excersise

[tanjab74]

Research says that physical excersise is a must in people with panic disorder. Do any of you find it helpful. I completely stoped due to my agoraphobia, and i wonder would I feel better if I excersise

[camel]

hi

Yes, exercise is really beneficial. It helps to release all the pent up nervous energy and it burns off excess adrenalin.
Think how 100's of years ago, man would be active all day long, hunting and gathering. Nowadays we spend all day in an office, in front of a computer or watching TV. This only serves to build up and store nervous energy.

I highly recommend you start exercising again. But remember to start slow and build up to more when you can manage. You might not notice the effects for a while, but keep with it.

They say 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 or 4 times a week is the most beneficial for anxiety sufferers as only at those levels do the endorphins get released which make you feel great. Obviously you won't be able to just get up and do 20 minutes straight away if you have been idle for a while; it is something you are going to have to build yourself up to.

An exercise bike, treadmill, swimming etc are the best forms of aerobic exercise and will get your heart pumping nicely. I see you are agoraphobic so perhaps an exercise bike or treadmill will be best. Or you can even run on the spot in your room and do jumping jacks etc..

It is always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine, but if you are young and healthy then it should be fine.

Good luck and keep it up. In the long run it will be very beneficial for your anxiety as well as your general health

 

[tinam7]

Any exercise, vigorous or not, is unmatched, as far as I am concerned, to make us feel better. Yoga, tai chi, qigong, even meditation will help. Dumbbells, or fit ball (use caution), or medicine ball are excellent too, easy to fit in anywhere. An illustrated book by Joseph Pilates is wonderful. DVD's from the library are nice. Music gets me going.

Slowly you will be able to venture out, walk, and be renewed by the outdoors and nature, as simple as the air, sky, clouds, trees, bushes, birds darting about. Wishing you the best.

[tanjab74]

Thank you so much. I am at the lowest point now, afraid to excersise, take supplements even magnesium, calming teas...afraid that every change will make it even worse. i am starting to loose hope that I will ever be healthy again

[constantmover]

You have been given some really great advice here.  NEVER lose hope!  You will get better if you put your mind to it instead of dwelling on negatives.  Positive thought is extremely powerful and once you find some success, more will come.  That will happen by the confidence you will gain with your positive thoughts.  So, instead of thinking that you can't exercise or drink tea or whatever else is holding you back, change your thinking around from thinking "what if" to "why not"...So what if you feel some panic at first, it goes away and you should gain confidence that you have worked through panic and been able to do things that you know will help in the long run.

NEVER SAY NEVER!  We all, at some point get discouraged, but that is when we have to dig deep down and not let this damn disorder define who we are.  Get up in the morning with a plan and do your darnedest to stick to it.  Get satisfaction from all the things you are able to accomplish in your day and vow to do the things you haven't been able to get to. 

Many of us have been to the absolute depths from this disorder, but have managed to pull ourselves up and you can too, but you really need to turn that thinking around and realize that the only thing that is holding you back from doing the things you want, is you...Nothing else.  Get those positive thoughts going and you will be surprised as to what you can accomplish regardless if you have a panic attack or not...One can work through it and come out the other side with more confidence. 

[floridaguy65]

All wonderful replies, IHMO:) To me, exercise is crucial and vital to our, overall, healing paths from anxiety / panic disorder(s). It needs to be a part of the program for all of us...there just isn't any other way to look at it, to me:)

Pushing through fears can be troubling, for sure. But, pushing though fears is, inevitably, needed to find our way back to some peace:) I know how mountainous challenges can seem when we are amped up with fear, panic, anxiety and insecurities. These dominate fears are driven by our anxiety issues...the true outcome of situations is rarely, rarely, rarely, rarely as bad as we have built it up in our weary minds. We don't die - nobody dies from anxiety / panic, though I know how we feel that we are destined to be 'short-timers' here on Earth, sometimes.

