How Exercise Can Help Ease Anxiety: The Body-Brain Connection
Anxiety can feel like a weight that never lifts—a racing mind, a pounding heart, a body on high alert for danger that never comes. For many people, these symptoms are a daily struggle. Whether it’s chronic worry, social unease, or panic attacks, anxiety disrupts life. At Ballast Health and Wellness, we specialize in therapy for anxiety in Chevy Chase, and we often find that combining talk therapy with physical movement can be transformative.
One of the most accessible, scientifically backed tools for managing anxiety is exercise. While it’s not a cure-all, regular movement can play a critical role in calming the nervous system and improving mental health. In this blog post, we’ll explore the science behind why movement matters for anxiety, how it works in the body, and how to start your own anxiety-supportive movement plan.
How Does Anxiety Manifest?
Anxiety manifests in many ways: racing thoughts, sleep disturbances, digestive issues, chronic muscle tension, and irritability are common signs. Physically, anxiety is rooted in the autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic branch, which triggers the fight-or-flight response. This response, helpful in emergencies, becomes problematic when it activates in daily life.
Anxiety often leads to a dysregulated nervous system, where the body constantly misreads situations as threats. If you’ve ever felt sweaty, jittery, or had trouble breathing during a seemingly harmless event—like a social gathering or driving—you’ve experienced anxiety’s grip on the body.
This is where the body-brain connection becomes important.
How Exercise Impacts Anxiety Pathways in the Body
Exercise directly influences the brain pathways involved in anxiety. One of the most well-understood mechanisms is the effect of physical activity on neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which help regulate mood.
Research shows that aerobic exercise increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports the growth and resilience of neurons. BDNF helps the brain adapt to stress, making it a powerful tool in the fight against anxiety (Dishman et al., 2006).
Exercise also reduces systemic inflammation and regulates cortisol levels, both of which are often elevated in individuals with chronic anxiety (Stonerock et al., 2015). When you move your body, you're not just changing your physical health—you're literally rewiring your brain’s stress circuits.
At Ballast Health and Wellness, we integrate these understandings into our therapy for anxiety in Chevy Chase, especially when clients are open to holistic approaches.
How Exercise Helps Decrease Anxiety
Consistent movement helps the body find a rhythm. Here’s how:
Improved Regulation: Exercise improves heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of a flexible and resilient nervous system. Higher HRV is associated with better emotional regulation and lower anxiety.
Parasympathetic Activation: Movement that raises the heart rate temporarily helps the body later rebound into the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state more easily, enhancing relaxation over time.
Cognitive Distraction: Exercise redirects focus from anxious thoughts to bodily sensations, offering a break from mental spirals.
Sleep Improvement: Anxiety and sleep issues often go hand in hand. Studies show that exercise improves sleep quality, which in turn lowers anxiety.
Empowerment: Developing physical strength and endurance can increase self-efficacy, reducing feelings of helplessness that often accompany anxiety.
It’s no surprise that many clients who participate in therapy for anxiety in Chevy Chase begin to notice shifts more quickly when they integrate movement into their routine.
Why Exercise Sometimes Increases Anxiety: The Role of the Nervous System
It’s important to note that exercise doesn’t always feel good right away—and for some, it can initially increase anxiety. Why?
This can be explained in part by polyvagal theory, which maps how the vagus nerve regulates our physiological state. For those with a history of trauma or chronic anxiety, the sympathetic activation of intense exercise (e.g., racing heart, sweating) may mimic the physical sensations of panic or danger.
In polyvagal terms, someone may be stuck in a “dorsal vagal” freeze state and need slow, gentle reactivation (like yoga or walking) before they can tolerate more intense movement. Others may have a sensitive nervous system that overreacts to stimulation.
At Ballast Health and Wellness, we keep this in mind when designing treatment plans. Our therapy for anxiety in Chevy Chase often incorporates nervous-system-informed strategies so clients can find movement that supports rather than overwhelms.
How to Start a Movement Plan to Manage Anxiety
1. Start Small and Track Your Response
Begin with 5–10 minutes a day of walking, stretching, or gentle yoga. Notice how you feel during and after. The goal isn’t to push hard, but to build trust between your body and your nervous system.
2. Try Different Modalities
Yoga: Particularly helpful for improving vagal tone and interoception (awareness of internal states). Yin and Hatha styles are great for anxious systems.
CrossFit or HIIT: Higher intensity movement can be beneficial if your body responds well to structured challenge and needs an energy outlet.
Swimming, hiking, or dance: Rhythmic, full-body activities are grounding and often enjoyable.
Walking outdoors: Especially in nature, this provides movement plus calming visual and sensory input.
3. Consistency Over Intensity
It’s not about how hard you go—it’s about how regularly you move. 20–30 minutes of moderate movement, 3–5 times a week, is ideal.
4. Work with a Professional
Especially if you have a trauma history, working with a therapist who understands somatic responses is key. At Ballast Health and Wellness, our clinicians can help you build a plan that meets your nervous system where it is.
5. Talk to Your Doctor
Before beginning any exercise program, especially if you have a medical condition, consult with your physician to ensure safety.
Whole-Body Mental Health at Ballast Health and Wellness
At Ballast Health and Wellness, we believe that anxiety is not just “in your head”—it lives in your body too. That’s why our approach to therapy for anxiety in Chevy Chase integrates the latest research in neuroscience, trauma healing, and somatic therapies. We work with adolescents, young adults, and families to develop customized treatment plans that reflect the whole person.
In addition to traditional therapy, we offer adventure programs that allow clients to explore emotional growth through nature, movement, and challenge—offering a healing experience beyond the therapy room.
If you’re ready to explore therapy for anxiety in Chevy Chase with a team that understands the power of movement, regulation, and relationship, we’re here to help.
If you are in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, please know that help is available.
You can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, contact 911, or go to your nearest emergency room or hospital for immediate support. You are not alone, and there are people ready to help you 24/7.
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
Guszkowska, M. (2004). Effects of exercise on anxiety, depression and mood. Psychiatria Polska, 38(4), 611–620.
