Getting back to exercise, battling anxiety

Anaris2014

Ahh, the joys of trying to get back to a reasonable level of fitness when an anxiety disorder leaves you fearing that you're going to have a heart attack and die any time you exercise.

Largely it doesn't stop me training, but it does significantly reduce the intensity of my training and results in an anxious day after a good training session - this leads to slower results, frustration, binge eating, failure, abandonment of the project and puts me right back to square one (in that order).

piasuffredini

Hope you're ok

mave36

Hi Anaris! Sounds like you have a lot of struggles going on. I'm not a professional by any means but what you describe sounds like a tough way to be day to day. Please if you haven't already, talk to someone, anyone. My daughter is going through some pretty bad anxiety and I am learning lots from her.

Anxiety is very real, and I hope you can find something that calms the stress you have. Add me if you would like I am big on supporting everyone in every situation good luck and big hugs to you!

Mersie1

Anxiety sucks. I just had my spike for the past two days- also led to bingeing. Big hugs to you! Keep searching for what may work for you!!! Don't give up on feeling better! ❤️

Anaris2014

Thank you, all, for your replies.

piasuffredini wrote: »

Hope you're ok

Yes. Thanks. Just on the recovery from a spike in anxiety. It's frustrating and depressing to see a few bad days undo so much hard work. Why can't I binge eat carrot and spinach rather than muffins, hot chips and ice cream?!?

mave36 wrote: »

Hi Anaris! Sounds like you have a lot of struggles going on. I'm not a professional by any means but what you describe sounds like a tough way to be day to day. Please if you haven't already, talk to someone, anyone. My daughter is going through some pretty bad anxiety and I am learning lots from her.

Thanks. I did spend some time working with a professional and things are much better now than they have been in years gone by. At my worst (only a couple of years back) I was scared of going walking with the dog, let alone running. Now I play sports of a weekend, go to the gym a few days a week and, when I recover from a foot injury, will get back to running my 5km (aiming for under 22 minutes).

I hope your daughter knows that there is an 'other side' to the anxiety disorder and panic attacks. They may never go away, but they need not be debilitating. I hope she's much smarter about it than I am - and, if given medication to help with panic attacks, she takes it when the attacks start and doesn't force herself to put up with it for hours on end hoping to control it herself.

Mersie1 wrote: »

Anxiety sucks. I just had my spike for the past two days- also led to bingeing. Big hugs to you! Keep searching for what may work for you!!! Don't give up on feeling better! ❤️

It's good to hear from someone else who goes through these cycles and understands how frustrating it is. Early this week I had a 5 hour panic attack before I finally gave in and took my meds. Yes, I know, I am an idiot. I should have been sleeping, rather than pacing the house and taking my pulse until 3:30 in the morning. But, that's the joy of mental illness. I've probably screwed up my system with the lack of sleep, and will take a bit of time trying to get back in control. It's so disappointing.

biancamiller934

I understand what you're going through. I also have an anxiety disorder. Twice in the past 2 months I've had a panic attack while working out on the elliptical. So now I avoid working out whenever I'm feeling anxious

Anaris2014

biancamiller934 wrote: »

I understand what you're going through. I also have an anxiety disorder. Twice in the past 2 months I've had a panic attack while working out on the elliptical. So now I avoid working out whenever I'm feeling anxious

It's a really hard balance. I am sure that, like me, you don't want the anxiety to control everything, but it's so scary getting on the treadmill/elliptical or whatever. I try to train until I can feel myself slipping from anxiety into panic and then reduce the intensity for a while. I find myself obsessed with checking my heart rate, which is not productive. This morning it reported that 218bpm when I was barely walking. I can only imagine that it was some kind of connection issue, but I nearly jumped off the machine.

I hope you're able to find a balance and keep training. It really does help to know that there are others trying to face this battle in the same way. My mates don't understand how I can play 90 minutes of football, or go for a run one day and then the next day be scared by the increase in HR caused by walking up the hill from the train station.