Lifting weights and anxiety

[isand]

Hello all,
I like a lot doing bodybuilding, but when Im at my 100% of weight I kind of are also at my pick of anxiety. A few years ago I was having panick attacks, so when my heart are at maximum, my body start confusing with starting a panick attack, so I dont feel very good at that moment. Than after I recover my breath, around 30 seconds everithing is ok again.
What can I do to improve those feelings? I feel my physical body can handle more weight, but I cant move more forward because of this, so I have to do very slowly the increase of weights.
Have any of you heard how to deal with that?
I was thinking that may be cardio would be good to improve my breat, but I would like to know if there is another aproach I can do.
Thank you!

[Heisman2]

If you have identified anxiety as the underlying problem then cardio will not help, you need therapy and possibly medication. Are you able to get to a therapist?

Until then you can do more work with lighter weights, you certainly do not need to train to failure or use close to your 1 rep max to make progress.

[isand]

I will not use medication or do therapy since it dont work, comun doctors dont know how to treat this kind of traits. Their treatments are insuficient since its to become dependent of external drugs.
Our body when we exercice balance all our chemicals, thats why my panick attacks disapear after 1 year of bodybuilding, but I still have remains of anxiety.
Im looking for another kind of aproach.

[Heisman2]

Therapy works better than anything else that is not a drug, and works better than drugs much of the time. Therapy does not lead to drug dependency as it does not involve drugs. I wish there wasn't so much negative stigma regarding therapy; many people would benefit from it who just brush it off.

Exercise does help with mental health without question but is unfortunately not typically a cure.

As for a different approach, the only other option I can think of is just gradual exposure therapy to higher intensities. Very slowly go up in intensity, prove to yourself you are ok, and increase further.

[Xpiro]

I will not use medication or do therapy since it dont work, comun doctors dont know how to treat this kind of traits. Their treatments are insuficient since its to become dependent of external drugs.
Our body when we exercice balance all our chemicals, thats why my panick attacks disapear after 1 year of bodybuilding, but I still have remains of anxiety.
Im looking for another kind of aproach.

Therapy doesn’t have to involve drugs (that’s psychiatry), not that there’s anything wrong with taking them. Like we’re all going to die, who the **** cares if we need pop some pills to feel better? Just don’t get into the controlled substances if you don’t want to actually get hooked. Drug treatment DOES work for many people.

But you might find CBT useful to start. Therapy is about mastering your mind.

[air2fakie]

If lifting weights causes you anxiety & you consider therapy and/or medication to be ineffective, consider not lifting. Or do your programming such that you're not lifting "100% of weight", whatever that means.

[EliKoehn]

Lifting and exercise should help.

Regarding the therapy discussion: do you have a friend or a mentor figure you could lean on? Even if they're not professionally trained in clinical psychology, I think it fulfills the basic need better than a formal business relationship, even if less suited to remedy a serious problem.

[isand]

Therapy works better than anything else that is not a drug, and works better than drugs much of the time. Therapy does not lead to drug dependency as it does not involve drugs. I wish there wasn't so much negative stigma regarding therapy; many people would benefit from it who just brush it off.

Exercise does help with mental health without question but is unfortunately not typically a cure.

As for a different approach, the only other option I can think of is just gradual exposure therapy to higher intensities. Very slowly go up in intensity, prove to yourself you are ok, and increase further.

Hi, therapy with doctor is not a stigma, its my experience, I had it for 20 years and didnt helped nothing, just helped to decrease my money an increase the money of others.

In fact I did therapy by myself using CBT and bodybuilding, the rest is bs***

For those who want to know or help somebody is free and developed by canadian doctors evolutionhealth.care they use Cognitive behavioural therapy, a therapy that every psychologists learn when they graduate, but that they never put in practise. Having conversation with a therapist is the same that having a coffee with a random person that dont know nothing about therapy, I think may be only around 10% may be professionals, the rest should not work on the field, this profession must be more regulated in the future.

"gradual exposure therapy to higher intensities. Very slowly go up in intensity, prove to yourself you are ok, and increase further." that´s CBT ))

[isand]

Lifting and exercise should help.

Regarding the therapy discussion: do you have a friend or a mentor figure you could lean on? Even if they're not professionally trained in clinical psychology, I think it fulfills the basic need better than a formal business relationship, even if less suited to remedy a serious problem.

you are totally right

[isand]

Therapy doesn’t have to involve drugs (that’s psychiatry), not that there’s anything wrong with taking them. Like we’re all going to die, who the **** cares if we need pop some pills to feel better? Just don’t get into the controlled substances if you don’t want to actually get hooked. Drug treatment DOES work for many people.

