Today anxiety is one of the most common problem due to the stress in our day to day life, and it is mostly observed in adults. So, here we will tell you about some physical activities for anxiety disorder for adults.
Just as we pay attention to our physical health and do physical activities to keep it right, exercise or physical activities is also necessary for mental health or anxiety disorder for adults. But because of our busy schedule, most of the people are unable to concentrate on their mental state and then they become victims of mental illnesses especially anxiety and depression.
This is really a horrible thing. You should know that the mental state and the physical condition together make you healthy. But most of the people do not exercise to keep their mental health stable, they are only engaged in physically fitness.
A study conducted by the Australian team in 2017 found that only one hour of physical activity every week could also reduce depression by 12 per cent.(1)
What activities or exercise should be done to improve mental health for adults? We will tell you about it, in this article. Through which you can improve your mental health by incorporating them in your daily routine.
However, these exercises or activities can only work in the initial stage. If a person has a long-standing mental illness, he or she should contact an expert.
In 2018, a survey was conducted on the mental health status of people across India and the attitudes of the people in this regard, which was called “How India Perceives Mental Health: TLLLF National Survey Report 2018”.(2)
According to the World Health Organization report on mental health in 2018, the top three depressed countries are US, China and India. Talking about India, 1 out of every 5 people have been affected by depression, with about 38 per cent of women.(3)
Best Physical Activities For Anxiety Disorder For Adults.
Walking.
Regular walking enhance your mood and also provide a lot of positive effects on your mental as well as overall health.
According to a research, walking is a low intensity aerobic activity, thereby it brings positive thoughts to your mind and increase alertness.(4) If you do a slow walk or brisk walk three days a week, you can get a very good result.
Yoga.
Yoga and pranayama not only improve your fitness level but also put positive effects on the brain. This has been proved in many research. Many people and celebs also resort to yoga when they are suffering from tension or a mental illness.
Several research also proved that yoga is a drug of many diseases.(5) So, it is one of the effective activities for anxiety for adults. Some effective yoga poses are;
- Bhastrika Pranayama.
- Anulom Vilom Pranayama.
- Surya Namaskar.
- Kapalbhati.
Swimming.
Swimming is a whole body workout. It improve your entire body and cardiovascular system. A lot of calories are burned while doing this.
According to a study, people who are suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) followed the swimming program for 20 weeks had significantly reduced body pain.(6) At the same time, symptoms such as fatigue and depression of these people were also significantly reduced. Swimming daily or on alternating days has many health benefits such as;
- Enhance mood.
- Enhance Self-stream.
- Reduces the risk of depression.
- Reduce Dementia.
- Provide Better sleep.
- Reduce stress.
If a person of 72 kg floats at a medium speed, he can burn about 423 calories in an hour.
Cycling.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults should do moderate Intensity Activity 150 minutes per week.(7)
Cycling is a medium intensity exercise that can heal your mood and keep you active. If you are cycling in the morning, it can be even more effective for you.
Dance.
Everyone likes to dance, whether it is a friend’s procession, a party or any function. Dancing is a medium intensity workout. It provides positive mental health effects. At the same time, group dancing can connect you to others, so it is also a very good physical activity.
Mood-Improving Chemical is released while dancing which gives you a lot of happiness. It also reduce many mental health related problems.
According to a study in 2007, in addition to promoting energy and mood, hip-hop dance also reduces stress.(8)
How to Start.
Choose the activity you like most or many years ago you used to do them wholeheartedly. But the work and responsibilities do not allow you to do so.
So now choose the same thing as fitness activity, because this activity is of your choice and you will be excited to do it yourself. Such activity can be walk, running, rope jumping or any sport like badminton and football.
- Do not choose very tiring activity and gradually increase it. In this way, your body will not be under pressure at all and the body will gradually be ready for hard work.
- Treat this activity as a part of your routine, as there are many other essential things, such as going to office or worshipping etc.
- If you write the whole day’s work in a diary, also write the exercise in it. To be sure, it will help you to make exercise an important part of your life.
- It may not be easy for you to spare time for fitness in specific time. But don’t forget that you have a clean canvas of all the day.
But do you know that you will not need to take out a separate time for exercise and can do it along with your daily life activities. But how will it be? You just have to do the necessary work of the day in a different way. Like –
- Put a lot of time in the morning to read the newspaper and watering the plants in your home or terrace. Your body will definitely work a little bit in pouring water, cutting leaves and then taking care of the rest.
- Cleaning the house can also help you. If nothing, maintain your room and make your responsibility.
- Go to buy house hold goods, try to go through a bicycle.
- Clean your car once a week.
- Instead of ordering water to the office, it can also become a part of your fitness activity on the right to get up and drink water.
- Don’t sit for hours and keep working, but you must get up and walk a little.
- Use stairs.
What the Study Says About the Activities for Anxiety for Adults?
A study on 1.2 million people in the USA proved that people who are engage in physical activity are less affected by mental illnesses than those who do not. In this study, people felt that even though the duration of exercise was short, it definitely benefited the mental health somewhere.(9)
Frequently Asked Questions.
1. What are the exercise for anxiety and depression?
The exercise for anxiety and depression are:
- Jogging.
- Walking.
- Anulom vilom.
- Kapalbhati.
- Deep breathing exercise.
- Running.
Bottom Line.
Hope, now you have understood how physical activities can reduce anxiety disorder in the adult and improve mental health. If your condition is not improved due to the above mentioned exercise, then you should consult an expert.
Exercise by rule is not just a matter of all. But one alone these rules gives you many health benefits. These benefits are different, along with the physical benefits, now it needs to understood mental benefits of exercise.
+9 Sources
Freaktofit has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, educational research institutes, and medical organizations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and up-to-date by reading our editorial policy.
- One hour of exercise a week can prevent depression; https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171003093953.htm
- The Conversation: Understanding Young Women’s Childhood and its Impact on Mental Health at the University Counselling Centre; https://al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/jhsss/article/download/284/266/544
- Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders; https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/254610/WHO-MSD-MER-2017.2-eng.pdf
- The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5928534/
- Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/
- Hydrotherapy for the Treatment of Pain in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138085/
- How much physical activity do adults need?; https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
- DANCING TO RESIST, REDUCE AND ESCAPE STRESS; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334281938_DANCING_TO_RESIST_REDUCE_AND_ESCAPE_STRESS
- Exercise linked to improved mental health, but more may not always be better; https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180808193656.htm