Social Anxiety Disorder May Be Treatable With Lifestyle Changes

People who view the world around them as threatening suffer from anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive, and panic disorders. They are usually treated with medications or psychotherapy. But new Canadian research shows that exercise and relaxation activities can change the way people perceive the world so that they find it less threatening and less negative. For the study, participants diagnosed with anxiety disorders who either walked or jogged on a treadmill for ten minutes, or performed progressive muscle relaxation (yoga), focused less on anxiety-inducing things, breaking the cycle of anxiety-fostering behavior.