Exercise does in fact, help with anxiety.

cottonanddust wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

cottonanddust wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

I have exercise induced anxiety/panic attacks. I have reduced it hugely by yes, exercising but it is still a trigger for me.

So different strokes and all that. No sweeping statements to be made about health and the treatment thereof really.

Was is a specific activity that did it, or the idea of exercise or the build up to it? Thank you for your honesty!

I think that some people experience this as a result of a higher heart rate BPM.

I personally have had to be hospitalized after exercise because i thought i was having a stroke, but this is because I decided it might be a good idea to try JACK3D pre-workout.

turns out i was "only having an extended panic attack"

My father would drink 2 cups of coffee before his runs when I was a kid. Even as a kid I thought that would make him run too fast! Lol

Aww...that is cute.

Generalized anxiety disorders and panic disorders are different, however they can overlap.

Anxiety is general fear of things, it can be specific to phobias or situations. As our civilizations have evolved, our bodies have been a bit slower on it. When your body is in stress mode, it doesn't know if it is being attacked by a predator or if you just were in a situation where social anxiety was triggered. In an act of preservation, your heart quickens in order to pump extra blood to your limbs with added oxygen from increased breathing. And your body is filled with energy in an effort to fuel your getaway from the metaphorical tiger it thinks it is being pursued by. The best thing to combat anxiety is to calm your body. Your mind cannot send stress signals to your body is your body is relaxed. Therefore breathing exercises, massages, and coping mechanisms can combat stress. The other option is to go ahead and release all of that excess energy and put that pumping blood and oxygen to good use. By exercising you get rid of the stress signals, thus neutralizing anxiety. In this day and time, we can't just drop everything to exercise when our stress rises but it is definitely a helpful treatment against anxiety.

Panic disorders involve the act of panicking for no apparent reason. Having a panic attack because of exercise is likely caused by a specific feeling or trigger such as an increase in heart rate, dizziness or a situation such as a crowded place, or even can be triggered by specific people. Panic becomes a cycle that once your trigger is exposed, you begin to feel the symptoms and you panic due to the symptoms, further causing more symptoms, then more panic, more symptoms, etc.

If panic disorders are paired with anxiety disorders, which are separate in nature, it can be a very different story. The increase in heart rate, the trouble catching ones breath, the dizziness that can come from underfueling before a workout... can all cause panic. Panic then causes more anxiety for those who suffer from both. It is not a fun cycle.

My sister suffers from both disorders while I only suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. We talk frequently about how our symptoms differ as well as how we combat them. We both speak to analysts who help us understand our mental health and disorders. It's ten times more complicated than I explained above, but it's at least a starter for anyone who is curious. Exercise is, clinically speaking, a great treatment for anxiety but it may not be the easiest or calming for those with multiple disorders. For that, diaphragmatic breathing is really a great alternative until other symptoms are reduced.

Of course it does. Exercise keeps me sane and happy.

Another vote for Does Nothing Whatsoever for my depression, ADHD, chronic pain, etc. I will be taking medication for the rest of my life; the meds work, so I'm perfectly fine with that.

ClosetBayesian wrote: »

Another vote for Does Nothing Whatsoever for my depression, ADHD, chronic pain, etc. I will be taking medication for the rest of my life; the meds work, so I'm perfectly fine with that.

I second the chronic pain. I had pretty bad sciatica.. Now I know its only been like 6 days and Ive actually GAINED 4 lbs since starting this.. but I swear, my sciatica is MUCH better. I almost forgot what it was like not to be in pain! A lot of my putting off starting exercise was because of the pain. Im glad that I started!