Anyone Struggle With Anxiety And Exercising Or 'doing Good' For Yourself?

[tuffjulz47]

Hi there, I'm new to this group and have really have appreciated all the new and confirming information about PTSD. My question is about Anxiety about working out, or doing things that you know are good for you. Going for a walk. Talking with a friend. Or going out. I really struggle with anxiety about working out, getting my heart rate up. I'm not sure if it is subconscious about how a panic attack starts with those feelings of if its the 'exposed' feeling.

I played competitive and semi-pro soccer for 25 years of my life but with out regular practices or game, mainly because I have a bit of a bum knee. So, my athleticism is there, its just my head really defeats me. And I struggle, of course, knowing it can help. Any suggestions, or recommendations?

Much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Sideways]

Hey, welcome to the forum:)

I've got a dose of the agoraphobia happening, as well as self-loathing that gets set off whenever I know I'm doing something good for myself, so yeah, keeping up the exercise is really hard. But it's also pretty critical, health wise, and keeping my thoughts under control, so it's about finding something that works for you.

It sounds like you might be talking yourself into a bit of a panic about the heartrate thing, since with that anxiety on board, it's the anxiety that's probably causing most of the panic. Your heart rate does go up when you exercise and have a panic attack, but from there, the changes in your body are completely different. If exercise creates any kind of emotion, it's more likely to be good (rather than panic) because of all the different things happening physiologically.

Physiologically, if you can actually get yourself exercising and your cardio going, your anxiety is likely to go down. So it's getting started with something you're comfortable doing that's the big hurdle to get over.

I personally stick with exercising early in the morning and on my own to reduce the number of people around as a way of keeping the anxiety down. Longer term, being able to keep up the exercise is likely to help me have less anxiety overall, and more particularly keep the depression under control, so I keep it as one of those non-negotiable must-do things like taking meds and eating 3 meals, that way the whole "doing something good for myself" issue doesn't interfere as much (although it never really goes away either, just got to coexist with it).

Different strokes for different folks, but hopefully some of that helps...

 

[Enaila]

I have found exercises in the water to be kinder on a recovering body and being in the water with the water movement, lights reflecting gently, and calming muted sounds to be beneficial.

 

[rascal]

I do powerlifting at home 6 days a week to burn off the stress and I can relate to your fears. I actually tapped into my sense of injustice and rage to get started. It was less about doing something good for myself and more about finding a place to safely express those feelings where I'm not hurting anyone. Now I realize that indulging too much in that rage can be addictive and bad for my health. Probably not the best solution, but it got me started!

One of the things I currently struggle with during exercise is associating my anxious thoughts with my elevated physiological state - it's as if the mind-body connection is so strong that any time my adrenaline gets pumping I reflexively want to go into PTSD mode. I've started combating this with solely focusing on my breath during breaks between sets and really focusing on form when doing reps. It works (for me at least).

 

[NAWWAL]

I have been struggling with my weight gain since I have been diagnosed with cptsd. I have found that exercise can be a trigger for me because of the increased heart rate and breathing.
I used to be quite adventurous by going caving, canyoning, climbing and hiking so it was hard to leave those behind because it would set me off. I always miss being in the bush because I find it is good for the soul.
Just about the only thing I can manage at the moment is walking my dog. She makes me happy and her being there helps distract from potential triggers. Do you own a dog? Could you borrow one for a walk? I found that pets are beyond brilliant for therapy.