Try to be healthy, exercise giving me more anxiety

[Ruu 39]

So I've been trying to get my life in check to help. Quit my stressful job, paid off debts, started meditating and finally, trying to start exercising to help reduce more stress/anxiety and get a healthier body.

Frustraitingly exercise today seems to have triggered a few skipped beats and palpitations.

thats what I get for trying to be healthy ?

[jonathan123 2368]

Hi. Ruu. I have said this many times before and no doubt will again. You can exercise, read self help books, go to lectures and seminars, check this and that and Google like mad, but unless you find the root cause of your anxiety it will continue. Deep breathing, meditation etc. are band aids for anxiety. Something is wrong with the way we live and it manifests in anxiety. No amount of physical activity will make much difference because it's in the mind not the body where the problem lies. It may well come and go, but we will live in a state of apprehension waiting and wondering if 'IT' will return.  That is where counselling or some such therapy is what is required. It takes skill to determine underlying causes. I know only too well the cost involved and the time, and I do appreciate how difficult it can be to get that kind of help. Without some sort of such help we just go round in circles. All we can do here and on such sites is to reassure because people can't be expected to unload and be frank and open about their private lives, neither should we expect them to. But in my experience it's the private lives that are at the root of the problem. This is not what most want to hear because facing our real fears and doubts is hard and can be painful. But unless we do we can only rely on medication for relief, but that will never 'cure' anxiety. The symptoms of anxiety are but outward manifestations of an inner problem.

 

[jonathan123 2368]

I hope I am not misunderstood about the above post. Of course it's good to keep our body in good shape and to exercise.  Eating the right food and getting good sleep are essential to a well balanced life. But they should all be regarded as aids to our INNER development. They help to calm us, just as medication does, and allows us to look at ourselves and our situation.

What I was saying is that the exercise routine and diets etc. won't 'cure' anxiety. Many have been on this site suggesting all kinds of aids in eliminating anxiety. The websites on 'cures' for anxiety proliferate, but the vast majority just cash in on a desperate need that society is  wanting. DIY books are produced almost daily, but simply go over the same old ground over and over but using different words.

Whatever course you choose stick with it. But make sure it's a genuine desire to help and not a money making project. You will know because most people with anxiety are sensitive and usually have good intuitive awareness. So listen to your inner self before you embark on any new venture.

 

[Holls 1505]

Oh this is a great topic!!!! I have had good and bad with working out.. it does clear my head, there's no doubt about that. .. maybe not the first time but usually by the third day I'm feeling better. At the same time I get nervous to work out. I fear ALS so if I fail, fall or trip I think I would completely lose it. So I find myself avoiding it. My husband will make me go on walks with him and I feel better having someone there with me.. I feel safe.. do you have a work out buddy?? Even someone that is aware of your anxieties would be a good work out partner.. 

Health anxiety is a thinking disorder so I also try to let the thoughts come in and just leave without believing them or fearing them. They are just thoughts, they don't mean anything. I agree, eating well, sleeping and working out helps a lot!!!!!!!! (I personally could not mediate. But my dad swears by it) you just have to find what works for you. It a trail and error thing. 

Hugs you are making great efforts to feel better!!! 

Also expect body sensations during and after exercise. I twitch like mad afterwards and I have to remind myself this IS normal! Heart papls are normal.. muscle fatigue.. winded breath  etc etc.

[Iugrad91 501]

Like Holls and Jonathan mentioned HA is a thinking disorder, so all of those band aids as Jonathan called them will only help if they can change the way you think about your health. For me, meditation helps because when I start to obsess over some symptom I can bring myself back to the present and tell myself that my thoughts can't hurt me and they aren't truths, and can let them go. It doesn't work every time, but it does help me most of the time. Exercise helps me by helping to decrease cortisol and adrenaline when I get anxious. Staying healthy helps me because I know I am doing what my body needs to work well. If the minute you exercise and get a palp you think, see I knew it wasn't good for me to exercise, you're right back into the thinking trap. Palps and skipped beats are NOT harmful if you have been checked out and cleared by a doc. If I am feeling especially anxious about something (too anxious to meditate at the time) then I try to at least go for a walk or do some exercises at home to calm my body and give it a way to release some of that enenrgy. At the very least the hour of exercising I do is an hour where I'm not thinking about my "symptoms" which also somehow magically disappear when I exercise. That also leads me to believe they are anxiety related.

