Excercise & Panic Attacks anyone?
goldiejdb
Posts: 63 Member
Hey y'all! 
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
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Replies
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Hi I have the same issues as you do!! Not fun at all. I was constantly checking my heart rate on my fitbit and bring on panic attacks, Dr told me to shut off the heart rate on my fitbit and that has helped, but still when my breathing gets labored I go into but another panic attack
Would love to see if anyone has any ideas to help. 0 -
Are you seeing a medical/psychiatrist professional to help address this "severe" disorder? I don't think all the internet advice in the world is adequate to resolve this type of problem.
In the meantime, workout at whatever intensity you are comfortable. It is better than not working out.
Wishing you the best.0 -
Hey y'all!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
Breathe. Simple, but I'm not kidding. Take a deep breath in and hold it for eight seconds, then exhale slowly for the same number of seconds. Keep at it as long as it takes to help you calm down. The idea behind it is that the slow breathing not only tries to take your focus on something else but helps your body to switch out from anxiety mode. It's always worked for me and been my go-to when I feel the symptoms kicking in. Also second the notion of going to see someone to help you with your anxiety disorder. I had good success with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, but ymmv.1 -
TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I've had this happen to me before. I remember that once when I went to the gym I hopped on the elliptical and everything was great until I realized that I was breathing a bit heavy and then I starting thinking about how heavy I was breathing and then I couldn't stop. I had to hop off it asap and go back into the locker room and change because I just couldn't do it. I felt lightheaded and maybe like I could pass out but I knew it was just my anxiety.
Since then, whenever that happens I try to distract myself from it. If I notice that my breathing is a bit laboured, which of course it would be because a) I have asthma so that sometimes happens and b) I'm exercising so I'm working harder than normal, I just say things to myself like, "okay, just ten more minutes of this and then I'm good. What should I do afterwards? Maybe I'll have a bath later. Maybe I'll make X for dinner. Look at that man over there, what the hell is he wearing?" Things like that. Most of the time that works for me. I also take a few deep breaths to try and relax.
If that doesn't work for you, don't be ashamed to take it easy. I've done it before where I've purposefully not gone really hard on the bike and I've taken an easier ride but I stay on the bike longer in order to burn the same amount of calories. It can take time to get used to exercising and how it makes your body feel but you'll get there.
These are some great suggestions &
really helps. I will definitely use this. Thank you!
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I often had this when I first began running, despite being medicated for my anxiety and panic disorder. I would find that if I noticed my breathing was irregular, I couldn't focus on anything but that. And at the time, I was helping supervise a student running club, so panic attacks weren't an option.
I'm not sure what kind of exercise you are doing, but counting my steps and aligning my breathing helped if I did it from the get go. So ever two steps I would inhale, next two I would exhale, etc. During this time, I couldn't have headphones, so that was my only distraction. But when I could run with them, I would also really focus on the music's beat or actually lip sync, so my mind was elsewhere.
The times that I could not control it, I would slow whatever I was doing down and let my heart rate come down. A slow workout is better than no workout. Essentially it boils down to convincing yourself that you are not dying despite your body trying to say otherwise (unless you have asthma).
I have noticed that now that my cardiovascular fitness is better, these attacks are less frequent if at all. But it also might be worth being up to your doctor if you continue to struggle.3 -
Are you seeing a medical/psychiatrist professional to help address this "severe" disorder? I don't think all the internet advice in the world is adequate to resolve this type of problem.
In the meantime, workout at whatever intensity you are comfortable. It is better than not working out.
Wishing you the best.
Yes, I do see a therapist and psychiatrist and I am on medication for my panic. I was really just reaching out to see if anyone else goes through this themselves &
Could provide ways they cope. But thank you1 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »Hey y'all!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
Breathe. Simple, but I'm not kidding. Take a deep breath in and hold it for eight seconds, then exhale slowly for the same number of seconds. Keep at it as long as it takes to help you calm down. The idea behind it is that the slow breathing not only tries to take your focus on something else but helps your body to switch out from anxiety mode. It's always worked for me and been my go-to when I feel the symptoms kicking in. Also second the notion of going to see someone to help you with your anxiety disorder. I had good success with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, but ymmv.
I'm definitely gonna try to focus on my breathing more. I'm actively have a psychiatrist and therapist1 -
I find that if I keep going, even if I have to decrease effort for a little while and focus on breathing properly, it usually passes within 5-10 minutes and then everything is cool from then on. The last thing you want to do is start avoiding exercise, since exercise is so therapeutic for anxiety disorders. Next time you see your therapist, see if you can develop some immediate strategies for dealing with this kind of scenario when it happens. Good luck!
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I find that if I keep going, even if I have to decrease effort for a little while and focus on breathing properly, it usually passes within 5-10 minutes and then everything is cool from then on. The last thing you want to do is start avoiding exercise, since exercise is so therapeutic for anxiety disorders. Next time you see your therapist, see if you can develop some immediate strategies for dealing with this kind of scenario when it happens. Good luck!
I just have to push through it. Thank you for your advice1 -
Exercise can be a tricky proposition. It is likely that, long-term, exercise can help with the chronic symptoms of anxiety.
However, an exercise workout imposes an acute load on the body which might temporarily provoke more serious symptoms. (In my case, significant arrhythmia). In the past, at times I had to take weeks off from exercising, because it made everything worse.
