Chill out or charge about? The anxiety elimination debate

If you’re stressed or anxious and admit to it, you will probably receive plenty of advice from friends, colleagues or maybe, you’re GP. Some will suggest taking some time off, a holiday perhaps, or a relaxing massage. Others will suggest yoga, meditation or mindfulness; something gentle. Or you may be advised to burn off your stress through physical activity such as running, a gym workout or Nordic walking. So who is right? Well, both strategies can be beneficial and a combination of approaches is most helpful.

Physical exercise can help reduce your anxiety, not just at the time, but later too. Regular exercise has been shown to do far more than provide stress relief, it can improve mood, self-esteem and increase our sense of overall wellbeing.  An exercise regime can help with sleep problems and insomnia too, though it’s not recommended that you exercise vigorously in the evening as this can be stimulating – ask anyone who goes to the gym before work. Exercise can be a distraction from unhelpful or negative thinking, especially if it’s exercise that needs speed or concentration; it’s nigh on impossible to fret about anything while jumping around in an exercise class, kick-boxing or playing footie. Distraction from, or interruption of, negative or catastrophic thoughts are strategies that therapists apply and recommend for managing and reducing anxious thinking. Exercise doesn’t need to be frantic to be beneficial though and research has shown that even a short walk can help reduce anxiety and stress.

So what about the passive approach - the relaxation route to becoming stress-free? Massage (especially Swedish massage or aromatherapy) can be very soothing and de-stressing, but as a qualified massage therapist, I know that the mental effects can be relatively short-lived; the physical effects last longer. Yoga classes can really help and many classes include some visualisation (which is self-hypnosis) or meditation. Mindfulness and meditation are becoming increasingly popular due to media coverage and celebrity endorsement. Meditation is not new and neither is mindfulness and both can be really helpful tools to help you stop that never ending head chatter. One myth about mindfulness is that it is a relaxation technique, but in truth it is more about acceptance than relaxation.

Of course you may want to seek some professional help to manage or eliminate your anxious feelings or behaviour. Some people choose the medical route and consult their GP and others prefer to work with a talking therapist / hypnotherapist such as myself. Whichever you do, the inclusion of exercise, relaxation and mindfulness will definitely have a positive impact on your mental and physical wellbeing.