Its a slow and steady process to change your thinking and one attempt to exercise is not going to make you feel better right away. Keep at it and you will be doing more good for yourself than you know. 

[Ellebel 67]

I agree completely that it is a process that also requires to change thinking. BUT, if you keep in mind that palps and breathing issues etc are indeed NORMAL with exercise, for anyone, the more balanced hormone levels and endorphines should make you feel better long term from working out! So do not avoid it! I have been avoiding it for weeks and i only got worse and worse. Now my muscles are incredibly sore and i walk like a penguin (LOL) but the mind starts to get clearer slowly!

[Ruu 39]

Thank you everyone! This does seem like good topic for discussion and everyone has some very helpful info/ideas!

i agree with everyone! And totally understand it's all in the mind and the problems need fixing rather than just masking them. Although I also think some of the things that may be seen as just bandaids could be the problem to start with, reducing stress for example, stress could be a big cause to start with so reducing it is definitely a positive.

Thanks everyone! I won't stop trying to be healthy and improving, I just need to keep in mind it's all normal

[Holls 1505]

2 hours ago, Ruu said:

Thank you everyone! This does seem like good topic for discussion and everyone has some very helpful info/ideas!

i agree with everyone! And totally understand it's all in the mind and the problems need fixing rather than just masking them. Although I also think some of the things that may be seen as just bandaids could be the problem to start with, reducing stress for example, stress could be a big cause to start with so reducing it is definitely a positive.

Thanks everyone! I won't stop trying to be healthy and improving, I just need to keep in mind it's all normal

Just wanted to let you know you inspired me to work out. I did my Richard Simmons step work out lol. !! I didn't let my mind sabotage it.... Oh it tried a few times. 

Getting healthy is a great step for great things

 

[Ruu 39]

Haha I'm glad! ? I'm going to stick with it too and keep going with eating fit and healthy.

[anthonycain 15]

Your inspiring me to work out as well... I usually stop when my breathing seems off.. it's all in the breath with me...if my respiratory system seems off balance, then I don't work out ..but I now see that I have to try and ignore them. This anxiety thing is the craziest thing I ever experienced... It's definitely filled with weird symptoms and sensations... My problem is finding a way to ignore those sensations ..they are soooo scary, it's hard to ignore. But I'm going to ignore the shortness of breath, the twitching muscles.. the full/ numb feeling in my head, the back soreness... The bloated belly, the dizziness, the smothering sensations, the feeling of a stroke or a seizure coming on, and throat tightness. I'm going to ignore them all

[Ruu 39]

5 hours ago, anthonycain said:

Your inspiring me to work out as well... I usually stop when my breathing seems off.. it's all in the breath with me...if my respiratory system seems off balance, then I don't work out ..

That's very interesting! I've noticed something similar. Very often when I get a sudden palp/skipped beat, I'll notice that I was subconsciously holding my breath or something like that. My breathing not being right often seems to be a trigger 

[Jennie048 115]

I also struggle with the effects of working out as it sometimes prompts my Health Anxiety.  Not so much the breathing or heart palpitation part as that doesn't seem to bother me.  I do a lot of intense exercise classes which include some weight lifting which in turn causes lots of sore muscles.  I am constantly worried when I feel sore that maybe something else is wrong and am constantly poking and prodding in those areas to see if I feel anything abnormal, any lumps, swollen lymph nodes, etc... which I don't ....just sore muscles.  It is a constant struggle not to feel this craziness and I think we have to keep pushing forward as exercise is really good for you and must be done!  Just know that you are not alone in these feelings....