Using Movement to Reduce Anxiety

When I feel anxious, I tend to feel it in my stomach first. Something happens to make me feel anxious and my stomach clenches, drops, and I feel slightly nauseous. And often, I want to pace in an attempt to decrease those feelings. That does not always feel appropriate in work meetings, so I learned to “ignore” my stomach’s warnings, stayed seated, and did nothing to help my body cope.

Then I became ill and decided that I needed to make changes

I chose to take a break from my full-time job due to an increase in my diabetic numbers. My job as a manager at a residential treatment center during COVID had taken a toll on all aspects of my health and I decided that I would take some time off, regroup, and return at a later date.

While on medical leave, I began to walk. Why? Because I wanted to lose some weight and decrease my diabetic numbers. And so I began to walk about an hour each day – initially, it was more of a stroll, but eventually, I walked faster and faster, thoroughly enjoying being outside in the Fall weather.

While walking, I noticed that my stomach settled, my breathing became less stressed, and I felt more at peace. In keeping with this discovery, I began to use my walking time to pray.

Praying and Walking

My niece gave birth to Malakai around this time. He was a preemie and I began to use my walking time to pray in earnest for him, his mom, and his extended family. I noticed that as I walked and prayed, my anxiety decreased significantly.

This was for 3 reasons.

1. Regular physical movement releases “feel-good endorphins” that enhance our sense of well-being.
2. I found myself smiling, looking forward to being outside, and KNOWING that although I live 2 provinces away from my niece, my prayerful support of her was vital.
3. The more I prayed, and the more I gave my anxieties to the Lord, the more peaceful I felt.

I began walking as a way to support my physical health and discovered that there were mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits, as well. Moving my body felt good physically. It allowed me to think more clearly (all the breathing opened up the capillaries to my brain), it reduced my anxiety (feel-good hormones), and gave me time to be in nature, talking with the God of the universe.

Win-Win all around

Stay tuned for my next post on using your breathing to reduce anxiety. If you don’t have time to walk to reduce anxiety, you can simply breathe