How to Go Jogging with Agoraphobia: 6 Steps to Reduce Anxiety

Exercise is good for our health; research has made this abundantly clear.

Yet, jogging, particularly in public, may hit on an agoraphobic’s fear of open or crowded spaces.

Despite this, research highlights innumerable benefits of jogging for people suffering from agoraphobia.

Jogging with agoraphobia is made easier by developing SMART goals and a consistent running routine, taking breaks, and being patient with yourself.

Switching between aerobic and anaerobic exercise can help to improve variability.

At the same time, listening to music and finding a running buddy can serve as excellent distractions from the physical toll of jogging.

Plan of Action to Go Jogging with Agoraphobia

When you have agoraphobia, leaving the house can be challenging enough, let alone trying to stick to an exercise routine.

Jogging may be particularly tricky as it typically involves leaving your home and going out into crowded or open spaces, which are often anxiety-provoking areas for those with agoraphobia.

Maintaining a jogging routine will take a lot of motivation. Telling yourself, “I need to start jogging,” may not be enough.

Below, you’ll find a 6-step plan of action to help you go jogging when you have agoraphobia.

1. Develop SMART Goals

According to Claimont Health, goals help you create a plan, giving you a clear roadmap of your jogging aims.

SMART goals enable you to track your progress and increase motivation and focus.

So, what are SMART goals?

• Specific: Not generic goals, but a target that is specific to you.
• Measurable: Creating measurable goals allows you to track your progress over time, improving motivation.
• Achievable: Ensuring goals are attainable for you.
• Relevant: Thinking about the overarching aim of the goal—do you want to lessen your Agoraphobic symptoms? Do you wish to get out of the house more?
• Time-bound: Setting yourself a deadline, as this encourages you to act straight away, rather than putting it off.

An example of a SMART goal for agoraphobia could be:

Run twice a week for one month to lessen the intensity of my anxious response to going outside.

2. Try to Run 3 Times Per Week

Dan Brennan at WebMD recommends jogging for at least 30 minutes, three times a week minimum.

Consistency is key when running to improve your mental health, so choose a realistic goal for you and execute that goal.

Of course, everyone has varying abilities. An inexperienced jogger’s goals should be vastly different from that of a runner with experience. Remember to think about achievability.

3. Take Breaks

When starting any new exercise routine, be patient with yourself and take lots of breaks.

The anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects of running may make you want to run every day, but everyone’s body needs time to heal.

Running and other forms of intense exercise cause micro-tears in the muscles. Giving your body time to recover allows these micro-tears to heal, increasing muscle mass and reducing the risk of injury.

Similarly, increasing your running distance too rapidly can worsen your risk of injury.

4. Switch Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that adults should include aerobic exercise like running and anaerobic exercise into their weekly routine to improve health.

Some days, if you don’t feel like running, why not try muscle strengthening exercises instead? This is a form of anaerobic exercise.

5. Use Music to Distract

If you find your mind wandering to anxious thoughts while jogging, or you get bored and restless, try listening to some music.

Music can help to distract.

A 2012 study by the British Psychological Society found that listening to your favorite tracks can reduce your feeling of exertion and improve performance.

6. Run with a Friend

Running with someone else can boost motivation, help incorporate socializing into exercise, and gives you more accountability.

It can also improve your sense of safety, especially if you run at night.

Choose someone with similar goals and who runs at a similar pace to you. Your schedules will also need to coincide; otherwise, you won’t be able to run together!

Another option similar to running with a friend, could also be to take a trained support dog with you.

Benefits of Jogging for Agoraphobia

Mental Health Benefits of Running

Running is associated with the release of feel-good endorphins that lessen feelings of discomfort and pain. This extends for several hours after an intense workout.

This accessible form of exercise leads to cognitive changes, too. In a systematic review of the effects of physical activity, Mandolesi and colleagues found that exercise improves memory, attention, and executive control. It also leads to better mood, independence, and social relationships.

So, what about agoraphobia? Does jogging reduce agoraphobic symptoms? Some evidence shows that exercise does lessen agoraphobic symptoms.

Jogging, CBT, and Agoraphobia

In an early 1973 study, Orwin claimed that running could reduce the symptoms of agoraphobia; he called this “the running treatment.” Within this study, eight agoraphobic participants ran towards their feared situation/area.

This method combines running with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy’s (CBT) systematic desensitization technique, whereby practitioners use relaxation techniques in conjunction with exposure to a fear.

He found that this treatment method significantly reduced agoraphobic symptoms.

“Evidence shows that running can benefit your mental health, boosting mood and independence and reducing anxiety symptoms.”

Orwin suggested that this effect may be due to the physiological impact of running; this form of exercise activates the autonomic nervous system to help the body cope with the metabolic requirements of physical activity, leaving no room for activation from the anxiety response.

It’s also been noted that running toward a site of fear can help actively overcome certain fears such as riding in an elevator.

However, these examples don’t use jogging in isolation; they combine it with a CBT approach. So, what about exercise on its own?

Jogging as a Sole Treatment for Agoraphobia

A 1998 study comparing aerobic exercise, placebo, and the antidepressant Clomipramine to treat panic disorder (for which Agoraphobia is a complication) found that physical activity was significantly associated with a reduction in panic symptoms when compared to the placebo.

The positive effects of exercise were lower than that of Clomipramine.

However, it’s important to note also that exercise may be an excellent treatment option for those experiencing severe anxiety symptoms while waiting for or who are unresponsive to psychotherapy or antidepressant treatment.

Summary

Sticking to a jogging routine may seem impossible when you have agoraphobia. However, evidence shows that running can benefit your mental health, boosting mood and independence and reducing anxiety symptoms.

Try running three times a week, and set SMART goals to improve your focus. Ensure you’re patient with yourself, allowing lots of breaks for recovery and adding in anaerobic exercises to keep it interesting.

To occupy your mind, why not listen to some music or invite a friend to join you?