Anxiety after Exercise

photo by lu_lu

In this podcast a listener asks about how to cope with anxiety that was triggered after intense exercise. Here's the question:

Q: Of late I am troubled with excess of anxiety that all started around one year back (the incidence that triggered and sensitised my mind and body was the moment when I almost felt breathless and panicked after a rigorous workout in the gym). After that one incidence, my life is completely dominated by anxious thoughts, failing to be in control etc. I am too sensititised and find it difficult to rest or be at ease.

Would be great to hear your thoughts.

What usually happens here is a horrible feeling of fear and loss of control that get's triggered by  breathlessness, and a racing heart.

As these can be symptoms of an anxiety attack, a person suffering from anxiety is already sensitised to those feelings as being related to panic or anxiety, but we also get short of breath and feel our heart race in many normal situations like running, or working out.

When we feel anxiety after exercising, it's often a case of mistaken identity. Our over-sensitised body and mind are quick to jump to the conclusion that a fast heart and shortness of breath means we have lost control and are suffering an anxiety attack. But what we perceive as "symptoms" might not actually be symptoms at all - they might be the natural consequence of physical exertion.

This is just a brief overview, to discover twoways to effectively deal with this problem, please listen to the full podcast here, or on iTunes

 If you have a question about coping with anxiety, please feel welcome to contact us.