Educate Yourself: Anxiety
- Johnna
- Aug 12, 2015
- 4 min read
As we enter August, the countdown begins before we head off back to school. The excitement is rising to be reunited with friends, weekends out on the town, and the dreaded begin of classes, which will essentially lead to a rapid rise in anxiety. Affecting over 40 million people in the United States today, anxiety disorder is more common than that, especially in the younger generations who are currently attending college.
What exactly is anxiety? Anxiety will often times feel like a cloud of impending doom is following the individual. Symptoms can include: nervousness, lack of sleep, shaking, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing/hyperventilating, feeling overly hot/cold, and chest pains. If an individual experiences long-term anxiety, it can take a toll on his or her physical health by weakening his or her immune system, leaving them more prone to infections and ailments. Every now and then, anxiety can lead to panic attacks where the brain releases fight or flight chemicals, doping the body with adrenaline essentially.
I myself deal with anxiety on a daily basis, and lately it feels as if it has been getting worse. But I understand the dark cloud that threatens to cut off the air at your throat; the feeling of the inability to breath correctly; the burning of the tears in the eyes as you struggle to fight back the overwhelming feeling of panic coming. And it also gets worse later into the night. It is not easy to overcome when panic attacks begin to take over your body and mind, but I find comfort in praying for strength to overcome it. My anxiety greatly escalated with my first semester of graduate school, and I know for a fact that the semester would have been much better if I had forced myself to go to the gym a little bit each day.
So how to deal with this anxiety?
One of the best ways to deal with anxiety during the school year would be to tackle that little place on the side of campus: the gym. It is a little intimidating, especially if an individual has never stepped foot in the gym before, but studies show that when the need to overcome anxiety arises, physical activity is the best kind of therapy!
Anxiety can be helpful in life and death situations. But in the case of self-induced anxiety, it can be a constant battle. Upon having an anxiety attack, the brain releases hormones, increasing your heart and breathing rate, making you feel unsettled and may even cause fear. Studies show that anxiety can be created due to a combination of nature and nurture; our bodies can even train themselves to induce anxiety due to continuous stressful situations.
So call in the physical activity.
Experiments have shown that when the body begins to move, chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the brain are released, typically causing the “feel good” attitude that follows during and after exercise. While your body is working, it is creating new neurons (the little things that give you feeling) and they begin to release more GABA neurotransmitters, which help in calming down and leading to that feel good after feeling.
In addition to releasing those awesome good feel chemicals, exercise also helps boost an individual’s immune system, as well as increase the body’s overall body temperature, which studies show helps in calming the body. Getting out and about is also considered a healthier option for defeating anxiety disorder, and it can do wonders for an individual’s self-esteem. Body confidence soars while conducting in physical activity on a continuous basis, and it is also a great tool in becoming more social. Often times, anxiety causes individuals to become more socially withdrawn; exercising in groups or even in the gym by his or herself is a fantastic way to get more involved and outside of the house.
This physical activity does not have to be vigorous; a simply light walk will do the trick. It is always suggested to try doing something that interests you, and you will most likely enjoy? Would rather play tennis rather than run on a treadmill? It’s still movement! So get to it! I personally hate running with a burning passion. Like seriously, who does that for fun (cough, Chrissy, cough). So instead, I’ll do the elliptical and strength training because I love doing minor lifting things. As of lately, my roommate and I have been going on long trail walks and hikes, and it actually feels fantastic to get outside and moving!
So when you find yourself worrying and carrying around that terrible pit in your stomach, maybe the best solution is to get yourself moving. Again, it may be hard at first, but it’s a much healthier solution to dealing with this anxiety in the long run. So get up, take a walk, and always remember to breath!
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