exercise and panic attacks?

Firehawk734

I feel for each one of you that has panic attacks caused by exercise. I thought I was the only one. I am almost 35 now, but when I was 25 I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. I had the RF ablation procedure to cure it, which it did cure it, but the symptoms I had were so bad when I'd have AF that I think i suffered from PTSD because about a year after I was cured, I had a panic attack while squatting at the gym and ever since then, after intense workouts I almost always at least get anxious, but sometimes go into a panic attack. It's usually worse anxiety the harder I work out, so on squat day, or deadlift day, which are the most strenuous, full body workouts, I get more on edge. Also, I have 1 day a week that I run 3 miles and that workout always makes me really anxious.

I work out at home now (just preference and cheaper, and I have a really nice gym) and if the wife is not home and I'm working out, it adds to my stress levels (just the fear i'll die and nobody will know I guess lol).

And, more recently the panic attacks hvae become a little more frequent. BUT, I'm learning to deal with them. All the same symptoms I get during a panic (tingling in my body, light headed, can't control breathing, or short fast breathing, and racing heart) are what happened during Atrial Fibrillation attacks, so I think my brain made that connection. What used to be the most wonderful feeling after a hard workout is now a scary anxious feeling. You all know or remember that nice, drained, comfortable feeling. That feeling scares me now.

And lately, I seem to be more sensitized to any sensations in my body, so immediately I get on edge. I have gotten in very good shape since those AF days (lost over 140lbs now and am getting more fit by the day!), so I am getting over the racing heart symptom. But, the dizzy symptom still scares the crap out of me. The tingling i can live with.

Well, now when I have a panic attack or am going into one (and I know when it's coming because i get that pit in my stomach first), I try to take really deep, very slow breaths, breathe out, hold it, breathe in hold it, etc. That usually fixes the dizziness. I try to just keep my wits, and keep telling myself that I had one yesterday or the day before and I am still ok, and I know it's just anxiety. Seems to be helping, instead of fearing it, just letting it come on. But, just because I overcome one today, doesn't mean i'll be that calm about it tomorrow. I seem to still highly fear some of the attacks, and other times I am a lot more strong willed and I just basically say "alright, kill me, I don't care" and let it come. Usually when I can get my mind into that gear, the anxiety stops immediately lol. Go figure.

The panic still holds me back. I work out pretty hard, but if I didn't worry about having a worse panic attack by pushing myself harder, I would run harder, faster, I'd lift weights harder, etc. So, it still affects my life. I also turn down outings with even my good friends for fear that I will have an attack in front of somebody.

The people I know in my life, or that I don't know, who I believe don't understand panic attacks, I fear the most having an attack in front of. Because I'm sure from their point of view it's like "what in the world is wrong with you?" And I don't like being embarrassed.

I don't frown upon anyone for taking any medication for this either. I personally refuse to as I'm a stubborn prick lol. I won't even take advil or excedrine or whatever for a headache. But, sometimes the panic gets so tiresome to deal with that one starts wishing they had a break from it. I do think this every now and then, that maybe I should just go on Zoloft or whatever and stop dealing with it. But, that doesn't fix anything, that's just a bandaid. That's how I view it.

It seems the way to win this war is to accept panic for what ti is, keep putting yourself in the situations that cause you panic, even if it takes 100 or 1000 times, and densensitize. Sometimes I worry about a workout and am hesitant to finish or to even start, but on the occasion I let the panic fear win, the next time that workout is up I am even more worried, so now I try not to let it dictate.

Just earlier this week in fact, I was 3 sets of squats into a workout, and during the last set of squats I started feeling a little on edge. I said to myself "I know what that is, I'm not going to let it stop me". I went into a panic attack, but I just kept lifting weights, and I don't know if it was the exertion or what, but the panic actually diffused very quickly when I continued my sets. Probably played into the fight/flight syndrome and I burned up the extra adrenaline or something. So that time I won, but still the next time I always think "well it might be different this time".

Ugh what a tiresome, endless cycle.

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