Exercise and Anxiety

Ask the professionals about the best time to work out. Working out in the evenings can delay sleep. Ask about what kind of work outs are most/ less likely to provoke anxiety.

It gave me goals and something to focus on. It was great! Things are a little different right now, though. I find that on the days I work out, I end up feeling like I have way too much energy. I get frustrated and my anxiety kicks in, worse than it has since I started Celexa.

Can you tell at all what is it about the workouts that are causing anxiety, or is it purely physical? Do you worry about the numbers or what to do or people at your gym or not getting there? What sort of workouts are you doing? Can you shift to some more relaxing exercise and see if it helps-- yoga, pilates, swimming, or something? And definitely in the morning. Good luck!

I have panic disorder and one of the triggers for me is exercise. Long story short, I had atrial fibrillation when I was 25 and had it fixed with surgery, but a year later I was in the gym squatting high reps and had a sudden goofy beat that sent me panicking (but didn't know I was panicking at the time, thought my heart was F'd). The event caused me to go from a worrier with anxiety to a panicker from tha tpoint. And from then on, I struggle with higher levels of anxiety after exercise, which is I know, backwards, as I used to feel so relieved and relaxed after a good workout.

I think if someone doesn't have this as a trigger, exercise can burn off anxiety and relieve symptoms. But in our case, it is a trigger for us. I'm right there with you on this, and know how you feel. So, feel better knowing you aren't the only one.

It seems that we get anxious when we don't feel we have control. Or, we start getting those thoughts "uh oh, here it comes", or "what-if's". And, you can't just shut that off. Somebody without anxiety or panic will never be able to understand this no matter how well you explain it to them, although they may feel sympathy knowing you are in pain.

What do we try to do when we are anxious? We try to get control on something. Doesn't it make you feel better after some event or something on your mind you are worried about gets finished or you are able to avoid? I do. I feel like I gain control on something, which settles me down. But if there are unknowns (which it sounds like you have and it makes you anxious), I get very irritated, annoyed, frustrated, angry, and anxious. I hate unknowns. I hate feeling out of control. It is hard to let it go. They say acceptance is the way to a cure. Let everything go, accept it, accept that this is just anxiety and it won't hurt you and it will pass as it always does. WAYYYYYYYYY easier said than done. Have you ever read Dr. Weekes? Essential help for your nerves, one of the best books ever.

Workouts triggered panic attacks in me for a while, probably because of the elevated HR. I ended up getting some medication to subdue the panic attacks enough for me to go through a mostly normal daily routine without interruption, including workouts. I've come off the medication now, and rarely have any problems. For me, it was just about having to break that panic/anxiety cycle long enough to get myself back on my feet again.

Hello! I'm in graduate school for school psychology and I'll be done with all my classes in July. I'm just saying that to indicate that I have *some small amount* of credibility with this issue (even though I've mostly worked with school aged kiddos).

If you feel more anxiety on days you exercise it can be a result of the physiological symptoms that go along with anxiety (racing heart rate, out of breath, sweating...etc). As an example, some people who suffer from panic attacks actually avoid working out or strenuous physical activity because sometime the brain can interpret these physical symptoms as anxiety even if there's no reason to feel anxiety. This *might be what's happening, since generally speaking, working out would relieve anxiety.

You are on the right track in talking to your doctor about this but it might be worth it to you to switch to a more relaxing workout (like yoga) or incorporate something like light yoga into your after-workout routine. It may also benefit you to look up something called 'progressive muscle relaxation'. There are many scripts that you will find and many, many Youtube videos that can help guide you in doing it so just find one you like (sometimes the people doing it can be a little....new age/spacy). Anyway, it's a great way to just focus on breathing, tensing and untensing your muscles systematically and relaxing in general. You could incorporate that after your workout too and you can do it anywhere and others will probably not even notice....just find a quiet/comfortable place to lay down or sit.

I hope this gets resolved for you quickly!!

Rosie, that's precisely what happens to me. The symptoms I had with atrial fib are the same as I have in a panic attack, and since I do have fear that my heart will stop (even though 10 years later I've not had Afib again), I get afraid. i still work out, because I refuse to giv eup what I've achieved, but I know that I might deal with anxiety or panic after every workout. Those thoughts are powerful, and I know they are only thoughts driving it, but tell yourself not to think about something, and all you do is think about that thing.

Where I would disagree with Rosie is, what she suggested (about switching to a more relaxing workout), is exaclty what you and I should not do. We should not avoid life and what we want to do. That means the panic or anxiety wins. That means that it gets that much more of a grip on us. What happens with someone who develops agoraphobia (a fear of panicking in places)? I have this also. If I avoid going to the grocery store after having a panic there just once, the next time I try to go is much tougher. It's a protection mechanism. If I avoid then I get worse. I will just get more and more boxed in.

If you swtich to something more relaxing, then what happens when you get anxious in that more relaxing setting? Then you'll just want to avoid working out altogether. You don't want that. You want to push your limits, not let the boundaries collapse around you.

I think the last thing we should do is avoid the situations that make us anxious. The better answer is to sit through the anxiety, to keep your head about you. To know and keep telling yourself that you are fine, and that you need to let it go instead of try fighting it, holding it in. Try screaming your head off next time, it actually helps! I have had bad stomach pains from anxiety on the drive to work, and I've opened my jaw as wide as I could and just yelled as loud as I could in the car. It actually helps to try to release the pent up energy.

You are right and I'm happy that someone with a similar issue to the OP was able to comment on this post!

I'll clarify a bit and explain that I don't mean for you to avoid regular physical workouts all together I just thought it'd be good to get your bearings a bit. If you were to have anxiety symptoms during a more relaxed workout I could see how then that association would be made. However, it's important to get your anxiety under control and THEN do things that illicit anxiety and concentrate on tactics that keep you relaxed (often times for anxiety- especially when it is associated with certain situations or things- systematic desensitization or graduated exposure therapy are used). If you can find a way to do something like that on your own and push through the anxiety symptoms you have then that's fine, but don't be discourage if you feel like you need help to do that.