Hi, i have anxiety and I know this; i've had it bad for about a year. But recently I have been having some major anxiety while i have been exercising. I just started exercising 4-5 days a week maybe more, only going 30-45 minutes each time. Not really strenuous. Today i could barely do 30 minutes because I kept thinking I was going to have chest pain and have a heart attack!! Has anybody else been through this before? I get anxiety and then my breathing gets all screwed up and its difficult to maintain a steady breathing pattern while exercising especially when you're having anxiety. I'm not exactly sure what to do. It's really making me not want to exercise because i keep thinking im going to have a heart attack. I'm only 23 years old and I weigh 275. I know that's heavy for a girl my age, but the likeliness of me having a heart attack I know are slim since I am so young. I don't know how to overcome this!! any suggestions? the last thing I want to do is to stop exercising because i feel i will stop losing weight.

Are you diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder, on meds, etc?

I have struggled with severe chronic anxiety and panic disorders for around 4 years now and have been able to get it under control. I really think that you need to treat the disorder itself...therapy, medication (I am on Zoloft and have Klonopin for when I feel an attack coming on), etc. Breathing has been and continues to be an issue for me as well. I panic when I'm falling asleep because I become conscious of my breathing and I start to fear that it will stop while I am asleep...so I definitely can see where your fears come from when your breathing and heart rate are accelerated while exercising. The most that I can say is that excercise has helped my anxiety tremendously, and I really think that you should stick with it. Your fear of a heart attack (something that's a trigger for me, too...your triggers/fears are very familiar to me) is likely based on your discomfort with your weight, and not exercising is not the answer. I feel for you. I know how anxiety can cripple one's life. I highly recommend seeking professional help for your mental health so that you can focus on working on physical exercise for your health. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you are well aware, no amount of rationality from other people will convince you that you are, indeed, safe to do physical activity and that you are not/will not be having a heart attack...even though you know deep down that they are right. Hang in there. Get some help for the anxiety so that you can focus on your physical health. If you have any questions or need to talk, feel free to PM me!

I could have written that! I recently had to stop my workout at 20-30 minutes at a time when doing cardio to take a break for the SAME EXACT REASON!

What helps to an extent is knowing my last EKG was normal and that moderate exercise is GOOD for my heart. I also have switched to more water exercise, (aqua aerobics etc) as it is lower impact and I am less conscious of my heart rate etc.

Here's a big hug and let me know if you ever wanna chat. PM me!

IrishMomma2008 and Passionista: thank you both for your reply!! It helps a little bit to know that I am not the only person who is experiencing this feeling. I haven't been diagnosed necessarily with a disorder but I have been prescribed Zoloft, which I do not take. I chose not to take it because I didn't want to have to rely on a pill to get me through the day, there is of course nothing wrong with that many of my family members are on medication for anxiety and other issues. I just felt it wasn't right for me. I can relate to the breathing issue so much its terrifying!! I cannot sleep on my left side because I can feel my heart beat more and that freaks me out. I think I have developed sleep apnea because of my anxiety because I wake up in the middle of the night numerous times gasping for air. I know i need to go in for that. Maybe i should reconsider going on medication because I don't want this to cripple my life and prevent me from reaching my goals. I know i have a healthy heart because when I went into the doctor for my panic attack i had last year where i thought i was having a heart attack, they did ekg's and the whole sha-bang, and the dr. told me i have a healthy heart and to start exercising, that's it. easier said than done with anxiety!! I completely agree with what you said IrishMomma2008 about the fears of me having a heart attack stemming from discomfort from my weight, I think that's exactly where i got my anxiety from. But I have been losing weight, down 34 pounds now and I am still having the anxiety. I think I will go talk to my doctor about this..I'm just hoping there's a solution without having to take meds...

I should maybe look into swimming, i didn't even think of that. thanks for that tip!!
thank you both for your help! it's really, really appreciated

I'm not a doctor and can't give you medical advice, but as someone who takes medication for anxiety myself, I'd recommend going ahead and doing that. This is a medical condition, not a character weakness, or else medication would have no effect on it at all.

There is the stereotype that all overweight people have heart problems, but that is simply not the case. My heart has been thoroughly tested and found healthy. Therefore I know I am fit to exercise, and if my pulse starts taking off during cardio, well then, that's what it is supposed to do! I *would* have a problem if I were working out at top capacity, and my heart rate didn't budge. That would mean it's too weak.

I'm glad I'm not alone. I have this exact same paranoia. In my case, it started years ago, right after my mom had a heart attack in her early 60s. She survived and is doing great now, but I was out exercising with her right after her recovery, and she would talk about what it was like to have a heart attack, and that was it. I started imagining all kinds of chest pains, which made me exercise less-- totally counter-productive since that made me gain more weight.

Since then, I've had heart exams, and that emboldened me to start running-- but I still get the paranoia sometimes.

No solution I can offer, just know you're not alone. (FWIW, I don't have anxiety disorder or panic attacks-- I just got paranoid about this one thing.)