Taking Up Exercise
Physical exercise can be crucial for those who struggle with relaxation due to past trauma or anxiety.
Physical exercise is especially important if you ever adopted a freeze response during violence or abuse or find it hard to relax. Relaxing can feel like giving up control and submitting, as you had to during the violence or abuse, and can make you feel even more vulnerable. If you find it hard to relax, or if it increases your anxiety, then physical exercise may be a better choice for you. In contrast to relaxation, physical exercise involves tensing your muscles to give you a sense of being in control and in charge of your body.
