What to do (and not do) if exercise leaves you anxious...
Exercise is my jam. It’s my Xanax. My means to sanity.
I often tell the incarcerated fellas I work with that exercise is what keeps me out of prison (full-time).
While exercise is what helps me manage anxiety and discharge stress, I recognize some find exercise to be very anxiety-provoking. If that’s you, keep reading, pal.
When you exercise, your nervous system shifts into a sympathetic state of fight or flight - the same state that’s activated during a stressful or traumatic event.
Two things can happen here.
One. When you exercise, your heart rate is up, you're sweating, and your breath is shallow. The same sensations that were present during a stressful or traumatic experience. Outside your awareness, while you're jamming out to your music and moving your body, your amygdala is watching for potential danger.
When your amygdala detects inner cues that resemble a past emotional memory (i.e., sweating, shallow breathing, racing heart), it'll start to think you’re in danger. Your amygdala will respond to you exercising as if that past traumatic event was still taking place. The problem is, it isn't. You are just engaging in an activity that produces sensations that resemble a past trauma.
Two. Your "what-if" thoughts about the physical sensations scare your amygdala, which is like pouring fuel on the fire. This can lead to a panic attack.
If you’re borderline crippled with anxiety when exercising, here’s what I need you to do (and not do)…
I need you to pause for a second and send your amygdala a signal of safety. You can do this by listening to a song that is associated with a positive memory, looking at a photo on your phone of someone who lights your heart up, relaxing your muscles and engaging in deep belly breaths, or going for a slow walk outside. If you know you’re prone to being triggered, you can even pack a scent that triggers a sense of calm for you. If you start to feel anxious, close your eyes and take a sniff.
Now, here’s what I don’t want you to do…
I don’t want you to stop exercising.
Avoiding what leaves you anxious only strengthens your amygdala’s belief that the said thing you’re avoiding is bad (and you’ll feel more anxious next time). The more you do what leaves you anxious, the more you show you’re amygdala that it doesn’t need to be so protective, and the less likely you’ll get triggered in the future (this is why exposure therapy is so great).
I hope this was helpful.
If you have questions, don’t be shy. Leave them in the comments section (Remember, commenting is a perk of being a paying member of this courageous community.).
Until our next chat,
Biggest hugs.
P.S. Have you hit play on the courageously.u podcast yet? If not, whatcha waiting for, friend? It’s a safe space for courageous conversations about the hard parts of being human. We talk about it all, and I guarantee you won’t regret hitting play today.