Anxiety Vs Yoga

As life stressors continue to increase in everyday society, anxiety levels and generalized anxiety disorders also increase. In the United States, anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses and impacts over 40 million adults; as one in 10 Americans take antidepressants to treat this disorder, it is essential that individuals have other forms of treatments or modalities besides medications (ADAA, 2015). One modality that continually keeps growing in popularity for mental health is yoga. Therefore, determining if yoga could potentially improve individual’s anxiety levels could serve as another concrete beneficial form of treatment. First of all, anxiety is defined as a feeling that can be normal when reacting to specific life stressors and can allow individuals to cope with difficult situations. However, anxiety becomes a serious dilemma when it “frequently occurs, feels out of control, or causes you to avoid everyday situations” (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2010). Individuals suffering from chronic anxiety or possess anxiety disorders frequently suffer from intense, extreme, and consistent worry, irrational fears about everyday life which makes daily activities …show more content…
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been identified through research as of the most effective forms of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders; the reason CBT has been so effective is because psychologists help individuals truly identify and discover how to manage the influences that contribute to their anxiety and how to properly deal with them (APA, 2010). However, because therapy requires more time from individuals to take out of their busy lives, people are more likely to use an easier form of treatment, specifically,