Anyone else get intense health anxiety during workouts/exercise?
I’m a pretty active person (lifting, hiking, BJJ), but lately I’ve been struggling with anxiety surrounding my heart and physical symptoms during intense exercise.
My heart rate seems to spike fast during hard exertion and once I notice it, I spiral mentally. I’ll start feeling lightheaded, shaky, flushed, aware of every heartbeat, and convince myself something is seriously wrong. Sometimes I even get afraid to stand up or continue exercising afterward.
The weird part is I’ve had a normal EKG and normal echocardiogram, but my brain still jumps to things like arrhythmias, clogged arteries, or sudden cardiac issues.
Does anyone else deal with:
heart rate anxiety during workouts?
adrenaline surges/panic symptoms?
hyper-awareness of bodily sensations?
feeling unsafe exercising despite normal tests?
Would appreciate hearing from people who relate or found ways to manage it.