Best Exercises for Anxiety

Young woman practicing yoga in backyard — Getty Images

If you have anxiety, there may be times when the last thing you feel like doing is moving your body. But exercise can play a key role in managing your symptoms, thanks to the powerful link between your physical and mental health.

"We know that the old divisions of body and mind are false," said Ben Michaelis, PhD, an evolutionary clinical psychologist and author of Your Next Big Thing: 10 Small Steps to Get Moving and Get Happy. "When you take care of yourself, you are helping the whole system."

How Exercise Helps Ease Anxiety

Being active likely has both physical and mental effects that improve mood, per a 2021 review in Frontiers in Psychiatry.¹ There's evidence that exercise induces changes in a part of the brain that regulates the body's stress response. While exercise initially spikes levels of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine, the levels of those hormones drop after physical activity, which may lead to feelings of decreased stress.²

For people with a diagnosed anxiety disorder exercise may complement first-line treatments, like anti-anxiety medicines and cognitive behavioral therapy.³

While further research is needed, exercise might even be a way to prevent or treat anxiety disorders, per researchers in the 2020 book Physical Exercise for Human Health.⁴

The Best Exercises for Anxiety

Cardio
Interval training
Nature walks
Yoga

Adults may find that even small amounts of physical activity can immediate have an impact on anxiety symptoms.⁵ And while almost any kind of activity can be good for overall health, research suggests that these exercises, in particular, may alleviate anxiety symptoms.

Cardio

You don't have to be an elite athlete to glean mental health benefits from engaging in physical activity. Research suggests that any type of exercise that improves how well your heart and lungs deliver oxygen to your muscles during a workout can reduce anxiety. ⁶ And there are plenty of exercise options, from running, swimming, and biking to brisk walking.

One small study, reported in 2015 in the journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, examined the effects of a single bout of aerobic exercise on people with varying levels of anxiety. Researchers randomly assigned people to either an aerobics group who did 30 minutes of exercise or a control group who performed stretching exercises and measured their levels of anxiety before and immediately after exercise as well as three and seven days later. As predicted, people in the aerobic exercise group showed short-term reductions in anxiety sensitivity, while the control group did not.⁷

If running's your thing, that can be helpful too. "Running causes lasting changes in our 'feel good' neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, both during and after exercise," Michaelis said. Running may make it easier for you to fall asleep at night, he added. Sleep can benefit your overall mental health by boosting your mood, lowering stress, and helping you think more clearly.⁸

Michaelis noted that you should always consult your health care provider about your treatment options (and before you start an exercise program of any kind). Most adults should get 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity exercise a week, per government guidelines. More vigorous exercisers ought to log 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of activity per week.⁶

Interval Training

Some people with anxiety might want to try high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This type of exercise involves repeated bouts of high exertion followed by periods of recovery.⁹ In small studies, HIIT appears to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety.

Researchers in Spain recruited 67 otherwise healthy adults who were confined to their homes during a COVID-19 lockdown period to participate in a trial of home-based exercise. Volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two exercise groups: HIIT or moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Each group exercised for the same period of time: 40 minutes six days a week. After six weeks, each type of training resulted in reductions in anxiety and stress, according to study results published in 2021 in Frontiers in Psychology.¹⁰

Separately, researchers in Germany studied HIIT as a treatment for anxiety disorders. Their small trial compared high-intensity and lower-intensity training. A total of 33 people with generalized anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to one type of training or the other. Researchers measured participants' anxiety levels before and after the 12-week training period and again 30 days later. While both types of exercise appeared to reduce symptoms of anxiety, HIIT was about twice as effective, per their 2020 report in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.¹¹

Nature Walks

How about a dose of Mother Nature to ease anxious feelings? An expanding body of research suggests there may be therapeutic benefits to moving your body in natural settings, at least in the short term. "Nature has a calming effect on the mind," said Michaelis.

A 2015 study published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, for example, discovered that when young adults went on a 50-minute nature walk, they felt less anxious and had improved memory function.¹²

Some studies suggest that walking around in a lush, green environment, or "forest bathing," may help ease anxiety symptoms, per a 2021 review and analysis in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.¹³

Likewise, a review of 12 studies published from 2013 to 2020 finds nature walks can reduce "state anxiety." (That's the anxiety you feel in response to a perceived threat.¹⁴) However, the studies did not show the same benefit for people with generalized anxiety, according to the 2021 review in Sustainability.¹⁵

Yoga

Yoga is considered generally safe for most people and may be helpful for managing the anxious feelings that arise in difficult life situations, notes the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).¹⁶

While yoga may not replace first-line treatment for people with anxiety disorders, there's evidence that it may be an effective add-on.

A 2021 study in JAMA Psychiatry involved 226 adults with generalized anxiety disorder. People were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of Kundalini yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or stress management education (the control group). While CBT provided longer lasting benefits, both yoga and CBT improved anxiety symptoms, the authors noted.¹⁷

"The great thing about yoga is that besides the stretching and core strengthening, there is a tremendous focus on breathing, which helps to slow down and calm the mind," said Michaelis.

Whether you're looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to manage anxiety or want to add some movement to your current anxiety treatment routine, trying some exercise, be it vigorous or gentle, may offer some relief. Sore muscles aside, it won't hurt.

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