Exercise has some how helped me think clearer and feel more aware

[Ollie28]

Eveving all,

Some of you have helped me along the way with my so called anxiety, my main symptom being totall lack of brain power, awareness and clarity - its been hell,

Anyways ive been so bad with it for the last 10 months ive not done any excersice like i use to, i quit boxing, i quit football, basically because im struggling. but last night i made myself go despite how much i could think or how much pain i was in i just got in my car and went. I played a hour & half with some colleagues and i felt great after it! Ive always been competetive to the point where i crave a challenge and i all ways want to win, i believe its that eager & proud fight feeling ive always had,

Any hows - what i noticed was i felt great, not just great because i just excercised but great in terms of today my memory, awareness, freshness, was the best its been since this all started, now i know i cant go football everynight il just run myself in to the ground im just wondering if its something more than what the drs are saying - why would all my symptoms ive had for 10 minthe solid lift after a competative game of football?

Even now i feel great, today for the first time in months i felt as if i could connect to my family and actually have a proper conversation and take in and reply and be aware of what the hell is happening around me.

Strange

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Hi Ollie,

I've just read this thread and your other one about your head symptoms. I have been suffering with pretty much the same thing for about 2 years now since my anxiety etc started. I too also find my head is somewhat clearer after vigorous exercise.

My head feels constantly foggy and pressured and very rarely does this ease up. I don't know for sure what causes it but I have some suspicions its partly from anxiety but also something to do with my heart/blood pressure, its nothing to worry about so don't let this get you paranoid but do you mind me asking what your resting heart rate and blood pressure are?

[wabbit1]

That's great the you've found some release. I run and find it a huge help.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thats great news Ollie! It must have felt amazing after all the distress you have had with these symptoms.

You mentioned whether it could be something more than anxiety because why would that go when you exercise. I think you need to look at it the opposite way, why would exercise make something more than anxiety go away? Isn't is more likely that anxiety can be taken away through healthy behaviours and the endorphins that exercise produces? Exercise wouldn't take off something more serious.

I think you have found what you need, something that deals with this and you should hang onto it. You still feel good today, so that says you don't need the exercise everyday and can set a routine that allows for breaks inbetween. It would make sense to see if it lasts another day or so and then you know what the intervals need to be at the moment. These may change as you start to recover.

[Mindknot]

Exercise releases endorphins and balances out the stress chemicals floating around your body - if you're playing a competitive game that you enjoy, it's probably even more effective!
When I first got extremely panicky, I had a panic attack AT THE GYM and this kind of messed up my relationship with exercise somewhat for a while, but now I make sure I go at least twice a week, don't push it (too much achiness or getting out of breath leads me into a HA spiral I've found), and it makes me feel better for a couple of days at least, so you don't need to do it everyday, but even little things that get your blood pumping a bit could be good every day, i.e. walking to work or going for a walk at lunchtime, run up and down some stairs a couple of times, or do some jumping jacks?

[Ollie28]

That makes sense terry, i think i now know my problem i think im stuck in chronic dissociation from a highly stressfull, emotional & psycological traumatic trauma.

I only know this from doing my own research and studying other peoples posts, mental health with the NHS today is shocking! Ive been past from dr to dr therapist to therapist and not one has a clue about how to help me.
I was told there is nothing on the NHS that deals with dossociation disorders so im having to find a private therapist that really i cant afford but i need some form of life back.

My troubles probably go back to when i was a child, my childhood was very unsettled and i was always nurvous as a kid, i watched my alcoholic farther treat my mum like dirt mentally & physically i moved out of my family home as soon as i could and never reall did deal with the past, Recently well 10 months ago went through a horrible time with my current partner although we got back together 3 weeks before this hit me hard, luckly enough shes been my strength through all of this.

Does this sound normal for anxiety - it started a couple of weeks before i was having moments of strangeness kind of like the life was taken out if me i felt strange and basically i couldnt think or do anything it would only last for 15 - 20 mins each time then go it happend that oftern i can recall one day tellibg myself "that thing hasnt happend today"
One evening i was fine i was cooking tea then bam! Out of know where it felt like i had been hit by a train a swith had been switched and i felt strange, everything felt unfamiliar like didnt know where i was i started to panic a bit then i calm down and it happend again! Abd that was it! I was stuck like that, the next waking day i felt like i did the night before my brain was switched off i felt dream like and i couldnt take nothing in, litrally! That week as the days went by the wirst it got! Looking back now i think it might of been dp but the more panicked and tried to figuer it out the deeper i got. It was so bad i was at the drs every night, i litrally didnt have a clue what i was doing i was that broke.
In the end i was given a week of diazepam witch i took felt ok forgot about it all thouggt it was the cure! - damn was i wrong!! The week after i started setraline i think there called and after 3 days that afternoon i was on my hands abd knees screaming in pain but it was like a electrafying crushing pain like my brain was being fried alive! I honeslty felt like i was losing my mind and i was trying to keep myself sane! It was horrible. It happend a fee times each time easing a bit to the point it just ended up feeling like my nurves are being electrified or Prickled! Horrible.

---------- Post added at 22:28 ---------- Previous post was at 22:17 ----------

Im still stuck like i was at the start everyday is a battle now.
See at the same time this started i was hitting the gym very very hard i had so much anger and adrenaline in me because of what i was going though i just needed to use it up, i was using the gym and boxing for that feel good on top of the world feeling as a drug basically to lift me and take away the emotional pain and worthlessness i was experiencing at the time. Maybe its that that coursed this! Too hard too much? I was hardly sleeping at the time i was having nightmares and worrying about my family ect. I wasnt eating proper either i lost 4 st in 3 months.

But its that feeling again now that i crave, its that feeling of on top of the world good excited feeling after a good work out that made me feel great on monday night and most of the day tuesday - todays been crap! 8-(

Could there be something wrong with something to do with the transmitters, ive read about the chemicals and protiens that act as a feel good switch and when you excercise,

Its that feeling that made my mind feel clear, my awareness feel better and my clarity better onlt thing is im soooo sore now!! Ha.

The only other thing i find helps is taking 5 minutes to relax close my eyes do some breathing then when relaxed think about the past,

Its all in there i just need to find someone to help me recover it and feel normal like i use too.

---------- Post added at 22:33 ---------- Previous post was at 22:28 ----------

...my grammer is terrible! This is another problem i feel so un intelligent i can hardly remember how to spell or put sentances together! Its frustrating and embarrasing....Sigh!!!