All we can do is get some focus (as best as we can) and try. If we stumble a bit and, maybe, "fall-down", we can get back up, dust ourselves off and try again. And repeat. The trying does get better, eventually:)

There is always help and hope. Always!:)

Peace and Feel Well:)

[afuser11]

Lemme tell you the short story of my experience with panic disorder with agoraphobia. Its been going on for about 6 months now. It got so bad that it lead to thousands of dollars in medical bills, an obsession with my heart (thinking something was wrong with it), and I had to take a medical leave of absence from (of all places) my first year of medical school.

A lot of things have really helped me in my recovery (I would say that I am about 70% better at this point, still have a lot to go). One of those things was (when I got over the fear) exercise. I do moderate aerobic exercise for about 30 minutes everyday. It makes a huge difference, believe me. You will get that "parasympathetic" rebound effect after exercise that calms your nerves (esp. good if you do not want to use klonopin/ativan/xanax everyday for your anxiety).

[hestes]

Exercise has helped me with my panic attacks more than just about anything.  I have found a combination of several things that seem to keep them under control, but exercise seems to have the best impact.  If you've never ready it, the book "Spark" by John Ratey goes into detail about exercise and how it can help anxiety, depression, etc.

Exercise has also helped me prevent panic attacks.  If I start to feel like I am about to get one, I can do a quick set of something and it actually helps prevent it from becoming a full blown attack. 

P.S. I do more weight training and kickboxing type workouts vs running or cycling.

[sandyoz]

I recently started going to the local pool and walking up and down in the water and im finding not only do I feel better physically, I am sleeping much better and overall feel more positive .. I miss it the days I dont go not because I like exercise as much as I like the way it makes me feel when I do it..

[~justme~]

exercise is a good thing but in my case i fear everything and it scares me. its all on the person and we have to find a way to conquer to be healthy

[anxiouskathie]

For me, I think exercise is the best distraction there is.  I'm into walking a lot, and so not only does it provide the benefit of exercise, it also gets me out into the fresh air.

[Julia3322]

I walk on my treadmill 4-5x a week for one hour. I definitely think it helps! I used to take spin class, but since you get your heart rate to our maximum, it made me panic IN CLASS! Ugh But walking does not! I would just start out slow and work up to it! Yoga is also great for anxiety

[Linasea]

Hi, I think exercise and staying in the sun a few hours a day is beneficial for both panic and depression.

[Cheesus]

I've started running a lot. I find it really helps me :) clears my head and puts things in perspective. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

[novangel]

Exercise gives me panic attacks because I focus on my heart racing. :/ I wish I could get over that so I can drop some weight.

[tinam7]

Your heart does not have to race with exercise. Even in the gym when I work machines and free weights, my heart does not race. Walking is the easiest way to exercise and you can do so at a pace that is gentle and refreshing.

Also, exercise helps you to maintain weight not necessarily lose it. Cutting calories (sugar, fat, salt, white flour products) will help you to lose weight and keep it off. Wish you the best.

[derrick]

When ever I feel my anxiety coming on I hit the treadmill and it usually helps burn off that anxious feeling for the rest of the day. I am 52 and I do like to run but find it too hard on me to run every day. I also have a 20 month old baby that impacts on when I run. I do try to fit it in 3x a week anxiety or not.

[LindaRK]

Any exercise is good, but raising your heart rate is what's best.

[tinam7]

There are a variety of benefits of a variety of forms of exercise. I tend to break a sweat on the treadmill but think there is great benefit even if I don't. The same with walking.

The traditional primarily men's sports world, is imitated. There is much more to exercise in all its dimensions, in my view. When we are doing Pilates, for example, working on core muscles, we are doing so much to avoid a host of other problems. If we are stretching and bending and breathing deeply, becoming aware of spine and posture with yoga or qigong, we are renewing ourself in countless ways. Bones need weight resistance. Balance needs balance exercises, including fit ball.

The best exercise is to chase a 20 month old bundle of energy.

[MindGames]

I walk myself.  At least thirty minutes a day, when it's warm enough in the winter.   I also started using this time for a worried period.  Seems to be working a little.