To think that exercise could stop my panic attacks?

[GoldfishParade]

I have been diagnosed with panic disorder and my GP gave me some meds.

I really hate taking them though because they make me feel so sleepy. At the same time, I don't know how else to get a grip on the panic. The panic attacks can surge from nowhere for no reason, even when I'm not stressed. Its terrifying and living in anticipation of them is draining and scary. I feel like my body is giving up on me.

It occured to me that I am extremely sedentary. My job is sedentary and so are my hobbies.

AIBU to think that maybe panic attacks could be linked to too much nervous energy in the body that has no other outlet?

Anyone have any experience with getting their severe panic under control?

Bella Mackie's book on running and anxiety might be of interest? It's called Jog On. There is a lot of evidence about exercise making a difference to mental health, although I don't know about your nervous energy theory.

YANBU. I similarly have a sedentary job and hobbies, and a lot of anxiety (not panic attacks, mind you). What I learnt in lockdown is that the best way to relieve my anxiety is to do something, anything pretty much! In the last couple of years I've taken up running, which I never thought I would like, let alone love. Due to injury I had to take a break, and anxiety shot back up. All exercise helps, I'm finding.

@FatArse123
Very interesting thank you for sharing direct experience of this! And @PenCreed thanks for the recommendation, I'm going to check out the book now.

I find exercise helps enormously.

I think your body produces endorphins or something similar when you erxcercise that lifts your mood .

Also the sense of achievement is very affirming, it boosts my self esteem.

And just doing something I enjoy, walking in the park looking at trees, enjoying moving through water when swimming, maybe dancing is your thing?

Even a little excercise (3 half hour walks a week) increases your fitness, which makes you feel better.

And if you walk briskly outdoors sunshine is proven to improve your mood. Today is a good day to start, where I live

Also talk to your GP about your medication , there may be an alternative that suits you better.

And maybe look into CBT.

But exercise helps in so many ways.

Enjoy it, and good luck!

My sympathies. I have had many panic attacks and they are terrifying. I no longer have them - and have not for many years. The book I found most helpful was by Claire Weekes - it was one of the only books which seemed to tap into how I was feeling. The advice in a nutshell is not to fight them but to kind of accept it when it comes - tell yourself what’s happening and tell yourself it will pass. That’s hugely simplified but if you read it you’ll see what I mean. The other thing that helped me was speaking to a therapist for around a year. Exercise helps too. The Claire Weeks book talks about your system being over sensitised at the moment and needing to bring it back down to normal levels of anxiety. They can start after a long period of stress. I think they can also occur if you have stuff you need to talk about that you’re not saying. The other important thing is not to slip into avoiding things - if you do that then your world will start to shrink. Good luck. You can overcome them.

YANBU, exercise really helped me. Also avoiding alcohol, caffeine and too much sugar really helps.

The Joy of Movement: Book by Kelly McGonigal

I find exercise helps massively. I still need medication but exercise helps release endorphins as well as giving an outlet for my anxiety/frustrations.

@lazylinguist I have also decided to take a break from alcohol to see what happens. I have a bad tendency to self medicate using alcohol - not getting off my face but having two glasses of wine (every night) in a bid to try and take the edge off, but yesterday it occured to me that maybe that makes it worse the next day somehow.

@Violet19 thank you for this, I am definitely going to read this book! It sounds perfect.

Alcohol is a big cause of anxiety, even if you don't drink all that much. How old are you?

I believe so my mind is always clearer after exercise, try some Buddhist deep breathing techniques from netflix.

@Aquamarine1920 In that case its definitely worth seeing what happens by cutting it out entirely. I'm 33.

Running really helped my panic attacks. Endorphins, adrenaline, sense of achievement etc... also being out of breath when running made me see the difference when I was in a panic attack of feeling like I couldn’t breathe to actually struggling to breathe! Give it a go op no harm in trying!

I have also decided to take a break from alcohol to see what happens. I have a bad tendency to self medicate using alcohol - not getting off my face but having two glasses of wine (every night) in a bid to try and take the edge off, but yesterday it occured to me that maybe that makes it worse the next day somehow.

Yes, definitely. Good plan. I've decided to give up for good! It makes me sleep badly and although I don't get panic attacks these days, I definitely feel a bit more 'on alert' the day after drinking (even a couple of glasses). It also exacerbates my acid reflux. Time to call it a day!

'The other thing that helped me was speaking to a therapist for around a year. '

100% this.

Exercise is BRILLIANT, and will make every part of your body and mind work better. So absolutely get cracking with some exercise if you feel up to it. However, it's a way of treating the symptoms, not the cause. Seeing a therapist will help you to work out (if you havent already) what's causing your panic attacks. I used to suffer from panic attacks, anxiety and depression myself, and while lifestyle changes like exercise made a huge difference, I think I would be still suffering from them without therapy.

Look up TRE for all. It's a way to induce natural shakes in the body to shift habitual nervous system responses it's easy to learn and to do and something you can do on your own regularly to down regulate your nervous system. Based in sound neuroscience what you are doing is really discharging the fight or flight response and getting your parasympathetic nervous system - the rest and digest bit- to come back online.

Exercise is so good for your mental health. There’s a couch 2 5k thread on here that’s great and really supportive. I did couch 2 5k in lockdown and it really helped me.

Worth trying CBT, exercise and cutting out alcohol. A lower dose of medication or a different one may also help. Good luck OP.

I don't have panic attacks but I do have anxiety and I rely on exercise. Particularly in the sunshine. Even a walk around the block if you're not up to much else.

Well today I took my med in the morning (it's the lowest possible dose) did 45 minutes of body weight exercise/light weights (its been so long since I've used my body, I got my heart rate up and was sweating a fair bit!). Then I did yoga with adriene. I also ate a proper three meals and didn't have any alcohol or coffee.

Let's see what tomorrow brings! I can't decide whether to take the med daily for a few days or whether to try this new lifestyle thing without and see if i can manage.

Thanks so much for the tips everyone. @Stuffofawesome I'm going to Google that now.

Just to add another perspective when I had PTSD exercise which got me out of breath actually brought On flashbacks and panic attacks. It occurs to me that many of the symptoms of panic attacks might be replicated by exercise.

It might be worth speaking to a therapist first. I would definitely suggest having someone with you the first few times.

Having said all that if you can find an exercise that suits you it will undoubtedly help you in many ways.

I would be very surprised if it didn’t help!

Sorry just saw your update. Yoga with Adrienne is fab -good luck

I have a MH issue (different to yours) and exercise and v little alcohol (eg 2 units a week) make a big difference for me. Sleep. Food too, still work to do on that one!