Read and Try this

[Joe1981]

Okay i'm trying something here that may or may not help but here it goes.

I decided to write down how i feel with all my symptoms at this very moment and then go do a cardio workout (exercise bike) for 1 hour and then wait 10 mins for my heart rate to go back down and then post how i feel after the workout.

Before the workout this is how i feel;

-very tired
-very light headed, feel like i can fall over.
-some tightness in the back of my neck
-feeling anxious/nervous/scared
-eyes are a bit sore
-breathing seems forced and i seem to be holding my breath instead of -taking nice deep abdominal breaths
-some tightness on the top of my head and some in my chest and stomach

After the 1 hour workout this is how i feel;

-I feel honestly good
-no light headedness at the moment
-i dont feel anxious at all or scared/nervous
-legs are sore though + lots of sweating
-i'm tired but its a good tired feeling not an exhausted feeling
-eyes are not sore at all
-neck feels less tense but i do still feel some tightness
-breathing feels very relaxed, taking nice long deep breaths
-my mood has changed, i'm in a good mood.
-some tightness in the head but nowhere close to what it was before
-no tightness in the chest or stomach at all

This feeling i get from working out seems to last for a few hours and then some of my symtpoms come back however the few hours of feeling good is great and this is without any meds..

Feel free to try this and make a list of the pre workout and the post workout feelings.. It took me about a week of light exercise to notice very big changes in my moods but you should notice some change even when just starting out.

The feeling i get after working out is amazing but the working out part is tough and isnt that amazing lol

Give this a go and let me know how it goes!

[jacq]

Hi Joe, i have been using this technique for a year or so since my panic got worse again and regulary spend an hour on my strider frantically out running the panic. I thought it was a really good idea until i mentioned it too my mental health support nurse at his last visit. He told me that it is a distraction not a coping technique and like most distraction techniques while it works it is great but then one day it doesn't bring the usual relief and it feels like a major disaster and it's like "Oh my god what am i going to do now". I thought he was talking a load of rubbish but then on talking to someone i have known for ages but never realised they had panic attacks i realised he is right. I had always thought of my friend as a real daredevil, he used to scuba dive at the local pool (untill he had a panic underwater) he went bike riding up mountains (untill he panicked at the top and had to get down) he took up running (panicked miles from home) he now goes to the gym for hours everynight, and he has admitted that they all worked for a while but he realises he is just using the adrenaline rush to counteract the panic and when it stops working he moves on to the next thing. My nurse has told me that while excersise is important for stress i should make time everyday at set times and not jump on the strider at the first sign of a panic as i don't give my body chance to calm down naturally it is usually just exhausted after my work out. My worse distraction is pulling hairs-my eyebrows, hairs on my head and even the hairs on my legs with tweezers. I find that the rush of pain distracts from the panic for a few seconds and while i realise it is not normal and could bring a new set of problems (haven't got the right shape head to be bald) at the moment it works for me!. My husband wants to know why frantic hoovering, dusting and gardening doesn't bring the same relief, but i am not sure he's got my interests at heart!!LOL.

Jacq x

[Joe1981]

Exercise not only helps with anxiety it helps with your overall well being.. both metal and physical. So I don't agree with what your nurse has said because exercise does help with panic and anxiety.. Do some research.

I've had 1 doctor tell me that a well balance diet, rest and exercise is 8 times better than meds.. But yah, like your nurse it may just be that one persons view.

All i know is when i exercise i feel great and when i sit around and do nothing my anxiety is 100% worse.

Take Care

[beginners mind]

Hi

You are both right!

Exercise is part of what we need to do to bring our fitness levels back up (particularly if we have agoraphobia) and it can burn off adrenaline that is running around but it is not a standalone treatment on it's own.

It can be used as a distraction if we think about it that way.

So we should exercise, sleep and eat well, take time out to relax and meditate each day and work on our thinking and exposure. It is all encompasing plan of recovery that will help us most.

Exercise on it's own is not dealing with the creator of the anxiety symptoms which are our thoughts!

So, you are both correct!

[jacq]

Hi Joe, I am not sure you got the meaning of what i was trying to say, i actually said in the first line i do exactly the same as you and it works for me at the moment. I also wrote that my mental health nurse said that:

"My nurse has told me that while excersise is important for stress i should make time everyday at set times and not jump on the strider at the first sign of a panic"

So i actually agreed with you, and never once said that excersice isn't good for anxiety, so if you are exercising for the health benefits and not just as a means to controlling your panic i apologise, that is just the impression i got. What my nurse was trying to make me see was that all i am doing - and he is right - is distracting myself at that time which helped me forget my symptoms. He was asked me what i would do one day if i was in a situation and started to feel anxious and i didn't have the means of exercising say if i was in a shop or out in the car, then i understood what he was trying to warn me about--- not relying on outside influences to ward off an attack, but try and use my own thinking. I have done some research ( i have had panic and agoraphobia for 22 years and have read everything i can find!!) and i must say most profesionals warn about relying on outside influences for long periods. I have recently read that more frequent shorter bursts of excersise are better for stress levels than 1 long session so i'll have to try and change my routine. I agree with what Beginers mind said about the meditating and relaxing (also suggested by mental health nurse) but i just cant seem to relax enough to begin, i find it very hard to sit still as this is when i start to feel anxious, how do you start?

Jacq x

[Tom_M]

Exercise is essential for emotional health. Apart from exercising burning up all those anxiety causing chemicals, it also releases chemicals in the brain that promote feel a feel-good mood.

[beautyinmisery]

Every doctor and therapist has told me that regular exercise would greatly diminish my anxiety/panic symptoms. Reading this just reminded me of that. I think it would do my body&mind good to work out :)