Exercise: An Alternative Solution For Reducing Experiential Avoidance

Anxiety disorders are a growing problem in the US as they are one of the most common mental illnesses and cost the economy billions for treatment. An alternative to current methods may be to target anxiety vulnerability factors through the incorporation of exercise. By completing the recommended duration of at least 150 minutes of exercise per week for adults, an individual can improve his or her physical and psychological health. Though several studies report the effectiveness of exercise in lowering anxiety sensitivity (i.e., the fear of anxiety-related symptoms), there’s little to no research on other well-known vulnerability factors, such as experiential avoidance (i.e., control and/or avoidance of aversive stimuli). The purpose of this study is to see if engaging in exercise reduces the effects of experiential avoidance in adults who experience high levels of AS. Twenty-three participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (exercise vs. rest) and had their AAQ-II scores measured at three different times throughout this study (pre, post and follow-up). The results of this study found that there was a significant decrease in AAQ-II scores between the exercise and rest condition from pre to post, with the exercise condition reporting lower levels of EA.