But you might find CBT useful to start. Therapy is about mastering your mind.

You make me laugh ), you are right but our body will not be perfoming at our best if we use external substances, I mean we will never know whats this machine can handle and achieve at our maxim, that is way more than we think )

[cwsmith35]

There could also be some substances you should avoid. Caffeine, for instance, can be a big contributor to increased levels of anxiety. If you take preworkout or drink coffee, you may think about cutting back or eliminating it altogether. I've seen that really help people in my own life.

My uncle has severe anxiety, and lifting definitely helped him. He was a professional powerlifter that set a few state records in Iowa, but even though it helped, it didn't "fix" everything. It's important to have proper nutrition (specifically talking about anxiety here) and a good support system. I wish you the very best!

[Heisman2]

Hi, therapy with doctor is not a stigma, its my experience, I had it for 20 years and didnt helped nothing, just helped to decrease my money an increase the money of others.

In fact I did therapy by myself using CBT and bodybuilding, the rest is bs***

For those who want to know or help somebody is free and developed by canadian doctors evolutionhealth.care they use Cognitive behavioural therapy, a therapy that every psychologists learn when they graduate, but that they never put in practise. Having conversation with a therapist is the same that having a coffee with a random person that dont know nothing about therapy, I think may be only around 10% may be professionals, the rest should not work on the field, this profession must be more regulated in the future.

"gradual exposure therapy to higher intensities. Very slowly go up in intensity, prove to yourself you are ok, and increase further." that´s CBT ))

1. It sounds like you did not have good therapists. A good therapist will not be a supportive friend, rather they will challenge you and your thought processes.

2. Gradually exposing to higher loads is not CBT. It can be a component but CBT entails learning how to cognitively reframe a given situation.

Regardless, good luck with whichever method you choose to progress moving forward

[isand]

1. It sounds like you did not have good therapists. A good therapist will not be a supportive friend, rather they will challenge you and your thought processes.

2. Gradually exposing to higher loads is not CBT. It can be a component but CBT entails learning how to cognitively reframe a given situation.

Regardless, good luck with whichever method you choose to progress moving forward

1. You are agreeing with me
2. I dont know why you are responding with a salad of words, exposure plan is the root around were CBT works, its very rude from you invalidating others people knowledge about something I really know deep about in theory and practise, and something you never experienced in your life

[air2fakie]

1. You are agreeing with me
2. I dont know why you are responding with a salad of words, exposure plan is the root around were CBT works, its very rude from you invalidating others people knowledge about something I really know deep about in theory and practise, and something you never experienced in your life

It's like the guy thinks he's a doctor or something, right?

OP, why did you post asking for other people's thoughts if you're going to lash out at people genuinely trying to help, even if you disagree?

[Heisman2]

I dont know why you are responding with a salad of words, exposure plan is the root around were CBT works

No it's not. Look through the link here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-pro...t/pac-20384610, specifically the "steps in CBT" section. If you search through the document for "exposure" you'll see it comes up once as an example of one type of CBT.

[quote its very rude from you invalidating others people knowledge about something I really know deep about in theory and practise, and something you never experienced in your life[/QUOTE]

That's interesting, because I'm a physician who has rotated through psychiatry during my residency training, I have sat in on several CBT lessons, I currently work with a psychologist in my clinic who tells me about CBT techniques she uses with patients all the time, and I actually regularly incorporate some aspects of CBT when I am talking to patients. I am certainly not an expert and I am certainly not qualified to be a therapist but right now you're the one who is invalidating my knowledge.

air2fakie, thanks for the support, and I agree, there is no point making threads like this, asking for advice, and then shunning it. I'll bow out now.

[Xpiro]

You make me laugh ), you are right but our body will not be perfoming at our best if we use external substances, I mean we will never know whats this machine can handle and achieve at our maxim, that is way more than we think )

Your body won’t be performing at its best if you shoot up heroin. Probably shouldn’t lift on ***** either. Conversely, your body and performance might benefit from the right strain of weed or maybe low dose hydroxyzine because you’re in a better state of mind. Different drugs different results. And for sure, your body won’t be performing at its best during a panic attack.

For the record I have anxiety and while I’m not in therapy atm I’ve had plenty in the past, and nowadays I can automatically apply elements of CBT in my thought processes to talk myself down from states of perceived impending doom and imagined crises. (I also find that a healthy dose of nihilism helps, just not the edgy depressive iteration)

You can find all of this **** online too, it’s formulaic.

