179 - Anxiety and Relationships

Exercise

Physical exercise is a powerful tool for managing anxiety in relationships. Emily Matlack and Jase Lindgren discuss how exercise can increase serotonin production and balance hormone levels, which helps reduce stress and anxiety 1. Even simple activities like yoga poses or light stretching can be effective. Emily emphasizes that even minimal physical activity can lift your mood and alleviate anxiety 2.

The entry into some kind of physical activity can be very low. It can't just be throwing your legs up against the wall or just kind of like rolling around on the ground a little bit just to get you moving and getting your body and muscles activated a little bit.

--- Emily Matlack

Jase shares his personal experience of craving intense physical activity during anxious moments, highlighting the importance of finding what works for you 2.

   

Anxious Thoughts

Managing anxious thoughts involves techniques like rescheduling worry time and visualization. Jase Lindgren suggests scheduling specific times to worry, which can help you stay present in the moment 3. Writing down worries can also be a useful tactic. Emily adds that giving yourself a set time to be anxious can often lead to boredom and help break the cycle of anxiety 4.

Sometimes I'll just be like, okay, right now you have 20 minutes. Like, I'm gonna give myself 20 minutes to sit here and be anxious about this.

--- Emily Matlack

Jase also mentions the value of physical rituals, such as writing down worries and then discarding them, to symbolically let go of anxiety 5.