Breakdown? Unsure of what just happened.

aquarabbit
aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
in Motivation and Support
So I've been doing my workout for a month and it's been going great. I'm getting results, losing weight, getting stronger, and enjoying it immensely. But today, something weird happened. I was getting into my workout, but was just feeling super sad about for no reason. But I still wanted to push through and not give up. After about 1/4 of the way through, I just broke down when I fell doing an exercise. I started crying hysterically and couldn't continue with my workout. The strange thing was that I was conscious of the whole thing, yet I couldn't stop. My mind was asking "what the heck? Why are you crying? Are you going crazy? Stop that and pick up your weights." And the other half just felt completely hopeless (just about weight loss, nothing else). But now I feel fine. It just hit me all of the sudden without warning and left just as quickly. I'm not pregnant or on my period. I rarely cry, so this is very abnormal for me. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Is it just a moment of crazy or is this one of those metaphorical brick walls I hear about?

Replies

  • cerealrunner
    cerealrunner Posts: 14
    This has happened to me before! Last year, I was being very diligent about my diet (probably not eating enough though) and exercising extremely regularly. I was in a routine though, one that I enjoyed and thought I could handle. One day, in the middle of a pilates class I took every Tues/Thurs, I just got the urge to cry, and I couldn't for the life of me hold back the tears. I had a cardio session planned after the class, but it took all of my effort to make it through the pilates class without crying too noticeably. Even though part of me really wanted to do the cardio, I just couldn't bring myself to do it after stepping on the elliptical. I went out to my car, and I just couldn't stop the tears. I had no idea where it came from, but I was a mess. I felt sad and anxious, like a failure and not good enough. After I gathered myself together, I drove home, studied a bit, and went to bed. The next morning I woke up, and everything was fine. I think it's just a moment of crazy, or a moment of exhaustion, or a moment of something, not a brick wall. Just get some rest, fuel up properly, and switch up your routines and you'll be good to go! :D
  • FixIngMe13
    FixIngMe13 Posts: 405 Member
    Have you restricted yourself too much? I went through the same thing... but I believe it was because I was restricting way too much. I just sobbed for half an hour and couldn't stop. I never felt it coming either until it hit. I also just quit cold turkey with the pop/fast food/junk food... and was doing great until that moment I sobbed and felt like a total failure. Afterwards I felt better and it was like a new me immerged. Odd.... I still think back to that day and why I broke down.... I'm gonna say it was because I restricted myself and didn't look back.
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
    I'm not restricting myself very much. I pretty much eat the same stuff as always, I just eat it in moderation so I can fit it into my calories. So I still have my brownies and chicken nuggets along with my healthier veggies and lean meats. I'm usually netting around 1300 calories (sometimes more and sometimes less) and I'm 5'2". So I feel like I'm eating enough calories. I'm only working out once a day for half and hour (I'm doing Body Revolution) with a rest day, so I don't feel like I'm pushing myself to hard that way. Although I haven't been sleeping much, so maybe that's it. I guess I'll get some sleep and see if that helps.
  • PassionLifeLoveHealth
    PassionLifeLoveHealth Posts: 4
    I'm not restricting myself very much. I pretty much eat the same stuff as always, I just eat it in moderation so I can fit it into my calories. So I still have my brownies and chicken nuggets along with my healthier veggies and lean meats. I'm usually netting around 1300 calories (sometimes more and sometimes less) and I'm 5'2". So I feel like I'm eating enough calories. I'm only working out once a day for half and hour (I'm doing Body Revolution) with a rest day, so I don't feel like I'm pushing myself to hard that way. Although I haven't been sleeping much, so maybe that's it. I guess I'll get some sleep and see if that helps.