[isand]

Heisman:
Im understanding now were it comes this confusion, CBT for depression is very diferent from CBT for anxiety and panick attacks, and you know a bit of theory and practise. CBT for panick attacks works only around exposures plans, gradually learning to chalenging our thoughts on those experiences.
CBT for depresson is more about pleasure plans activities and chalenging negative thoughts.
Now you think you know all and start invalidating others people knowledge.

[air2fakie]

Chilling out in general might help.

[Heisman2]

Heisman:
Im understanding now were it comes this confusion, CBT for depression is very diferent from CBT for anxiety and panick attacks, and you know a bit of theory and practise. CBT for panick attacks works only around exposures plans, gradually learning to chalenging our thoughts on those experiences.
CBT for depresson is more about pleasure plans activities and chalenging negative thoughts.
Now you think you know all and start invalidating others people knowledge.

Here's an overview of CBT for anxiety where it is clear that exposure therapy is one of multiple options. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4610618/

I wasn't invalidating others' knowledge, you were actually invalidating mine. I was simply correcting any misconceptions you were giving off. CBT is a wonderful treatment option for a variety of mental health concerns and I don't want people to come away from this thread thinking it is limited to exposure therapy when it is not. Regardless, I wish the best for you as you work through this. Good luck!

[isand]

The question is that I am giving an important feed-back for others what part of CBT really works for this particular problem, like a shortcut instead of people get lost in a wide list of possibilities. I followed and learned an online program developed by a team canadian physcologists, and I can tell you what works its explosure plan for this cases, thats what they guides us to do and they helped for decades a lot of people with their experience.. I cant put links here but the website is evolutionhealth dot care, theres CBT there for depression, anxiety, loose weight, quit smoking, etc...since you are a physician this information might help up guide your patients if you want to take a look.

Most physicians carry a superior sense above others and do a lot of mistakes ending up not listening because of that. This post isnt about CBT I even didnt mentioned it in my first post. Also psycology is not science, not lke giving a name to a bacteria.

I wish they put more mathematics and physics of physicians graduation because they are more worried about decorating things and labels, instead of expanding their capacity of thinking. A lot of physicians are acting like robots just putting in practise and reproducing what they see in books. If we go with books we are really bad, because a few centuries ago was in books that the sun who rotate around earth. Im saying that because I have experienced and watched a lot of mistakes by physicians.
One is 20 years of theraphy for nothing, I ended up solving my problem alone with a simple technique they all learn when they graduate. Other some physician intead of thinking reproduced something he read in a book and ended up causing me almost a year of chronic pain, I didnt ended up my life for lucky during that time.

Wish you the best too.

[air2fakie]

The question is that I am giving an important feed-back for others what part of CBT really works for this particular problem, like a shortcut instead of people get lost in a wide list of possibilities. I followed and learned an online program developed by a team canadian physcologists, and I can tell you what works its explosure plan for this cases, thats what they guides us to do and they helped for decades a lot of people with their experience.. I cant put links here but the website is evolutionhealth dot care, theres CBT there for depression, anxiety, loose weight, quit smoking, etc...since you are a physician this information might help up guide your patients if you want to take a look.

Most physicians carry a superior sense above others and do a lot of mistakes ending up not listening because of that. This post isnt about CBT I even didnt mentioned it in my first post. Also psycology is not science, not lke giving a name to a bacteria.

I wish they put more mathematics and physics of physicians graduation because they are more worried about decorating things and labels, instead of expanding their capacity of thinking. A lot of physicians are acting like robots just putting in practise and reproducing what they see in books. If we go with books we are really bad, because a few centuries ago was in books that the sun who rotate around earth. Im saying that because I have experienced and watched a lot of mistakes by physicians.
One is 20 years of theraphy for nothing, I ended up solving my problem alone with a simple technique they all learn when they graduate. Other some physician intead of thinking reproduced something he read in a book and ended up causing me almost a year of chronic pain, I didnt ended up my life for lucky during that time.

Well if a particular form of treatment administered by a specific physician didn't work for you personally, of course it must mean there's no value to anyone else.

Since you clearly are more knowledgeable than all physicians and psychologists, the physician in this thread is lucky he has you to advise him on treating his patients.

[Xpiro]

So what kind of solution exactly are you looking for? Why are you consulting a group of people without professional medical expertise while simultaneously shutting them down... including the one person who does have that expertise?