Anxiety at the gym

I was the same way and I too have anxiety problems . Once you do learn the machines you will feel like a boss and be teaching others . Don't be scared because the people that don't know you want you to succeed .

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds as though you might be quite self-critical. If you're worried others will look at you badly for doing something wrong that's also something in your own thinking, telling you that somehow you should just know what to do at the gym without getting some guidance. If so, try to let go of your criticism and be forgiving of not being super-human! Its not reasonable to expect to know what you're doing without induction and being hard on yourself for not knowing isn't kind or gentle to yourself.

Really, unless someone is so fixated on their own ego-trip (to bolster their own shaky self-esteem, so they have their own problems they aren't facing) they'd want to help you. It will make them feel good about themselves and will make things easier for you, too. Everyone wins.

I definitely know that dealing with these types of things can be extremely frustrating. First rule of thumb: don't care what anyone else thinks besides yourself! And you should be patting yourself on the back for making it to the gym in the first place! Everyone is there for the same reason and you should never feel awkward or afraid to try something new, even if you mess up just flip your hair and walk away as fabulous as ever! I've dealt with both depression and anxiety issues so I know how tough it can be to worry about what others think but I promise the only opinion that matters at the end of the day is your own and you can get past it! Much love!

dammitjanet0161 wrote: »

You could re-frame the question - say to the staff that you've been doing the same thing for the past 8 weeks and now you want to shake things up and change your routine a bit, so could they show you some new things? (I assume that you've been using the machines and doing the exercises that you ARE comfortable with for the past couple of months).

Would that feel a bit easier? It's recommended that people regularly change things in their routine anyway, so the staff should be more than willing to help you progress.

There are a lot of good tips in this thread, but this stuck out to me as what would probably help ME most. For me, I find that knowing the social script is really helpful with my anxiety.

Social scripts are scripts we all know. Like, you walk into a restaurant, you stop at the "wait to be seated" sign. A staff member will come up, smile, and take a guess at your "table for" number. You respond with "yes" or correct them. They say "table or booth?" or "bar or dining room" or "patio or indoors" or "there's a 5-minute waiting list, is that okay? Yes? Can I get your name?" etc.

Sometimes when I have to push through my anxiety about something, it comes down to the script. So I will run through it alone a bit, or ask my partner to help me. Sometimes just running through it once out loud helps. Other times, I'll write it down (like if I'm doing a longer or more complicated phone thing). It's also great if you have any specific worries, like "what if the person says ________?" then you can say "well then I would say _____".

You can also run through the script backwards. If you were the gym employee, what would your job be like? What were you trained to do? What sorts of interactions do you have with patrons all day, every day? If a nice person walked up to you and told you that she has recently become interested in strength training, and would like to be shown how to use the equipment you offer safely, how would you respond and what would you be thinking?

Decide how you'd like to approach a staff member or get their attention. And when, and where. Right when you walk in, at the front desk? Try to flag a staff member walking around? Decide what you'll say, how you'll frame the question. I like the suggestion above. Like, "I've been doing cardio for a couple of months now. But I'm interested in starting strength training, and concerned about making sure I am doing it safely." Or maybe you'd feel more comfortable striking up a conversation about other things first, or starting the odd polite exchange with staff and then broaching the real question once you sort of "know" them. Once you're in the interaction, the staff member will take the lead and you can follow, socially, if that makes sense. (They are guiding you now, you are no longer approaching it cold.)

Other things:
- think about how awesome it will feel once this thing you've been avoiding gets done and isn't hanging over you anymore
- push yourself but not over a cliff. It will definitely be uncomfortable, and so you will need to push to do it. But that doesn't mean you have to be heartless about it. Walk a line between allowing yourself to get out of an uncomfortable situation when you should be pushing through, and pushing yourself farther than you can healthily go today.
- I find I have a bit of a limit as to how many things I can juggle well at once, and that limit is severely smaller than "normal" (what our society seems to tell us / what I perceive from looking at others from the outside). I do best when I respect those limits and do not try to "be more like others" or listen to my inner overachiever. If I want to do a new big scary thing, I might have to shuffle my priorities so that something less important gets put off. Or maybe plan to do it next week if this week already has extra scary things happening. Or I might have to get something else in line first, like if I've been slipping in self-care, I might need to raise that up in preparation (and should anyway).
- if you have access to any form of therapy, this would be a great thing to talk about there, as would strategies surrounding panic (if you have not already or could still use assistance)

(I have GAD and am prone to depression, by the way. Everyone's anxiety is different, but maybe something in my experiences will be helpful. Sorry for the essay!)

And I think it's awesome that you get yourself there and work out! That's basically 95% of the battle imo.

Tedebearduff wrote: »

makemethin05 wrote: »

Hi everyone, people I actually know I don't even tell this to, so this forum is actually a great relief!
I have been going to the gym for about two months..
There are lots of machines I haven't attempted to use because I've no idea how to use them.. Two months down the line I don't want to ask and I have huge anxiety problems, I convince myself that everyone there will look at me and think 'she's doing that wrong'

Everyone starts somewhere no one walks into a gym knowing how to use everything.

*kitten* negative people

There are more *kitten* at the mall then there are at the gym

Ask someone for help? seriously I'll help anyone any day any time any age ... doesn't matter. I'm still learning myself but I'd be more than happy to show someone how to use a machine.

This!

At my gym, the staff are super awesome. Me asking a trainer for help (my first year) turned into a 3 year friendship.

You could also approach someone who is finished with a machine and ask them how to use it.

I'm actually a volunteer at my gym, and I know how it feels to be the confused noob. I try to watch for people who look confused, and approach them and ask if they have a question.