    Ah. Sleep. Sleep deprivation can totally screw with your emotions hardcore. I'd definitely work on getting more if you can!
  • kjoy_
    kjoy_ Posts: 316 Member
    elevated heart rate can trigger a panic attack. it's happened to me before. gone just as soon as it came, but i still feel a little tense and panicky when i think about it.
  • smattillion
    smattillion Posts: 33 Member
    happened to me before and happened (sorta) today. i thnk it was because i hadnt eaten much but wanted to still try to do my workout.. ended up postponing it until i had some food and i felt better. but its happened to me before at the gym. maybe its a low blood sugar drop (my mom says thats what she thnks happened).
  • tworthen79
    tworthen79 Posts: 1,173 Member
    If you're a type of person that always holds things in and puts others' above you(emotionally). Eventually it catches up to you. And I believe it did today during the workout. I don't think it had anything to do with working out itself, it just so happened to come to a head at that moment. I had a hard time taking time for me, because I never did. Everyone's problems and needs always came before mine. Hence, the weight issue. Maybe you're not use to focusing just on you or the emotions you covered up by eating are now exposed, fresh and your head is facing them head on. You may be learning how to cope now, without the comfort of food. Now these are all guesses, but this is what I experienced. You're doing awesome and sometimes a good cry is needed!!
  • lbatkins
    lbatkins Posts: 6 Member
    I got this way today too. I wonder if it's because this can just be stressful. Even if you're super motivated and the results have been great, it's still a weight on the mind to keep your calories in check, to exercise enough, etc. I wonder when it becomes effortless, I look forward to that day!
  • Dunkirk
    Dunkirk Posts: 465 Member
    I'd look at it as a positive thing, an 'emotional purge'. Emotional tears from crying - as opposed to e.g. onion induced - have different hormones/chemicals in them. I think your body was doing a hormone/chemical cleanup. :-)
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    Sounds eerily like anxiety/panic attack.

    I'd give yourself a break about it. There's never a right time or place for emotional outbursts and you weren't fully in control of it, so just put it aside as something that happened and see if there were/are any triggers you can figure out so that you can tackle it in a healthy way.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    Happens to me heaps. Like I'm just not feeling the workout from the moment I start & despite me trying to toughen up & do it I just cant. I actually give up & go do a different workout.

    No idea why. Every workout I actually love.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    happened to me before and happened (sorta) today. i thnk it was because i hadnt eaten much but wanted to still try to do my workout.. ended up postponing it until i had some food and i felt better. but its happened to me before at the gym. maybe its a low blood sugar drop (my mom says thats what she thnks happened).

    This sounds plausible. Sometimes physical symptoms are hard to recognize. I remember being at a restaurant with my very pregnant wife. During dinner she became agitated and felt she was having a panic attack. We had to leave immediately. It then cleared up in the car. Turned out the baby was pressing on an artery and she wasn't getting enough circulation to the brain. Your anxiety/panic might surface as tears. Armchair doctor here, maybe ask a pro.
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
    I think you hit a wall. That's happened to me lately, where it all just kind of hit me and I was just pissed off (I tend to get mad when I'm sad/depressed) for a few days. It's a lot of work, your body chemistry changes, after all.

    Secondly, once I was on a hike with a boyfriend that I wanted to impress (12.5 miles to and 12.5 miles back) and we got eight miles in, and I just couldn't see an end. No matter how much he tried to help and motivate me, I was just like, "Oh my God, this will never end! I will be here forever!" And I was hiking slowly, then I just sat on a stump and cried. Like really cried for about 10-15 minutes. After that, I got up and hiked the rest of way to and then back the next day.

    I don't know, I think because I was just so overcome and I needed an outlet to let out some emotion. Afterwards, I was still a little overwhelmed but I could do what I needed to do.

    So, I think you were relieving some stress and emotion that you had been holding back.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Have you thought about seeing a counselor/psychiatrist?
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I second that it's very likely the sleep issue.

    Get some sleep! Take a couple days rest in a row. A few days of rest never hurt anyone.
  • Rosplosion
    Rosplosion Posts: 739 Member
    It's not uncommon (I've even read threads on here about it) to have an emotional release while doing physical workouts. We hide a lot of emotional pain underneath all these layers of fat. When we "emotionally eat" we're stuffing all those feelings down our throats. When you are treating yourself right, you allow these emotions to surface. It's hard, and you might have feelings like this again, seemingly randomly. Let yourself feel! Feelings are good, and sometimes difficult to understand. That is OK.

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