Just went for a run?

[footballking]

Well here we go. I've decided to tackle this head on. I've already had all non invasive heart tests done and nothing has come up but a high heart rate 120 on occasion. I still get dizziness because of some other problem but here we go.

I've decided that I have to get out of this mess I put my mind in, and the only way to do it is, to attack it, allow myself to die if there's an actual problem anywhere within my body.


So I went for a run tonight after driving to some peaceful area, after falling on my arm earlier.. Half way through running i get pain in my left back, don't know whether it was from hurting my arm earlier or an actual problem with my heart. But kept running with the mindset that i've had the needed tests done and nothing has come up, not even missed heart beats from what i'm aware.

So what does it come down to? I'm 20, athletic body, young and if there is a problem then the only way i'm going to be taken seriously is if it happens, but i can't stay in my house and dwell on what might happen. I'm gonna keep this going everyday until I break the 'habit' that gives me anxiety. which is stroke or heart attack.

Eventually after 20-30 days of running, I'm hoping that if I'm still alive haha ;) my mind will eventually break the habit of thinking and think well i've ran for 30 days in a row and it hasn't happened, if i was in serious threat then it would have happened by now.

You might ask why i'm writing this? well to motivate other people and myself.
Let me know if any of you are doing anything similar or any advice.

[cattia]

What a great post! Facing your fears like this truly is the best way to beat them. Despite the fact that you're still feeling the sensation of anxiety, you're bringing your rational mind and your determination to tackle it. A great example and truly positive attitude, way to go :)

[skippy66]

This is great advice. However for many with health anxiety, the thought of exercise is enough to make them panic. When I was in the depths of health anxiety I didn't feel like I could exercise because I would get ectopics just from crouching down or twisting my body sometimes. I also felt that exercise would lead to me dropping dead.

What you are doing is excellent, you are bright enough to have realised that the way to conquer fear is to face it head on. The other crucial aspect in beating this is to loosen your grip on the world - people with HA want to be in control of everything at all times. They don't 'ride the wave' as normal people do. As soon as you can think: "**** it, I'm going out for a jog and if it kills me, so what!" - then you're halfway there.

The other crucial point is not to dwell on things like back pain when running - it's totally normal, or a variation of normal as one doctor once told me. I get rib pain when running. It's caused by the jarring motion, especially if you're not used to it.

I suffer from PSVT by the way, which can be scary at times, but doesn't bother my cardiologist one bit. He tells me to exercise through any palpitations I get, which I do. And every time I survive a jog, game of football etc, I feel that much stronger and have that much more confidence in my body's ability to keep me alive.

Keep up the good work.

[footballking]

This is great advice. However for many with health anxiety, the thought of exercise is enough to make them panic. When I was in the depths of health anxiety I didn't feel like I could exercise because I would get ectopics just from crouching down or twisting my body sometimes. I also felt that exercise would lead to me dropping dead.

What you are doing is excellent, you are bright enough to have realised that the way to conquer fear is to face it head on. The other crucial aspect in beating this is to loosen your grip on the world - people with HA want to be in control of everything at all times. They don't 'ride the wave' as normal people do. As soon as you can think: "**** it, I'm going out for a jog and if it kills me, so what!" - then you're halfway there.

The other crucial point is not to dwell on things like back pain when running - it's totally normal, or a variation of normal as one doctor once told me. I get rib pain when running. It's caused by the jarring motion, especially if you're not used to it.

I suffer from PSVT by the way, which can be scary at times, but doesn't bother my cardiologist one bit. He tells me to exercise through any palpitations I get, which I do. And every time I survive a jog, game of football etc, I feel that much stronger and have that much more confidence in my body's ability to keep me alive.

Keep up the good work.

There's no doubt in my mind that this can be beaten. It's like your battling your mind, if someone can beat this they can beat anything and get anywhere in life. It's like a test of your endurance and will power.

I think what most of us and the majority population had in mind before we had a hint of illness is that they and we were blind to the idea of death and illness because it's second nature, not something we think about.

I was doing 2 allnighters in a row 2 years ago for my exams, drinking red bull, and none of this shit crossed my mind. Didn't think "will my heart give out because of lack of sleep", just kept going..

How did you beat it in the end if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks.

[DubPeace]

Exercising is definitely a good idea, it is also the main method I used to get control of my panic attacks, which have diminished almost completely (still feel depressed every now and then, but I've always been like that and I also have had a bad knee injury now for a long time, so it's probably unrelated to HA).

The only thing I would like to point out is the importance of resting, 30 days straight of running sounds quite excessive. Obviously it depends on the intensity and duration of the running, but keep in mind that it takes 48h for the muscles to recover (72h if high intensity training). And if you have panic attacks, your body will probably tense up, your muscles will have a hard time relaxing, and recovery MIGHT take even longer than usual.
So if you want to exercise, please do, it will most likely help you get in a much better mood and make you think clearer, but I would still not recommend pushing your body too much. Training 3-4times/week for a month would seem like a better option.

[dlr108]

fair play mate attack the fear head on thats what im gonna gave to do

i was a gym rat before all this health anxiety crap started used to go to work at 5 in the morning finish at 2 then gym it for 2 hours now im scared to move because of my pvcs