I can barely lift anymore, every time i start a session i feel incredibly disorientated and anxious like i'm going to collapse or faint any minute and i need to sit down for a long time after every set. It's just a general panicky feeling alongside disorientation, almost feels like i'm fucking high in the gym and zombified.
I have been lifting for years then suddenly about 2 and half years ago this happened in the middle of a deadlift session and now i feel it most times i go to the gym.
Any solutions for this? It's coming up to the point that i can barely even walk a mile or do some push ups at home without feeling like i'm gonna faint. I have no heart problems and drink plenty of water, plenty of sleep, take magnesium.
I am 99 percent certain it's anxiety because i notice it happens so much when i am on my own. Yet when i am distracted for instance if i'm spotting someone or chatting to someone in between sets i don't feel it because i am distracted by the conversation. Same thing with when i am walking. if i'm walking with my girlfriend and talking to her, nothing. If I walk on my own the feeling starts to overtake me and i feel like i need to sit down.
Carson Mitchell
Sounds like you need to work on a pre-routine to take your mind out of a anxious state when you get in to the gym. Are you generally thinking negatively or in an anxious way before the gym or do you notice the pangs of anxiety thinking about it as you go in?
Kevin Ramirez
Sounds like too much caffeine
Kevin Hughes
Also do you take pre-workout or drink caffeine? That can make you more likely to be stressed and induce stress which could be the source of your anxiety.
Lucas Barnes
cut. out. caffeine. if. you. have. a. panic. disorder.
caffeine makes my anxiety way fucking worse
Asher Scott
Do you feel nauseous/like you're going to throw up?
Andrew Gomez
Usually i feel it on the way to the gym when i am walking there (it's like 20min walk from my house) and the feeling will build up as i am walking there and then go into overdrive once i start my session. It just never feels comfortable anymore. Even the days when i don't get it as bad it's almost like i'm forcing myself not to feel it. I really don't want to take pills from the doctor but if it continues like this i'm gonna run out of options.
Even last week i went in and i was able to get a great back and triceps work out in then 2 days later i went back to do shoulders and could barely complete the warmup without feeling spaced out and panicky. I used to be able to train 4-5 days a week no problem, none of this shit.
Logan Fisher
I drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then i train usually an hour after that. Will replace it with green or peppermint tea for a while and see how i feel
Dylan Adams
>I really don't want to take pills from the doctor but if it continues like this i'm gonna run out of options. Don't. I've taken 4 SSRI's and 2 SNRI's and had to take anti-psychotic medication to deal with the adapting period of new medications it's really not worth it. Go for therapy if you need it but definitely try cutting all caffeine out first. Could be a winner!
Jack Richardson
No, zero nausea. The best way i can explain it is like a high feeling, like when you're zoned out except it has the anxious/panicking feeling joined into it instead of the good feeling you get when ur high. I feel like if i don't end the session and leave pronto i will pass out on the gym floor. Then as soon as i leave within 10 mins i am fine again so it simply has to be anxiety because 10 mins later when i leave the gym i am fine again.
I also get this feeling from time to time in other places like supermarkets, dentists, barber shops, doctors surgery, etc. Any place where i am confined into that place for a while this feeling will start to build slowly. But at this point, exercise or any type of exertion seems to be a main trigger.
Jason Cook
Yeah i know people in literally that exact situation with SSRI's especially. That's why i've always tried to manage this as best i can without meds
Noah King
You eating enough? Enough protein from animal foods?
Liam Hernandez
Im someone who has a bad panic disorder and I feel this too. When you feel weak you are vulnerable. Cut out the caffeine and dont push yourself like crazy to the point where you feel overly weak or dehydrated. Drink a ton of water before you work out as well.
Levi Flores
I had EXACTLY this too. Whenever I'd start doing a set I'd have to stop after a couple of reps because I felt like I was going to faint/really anxious, and became really panicky and stressed out, whilst still thinking "why the fuck am I stopping, I'm not actually gonna faint." as I've never actually fainted. Caffeine really triggers this in me, and what also really helps me is to eat a high carb/protein meal 1h before going to the gym, which was what eventually fixed this for me. I haven't had it for almost 2 months now. It's also important to get enough sleep, and have q good day night cycle. I wake up everyday at 7am, and go to bed around 22:30. This also really helped to bring a lot of structure into my life.
Jacob Thompson
Oh I forgot to add that I started drinking a LOT of water and tea too + multivatimins and omega3/fish oil caps with dha/epa everyday. Also, know that it'll get better in the future.
Liam King
And I also have a theory that it was actually low blood pressure that was fucking me up, because it especially hit me hard after I put a lot of stress on my body (deadlifting for example), which will make your BP rise, and when you relieve these stresses it instantly drops your bp a lot.
Grayson Miller
I had slightly low blood pressure last time it was tested then it was back to normal the next time but yeah what your describing is basically the same thing i have. Thing is i KNOW i'm not going to pass out and just try to hammer into myself and tell myself it's just anxiety. Sometimes it works and i am able to get a good workout session in other times the feeling just overtakes me and i feel too uncomfortable to go on so i cut the workout short and try again couple days later.
I'm definitely going to try eliminating the caffeine though in the morning and i'll try to add a good meal (breakfast) in before i go to the gym, see how it goes. Usually i eat after.
Gabriel Williams
Anxiety is the worst. People dont understand unless theyve experienced it themselves. The spectrum is huge.
I know exactly how you feel OP, but its a mental battle. You need to face it head on. Like you said, you know you are not dying, you know its just the anxiety, so you need to take your mind off it when you feel it coming on.
Deep breaths, drink water, and just try to clear your mind. I fixed my anxiety by 1) accepting it was physcological only and 2) learning how to control it through breathing