Here is what helped/helps for me:
1. Getting certain aspects of my life under control, esp caffeine intake, sleep, and diet.
2. Having enough diagnostic work done that I knew I wasn't going to have a heart attack--it gave me confidence to keep going through the intitial "wave" of symptoms and they often subsided.
3. Forget about trying to do a "real"workout, and just do some low-level exercise. This has proven to be quite helpful. It allows me to inch my way out of the pit, so to speak, and establish a new "base" from which I can progress farther.4 -
I couldn't work out for months due to panic attacks. Great advice here on breathing, etc. Because working out hard mimics some of my panic attack symptoms, and I'm afraid of panic attacks, it would start a spiral. I had to start slow and tough it out. Run two minutes, feel the panic coming on, stop running, control it as much as possible. Next day was three minutes. After a while I convinced myself that if it was something to panic and die over, I would've already. Also, being outside and keeping cool helped a lot. Hang in there. Panic attacks suck.1
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I use to have exercise induced panic attacks all the time when I first started working out. It's scary as hell. What helped me was switching to more low impact workouts (I use videos) You get the elevated heart rate without feeling like you're going to collapse at the end. It's a win win.1
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I get this too,sometimes its low blood sugar so I make sure I eat before and after exercise1
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I sometimes experience anxiety / panic attack symptoms at the beginning of my workout - when that happens, I slow down my movements, take some deep breaths, and keep going. By the time I hit the 10 minute mark, I'm usually grounded enough to kick things back up.
Depending on how intense your symptoms are, you may want to consult your doctor.2 -
bootyrubsandtacos wrote: »I use to have exercise induced panic attacks all the time when I first started working out. It's scary as hell. What helped me was switching to more low impact workouts (I use videos) You get the elevated heart rate without feeling like you're going to collapse at the end. It's a win win.
That's what I'm trying to do with Zumba. By the way I love your username lol0 -
I couldn't work out for months due to panic attacks. Great advice here on breathing, etc. Because working out hard mimics some of my panic attack symptoms, and I'm afraid of panic attacks, it would start a spiral. I had to start slow and tough it out. Run two minutes, feel the panic coming on, stop running, control it as much as possible. Next day was three minutes. After a while I convinced myself that if it was something to panic and die over, I would've already. Also, being outside and keeping cool helped a lot. Hang in there. Panic attacks suck.
Sometimes my body forgets that. If it was something to panic and die over I already would've lol. That's something I definitely need to keep at the forefront of my mind. I'm gonna keep hanging 1 -
Hey y'all!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!Hey y'all!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
0 -
Any tips on how to stop hyperventilating when working out? It's really stopping me from working out as hard as I want to. Panic attacks are seriously the devil0
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Deep breaths. Also, do you practice "grounding?" Google it. A few people have sort of described it above, but it's a technique that can "pull" you out of the panic. Also, I like to count my steps to get a rhythm going. Then I align my breathing with it.1
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Hey y'all!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
Are you certain it's a panic attack? Years ago my 15 year old daughter thought the same thing, she would get panic attacks. Then one day she had one after drinking a Red Bull and thought she was going to have a heart attack. We rushed her to the ER and found out she had Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome. It's an extra pathway in her heart, when she would get her heart rate up high enough it wouldn't slow down, it would get stuck in a loop. They fixed it finally by burning the extra pathway (it was a same day outpatient thing) by going in through an artery in her leg. Anyway my point is see a doctor if you have not.0 -
Spliner1969 wrote: »Hey y'all!
I've been struggling with anxiety & severe panic disorder for 5 years now. Whenever I start to workout and my breathing becomes a little labored, I start to hyperventilate and then I go into a full blown panic attack & I feel like I'm about to pass out.
It's really killing the intensity in which I want to work out. Anyone in the same boat? Any ideas to overcome this? HELP!
Are you certain it's a panic attack? Years ago my 15 year old daughter thought the same thing, she would get panic attacks. Then one day she had one after drinking a Red Bull and thought she was going to have a heart attack. We rushed her to the ER and found out she had Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome. It's an extra pathway in her heart, when she would get her heart rate up high enough it wouldn't slow down, it would get stuck in a loop. They fixed it finally by burning the extra pathway (it was a same day outpatient thing) by going in through an artery in her leg. Anyway my point is see a doctor if you have not.
Pretty much 100% sure. I started having them 5 years ago after I lost my parents. I've had tests done and everything checked out. I do have Afib though...I think I may be nervous about triggering that by getting my heart rate up too high...I don't know. Thank you for your input0 -
I have exercise induced anxiety/panic. I don't go to a gym because of this, I don't need social anxiety on top of it!
When I first started it was terrible, literally a few seconds in to cardio and I'd be off but I would just stop and do laps round the room/my flat until I brought my breathing back to a manageable level. Rinse and repeat. Now I can go weeks without any issues at all but it took a lot of time and commitment.
On the odd occasion I decide I fancy going for a run I still get it but I can largely run through it and I go at the crack of dawn so there's just the odd dog walker.1 -
Pretty much 100% sure. I started having them 5 years ago after I lost my parents. I've had tests done and everything checked out. I do have Afib though...I think I may be nervous about triggering that by getting my heart rate up too high...I don't know. Thank you for your input
I can understand the anxiety after something like that. But, if you have the opportunity, discuss the afib with your doctor in relation to exercise. If they have not done an EKG on you, ask about it, and possibly a stress test. If nothing else it would put your mind at ease about it. Your doctor may also be able to give you an idea of the cost with your insurance, and maybe even roll it into an annual checkup to reduce the cost. More food for thought.
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