning walk release endorphins and
endocannabinoids which are hormones that keep you happy and calm. Not only will
you feel less anxious and happier, but you'll laugh more too.
Whether you
are going to your office or doing some everyday jobs at home, waking up early
and starting your day with a morning walk will surely energize you and get you
in the mood to start the day. So, next time, instead of jumping out of the bed
and hurrying off to work, start the day early with an easy morning walk.
2. It Freshens Up Your Mind
This is
actually one of the best benefits of a morning walk. Whether you had a good
night’s sleep or not, waking up for a morning walk is guaranteed to help you
start the day with a fresh mind. The morning sun and cool air will boost your
mood and prevent stress from setting in before all the worries of the day
begin. Walking and enjoying the morning fresh air and scenery, bound to make
you forget all your stress or anxiety.
The mental
and emotional benefits of morning walk include reducing stress by increasing
your body’s production of 'feel good' neurotransmitters serotonin and
norepinephrine. To achieve this, try to walk briskly until you feel sweaty.
Physical exertion helps release brain chemicals that help reduce anxiety – an effect that is better than all the anti-depressant pills.
Waling for
30 or more minutes a day can help reduce signs of depression. The endorphins
that are released help lift your mood and running also reduces kynurenine.
Kynurenine is an amino acid that has been linked to causing depression.
5. Improves Brain
Function And Make You Smarter
A good memory helps to reduce stress; as
memory is essential to remember, recall and analyses informations properly and
do work smoothly in a less stressful way. Walking can help reduce your risk of
some brain diseases, especially those related to memory. When you walk, your
brain has to work hard from the body's demand to be proprioceptive and tactile.
Exercise increases your heart rate which
gets the blood flowing to your brain, thus keeping your memory sharp. Regular
morning walkers have the ability to process information and remember direction
or instruction much better than those who don't walk.
6. Walk to Unleash
Your Creativity
Walking in
open-air can also open up your creativity to generate new
ideas. Whether it’s something related to a project you’re working
on, or even a problem or something that’s been bothering you. You will
probably have moments of clarity where the solution to a problem just seems to
come to you while you are walking. I think that it can be a great
way to unleash your creative side for a variety of things.
7.
You Get Some Time to Plan Your Day
Plan around the things you find stressful to lessen the effects of stress. The best time to plan your day is
when your mind is clear and you feel good physically. You can do this while
taking your morning walk. It helps you think clearly during the day. It gives
you time to be alone with your thoughts before all the chaos of the day begins. Regular
physical activity also allows you to develop a sense of confidence as you
achieve your goals.
So instead
of rushing to work with no clear sense of direction on how to conduct the
affairs of the day, take a few minutes to walk in the morning and layout in
your mind which tasks you must prioritize. You will be surprised how well your
activities may go on smoothly with a little planning in the morning.
8. Walking Prevents Mental Deterioration
Studies
suggest that one long-term benefit of walking regularly in the morning is that
it helps prevent mental deterioration as you age. Dementia is common in the
elderly, but studies show that regular exercise, such as walking reduces your
risk of the disease and helps preserve your brain function as you age.
9. Walking Helps You Socialize
Try to build
up an association or community with like-minded people while walking. Walking
becomes more energizing and fun if you do it with a friend, a family member, or
a group of people. This can help you keep up the habit of getting regular
exercise and can give you the chance to socialize before starting a long day at
work. Socializing is the key to develop your
support networks that will help you to feel understood, competent and
nurtured. Sometimes just expressing your feelings helps lower your stress.
Whether you are with a group of friends, you are bound to forget any feelings
of loneliness or anxiety when the “feel good” hormones kick in.
Yes, walking
helps you start the day right and end it right as well. A regular habit of morning
walk helps you get a good night’s sleep. Walking exercises the body while
relaxing the mind. With a properly functioning circulatory system, strong
muscles, and a positive attitude, it is easy to see why you will undoubtedly get a
good quality sleep every night. Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep makes
symptoms of depression and anxiety worse, and can actually create a vicious
cycle: you are stressed, so you don’t sleep, you don’t sleep and you feel more
stress.
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