Getting over gym paranoia/anxiety

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SayLiLIG
SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How did ya'll push yourselves through the anxiety of going to the gym? Mainly the group classes? I want to add 3 classes a week to my workout schedule but I get so..SCARED. I fear that people are silently judging and wondering what the hell I'm there for.

Tae Bo, Yoga, and Body Pump are the classes I'm looking to do. I think I'm more anxious about Body Pump.

Anywho, how'd you get over it and just do it!?
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Replies

  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i haven't done classes very often, but more because i just don't like that kind of format. i get bored and/or feel like i'm in kindergarten. but getting myself comfortable in the weight room was an odyssey and it took me quite a few months.

    what helped for me was to go. and then go back. and then go back again. and keep going. it was a few months of anxiety and self-consciousness and un-ease, but a workout lasts for an hour, the after-effects last a few hours, and then the rest of my day would be free. and there were little rewards or successes along the way.

    when you keep going you become recognizable and you start to accumulate respect. it's a slow process but it comes one drop at a time, so it doesn't happen at all if you don't go at all.
  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 857 Member
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    You are supposed to be at the gym to better yourself, not project and ruminate over what other people (who are there working on themselves) might or might not think about you.

    It doesn't matter what other people think. What matters, is that you do the best in life each and every day, whether it is at the gym, work, or anywhere else.
  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
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    everyone is at the gym to improve themselves and really nobody cares what shape you're in.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
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    I personally love new people in class and in the weight room! I always try to make them feel welcome and encourage them to come back. I love watching their progress...it's exciting!!
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Let's look at it this way. Do YOU check out and judge all the others in your class? Do YOU try make others in the class feel anxious, unwanted or uncomfortable? Other than your own self doubts, why do you think others would want to make you feel uncomfortable, unwanted or feel judged?

    They really don't. It is just in your mind. Get i tout of there. No one else really cares about what you're doing, unless it is really wrong and dangerous, then someone may say something.
  • SayLiLIG
    SayLiLIG Posts: 197 Member
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    pondee629 wrote: »
    Let's look at it this way. Do YOU check out and judge all the others in your class? Do YOU try make others in the class feel anxious, unwanted or uncomfortable? Other than your own self doubts, why do you think others would want to make you feel uncomfortable, unwanted or feel judged?

    They really don't. It is just in your mind. Get i tout of there. No one else really cares about what you're doing, unless it is really wrong and dangerous, then someone may say something.

    The only thing I do is say "dang, I wish i looked like that!"... If I drank before going to the gym it would be so much easier than putting my big girl panties on and dealing with it!

    So, Mr. Colors fade nailed it on the head with the comic. LOL
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    so don't start 3 classes at once if it causing anxiety. Add one class and when feeling comfortable add another.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,506 Member
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    SayLiLIG wrote: »
    How did ya'll push yourselves through the anxiety of going to the gym? Mainly the group classes? I want to add 3 classes a week to my workout schedule but I get so..SCARED. I fear that people are silently judging and wondering what the hell I'm there for.

    Tae Bo, Yoga, and Body Pump are the classes I'm looking to do. I think I'm more anxious about Body Pump.

    Anywho, how'd you get over it and just do it!?

    Did you post something?

    If so, I didn't notice it because I'm too busy focusing on myself right now.

    (You'll find this same attitude at any gym most anywhere on Earth.)
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
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    Anyone who is judging needs a serious adjustment. Honestly, most aren't looking. If they are, it's usually because:

    1. You're kicking some serious @$$ and deserve an audience.
    2. You're attractive (I'll leave this one alone, as some gym goers handle this situation better than others).
    3. They want to see what you're doing for exercises to possibly incorporate into their regimen.
    4. They're idiots (sometimes #2 applies here).
    5. They admire the effort you're putting in.

    Get in there and be #1. Good luck!
  • buffalogal42
    buffalogal42 Posts: 374 Member
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    I felt the same before starting classes at my gym but everyone was so nice and welcoming ... all shapes and sizes and fitness levels. My gym has an easier/moderate/hard version of every routine and the trainers adjust to each of the participants. We love seeing new faces and always encourage people to keep coming back because sometimes new people are surprised how tough the classes can be. I was there when I started, but now I am mostly keeping up with the top performers. Give it a try!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    I just went for it. To me it was harder to resign to being fat and unfit than it was to suck it up and put myself out there. And no one really cares what you look like.
  • TreasureDiver1
    TreasureDiver1 Posts: 35 Member
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    I hear ya! All the girls/women are always staring at me like I'm a hunk of meat, making lewd dog calls. It's just hard, but I deal with it and move on ;)
  • minniestar55
    minniestar55 Posts: 346 Member
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    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    I've said this before in another post and here's what I focus on:

    You're not that important.

    That sounds like I'm being mean but hear me out. When I think to myself, "you're not that important," I don't mean that as a human being I'm insignificant. I mean that when I'm in a public setting like that, no one cares that I'm there. No one cares what I'm doing and even if they glance over at me, they're not even really looking at me. Other people are at the gym to work out, they don't care if you're there or not. So try not to think about the other people around you because they're not thinking about you.

    I promise once you get through one class you'll see that it's not so bad.

    This. Plus...my personal mantra is, "I don't care." Meaning, if someone doesn't like the way I look, the way I work out, my trainers, my hair, my backside, or whatever, it's their problem & reflects back on them. I don't care what they might or might not think. I do my business, be polite & pleasant to others, & go on with my life. I do several classes each week, primarily power step classes; I love them, have fun, get a great sweat on...most others are friendly or at least, not nasty. So I go, get my workout in, enjoy it. Go for it, you won't regret giving it a go!
  • alyangel123
    alyangel123 Posts: 41 Member
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    How do you have time to stare n judge people mid rep whilst concentrating on form? Thats the reality. Ive never recieved any negative interactions in a gym where people are full of happy endorphines lol
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
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    It's simple common sense, but back when I was younger and really struggling with worrying about what other people were thinking of me, a counselor told me that I can never know what anyone is thinking. For some reason that really clicked with me even though I already knew it. So whatever terrible thing you think someone is thinking about you.. you're probably wrong. So what I started to do is try to come up with crazy positive things people might be thinking if I catch them looking at me or whatever. It's just as likely to be right as anything negative I might come up with, and it leaves me feeling way better!
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    I was paranoid about going to the gym for the first time three years ago. Turns out, the people at the gym have been some of the nicest, most helpful people I've ever encountered. And very encouraging. We celebrate each other's successes. I like that.

    The gym is a very positive place to be. You just have to convince yourself to go, and then see for yourself what the environment is really like.
  • billglitch
    billglitch Posts: 538 Member
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    SayLiLIG wrote: »
    How did ya'll push yourselves through the anxiety of going to the gym? Mainly the group classes? I want to add 3 classes a week to my workout schedule but I get so..SCARED. I fear that people are silently judging and wondering what the hell I'm there for.

    Tae Bo, Yoga, and Body Pump are the classes I'm looking to do. I think I'm more anxious about Body Pump.

    Anywho, how'd you get over it and just do it!?

    My son has been the subject of snotty remarks at different gyms over the passed 2 years. It happens. Some people have nothing better to do that judge or make snotty comments. I say "F" them. Do it for you

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