What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
For people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a condition in which people feel excessively worried about life factors such as health, money, or family problems, it can be difficult to manage their stress. Anxiety can exacerbate the ability to receive therapy due to the cost or stigma. There are many treatment options, many of which are proven to be very effective, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, yoga, and stress education.
A study by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says...
They support the statement that Kundalini yoga is beneficial for people with GAD. Kundalini yoga is a combination of breath, movement, and sound that has a positive impact on one’s physical and psychological well-being. Over 200 adults participated in 3 different intervention methods: Kundalini yoga, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and a stress education intervention. The yoga intervention included breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, and meditation practices, while stress education intervention included lectures on the effects of stress and lifestyle behaviors. All 3 methods had small group sessions along with daily homework.
How effective are different treatment options?
After 12 weeks, the study evaluated participants to see how they had responded to treatment, according to the “Clinical Global Impression-Improvement Scale.” The yoga and CBT intervention methods were the most effective, as 54% of yoga participants and 71% of CBT participants responded to treatment. For the stress education method, only 33% had responded to treatment. After six months the kundalini yoga participants saw more improvements than the CBT group. Researchers conclude that yoga is a “more easily accessible intervention” because of increasing costs of health care and barriers to accessing mental health professionals.
Try Vikara Village’s Body Love Yoga program, an online yoga class to help practice yoga and mindfulness. Sign up for Body Love Yoga!
Alternatively, follow a Yoga class or a Guided Meditation in our Calm Corner. Try Meditation in our Calm Corner! Source from the National Institute of Health