The world is an unstable place. Whether it’s politics, your career or the appropriate length for jeans — the ground is constantly shifting. And if the world feels unstable long enough, your mind and body can enter a perpetual state of high alert.
The psychological experience of this anxiety can result in physicals symptoms: a racing heart rate, higher blood pressure and shallower breathing, for example. And while some tools like cognitive behavioral therapy can be useful for treating the mind, there are others that start with the body and help the mind to follow.
“Strengthening the connection between the body and the mind is a two-way street,” said Cassandra Vieten, a clinical professor of psychology and director of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of California, San Diego. Just as your thoughts can influence your body, moving your body can influence your thoughts. It’s like “reverse engineering your mindfulness,” she added.
In recent years, a small but growing number of fitness and mental health professionals have tried find specific movements that can lower your stress level on demand. Unlike conventional workouts, the goal isn’t to get your heart rate up, but down, allowing you to emerge feeling emotionally stronger and more resilient, regardless of your fitness level.
These anti-anxiety routines go by many names — somatic movement, embodied exercise or even yoga therapy — but generally fall under the umbrella of mindful movement. Formal research into which moves might be most effective is still nascent. But most are low-commitment, low-impact and low-intensity.
With this in mind, the Times enlisted the help of Erica Hornthal, a dance and movement therapist based in Chicago, along with a handful of other anti-anxiety exercise experts, to help create an seven-minute workout of fundamental calm-inducing movements to add to your mental health tool kit.