Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts

We’ve heard it a million times.

The idea of working out to improve your mental health has been around for a long time. Some people just engage with the idea in a way that isn’t working for them. When I encourage somebody to exercise to calm anxious thoughts I specify that the movement does not need to be strenuous. You can stretch, walk down the street, do some yoga. Slow movement can also have a positive impact on your mental health.

I encouraged people to move their body as a way to connect with the present moment. If we can connect with the here and now we can pull ourselves out of our head and into the reality of the moment. Sometimes its easy to fall into the overthinking trap and think about all of the possibilities. I encourage people to begin by identifying when they are anxious and labeling those thoughts as just that “these are anxious thoughts”. After that you can choose how to engage with those thoughts. Do you want to sit and think about it some more or do you want to take a break and regulate yourself through movement, brain engagement or another preferred activity.

Some people like to run, others like to hike, and some go to the gym or stretch. There is not a one size fits all answer to dealing with anxious thoughts, we all do it differently. Find what works for you and do that!