Introduction
Anxiety represents a condition that can aggravate the regular life of a person. In such a state, people may feel uneasiness, fear, or even dread. On the one hand, anxiety can serve as a coping reaction to stress and is normal when it does not last long. For instance, students can experience anxiety before exams, or an individual can feel anxious before making a life-changing decision. On the other hand, when anxiety does not disappear, worsens over time, and impedes daily activities, it means the development of anxiety disorders in the form of generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder. These conditions are characterized by the inability to control disturbing thoughts and physical signs, namely increased heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and so further. Since people with anxiety disorders need to mitigate their symptoms, it is crucial to examine whether physical exercises can help them manage their condition better.
Effective exercises
The review of the literature generally demonstrates the significant effects of exercise in alleviating the symptoms of anxiety. For instance, Herbert et al. (2020) examined how short-term aerobic interventions help students reduce anxiety and found that these activities positively contribute to mitigating stress and depression. Similarly, Mikkelsen et al. (2017) have confirmed the effectiveness of physical exercises for mood disorders. Notably, in the course of their study, the authors have found that activities focused on cardiorespiratory conditioning and aerobic exercises prove to have a positive influence on anxiety, stress, and depression (Mikkelsen et al., 2017). Although there is less literature on the impact of non-aerobic exercises, including yoga or swimming, they can also minimize anger, tension, and confusion. Here, one may suggest that the type of physical activities may not play a significant role because any activity has been found to serve as a mitigator of symptoms of anxiety.
Types of Exercises
Nevertheless, the views on the kind of physical activities become divided. Aylett et al. (2018), who performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials, also concluded that physical exercises can help to overcome anxiety. However, they emphasized the importance of intensive exercise programs as a favorable treatment option for the condition (Aylett et al., 2018). Luan et al. (2019) have approached the issue more thoroughly and investigated the effect of exercises within the context of various diseases, including anxiety. It has been found that aerobic, home-based, and resistance exercises represent powerful interventions for managing anxiety. For instance, walking, cycling, or Tai Chi at moderate intensity can even be utilized as a temporary alternative option instead of psychotherapy. Home-based exercises improve the metabolic index in anxiety patients, and resistance exercises alleviate symptoms of general anxiety disorder. Given the findings, it is possible to assume that exercises should be selected individually, according to the needs of patients having anxiety.
Research Questions and Survey Methods
The literature reviewed above provides the fundamental background to the current study. One research question is about the duration of exercises to help with anxiety. Another question says: “What type of exercise is best to help reduce anxiety?”. Fifteen people aged 18-65 years who exercised in the past but currently abandoned this practice represent the participants of the research. The participants have to fill out a smartphone-based questionnaire that will help reveal whether their condition has improved. The survey bears self-report characteristics and focuses on finding how daily physical exercises contribute to minimizing anxiety. The questionnaire was developed using the Rated Perceived Exertion scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale to investigate “exercise” and “anxiety” variables, respectively. This approach facilitates distinguishing and analyzing individual reports and drawing conclusions regarding the types of the most suitable exercises to alleviate anxiety symptoms.
Results, Limitations, and Questions for the Future
The results have shown that 40% of participants experience anxiety once a week or more. The anxiety triggers appeared to be various, and part of them are more related to daily life challenges and do not reveal any pathology, namely workload, stress, hunger, and so forth. Another part is attributed to genetics, fear of losing loved ones, thoughts about diseases and viruses, and other triggers that raise concerns about further examination by physicians and diagnosing a possible condition. Most participants (73.3%) lead an active lifestyle and have practiced mainly walking, jogging, and cycling. Almost half of the participants (46.7%) report their condition as good. The limitation here is the small number of participants and open-ended questions in the questionnaire, complicating the identification of clear patterns and relationships. In the future, one needs to focus on patients diagnosed with anxiety and investigate the types of exercises they do to improve their condition.
Conclusion
Finally, anxiety is a condition that must be appropriately managed through psychological interventions and physical exercises. Although these activities are proven effective in improving anxiety symptoms, one needs to adjust exercise intervention programs according to the individual state and needs. The current study has demonstrated that physical exercises such as walking, jogging, or cycling have positively impacted the symptoms of participants. However, the main limitation was the small number of participants, making it challenging to identify whether the mentioned activities would suit a wider group of people suffering from anxiety. Moreover, some findings suggested that people may experience stress rather than pathological anxiety. For further studies, it would be essential to examine the greater number of patients diagnosed with anxiety and identify what types of exercises helped them to alleviate the symptoms.
References
Aylett, E., Small, N., & Bower, P. (2018). Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice – a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). Web.
Herbert, C., Meixner, F., Wiebking, C., & Gilg, V. (2020). Regular physical activity, short-term exercise, mental health, and well-being among university students: the results of an online and a laboratory Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(509). Web.
Luan, X., Tian, X., Zhang, H., Huang, R., Li, N., Chen, P., & Wang, R. (2019). Exercise as a prescription for patients with various diseases. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8(5), pp. 422–441. Web.
Mikkelsen, K., Stojanovska, L., Polenakovic, M., Bosevski, M., & Apostolopoulos, V. (2017). Exercise and mental health. Maturitas, 106, 48–56. Web.