How to exercise with anxiety?
I’m looking for any advice on how to exercise when you suffer from anxiety, or maybe more specifically health anxiety.
I’ve had stomach issues since I was a kid, and so even though I can mostly control them now, I’ve developed anxiety around the issue. So any time I have to eat, sleep, or do anything strenuous, I’m worrying about how my stomach can handle it.
It’s been like this for 15 or more years, and I’ve mostly tried to avoid situations that could trigger it, so it’s been a long time since I’ve exercised or put myself through rigorous physical activities. Even at work I spent most of the day sitting down.
I’m 38 years old now, male, about 140lbs. I’m not really weak or overweight, I just have no stamina and very low energy levels. I really feel like if I can improve these things, I can improve my anxiety, because my body won’t feel so down and weakened all the time.
I just don’t know how to do it. Running or doing cardio will trigger my anxiety and send me into a panic attack when I get winded, but just walking and getting in steps probably isn’t going to do much to actually improve my cardio. It’s like I’m stuck in this loop that the thing which will help me has to hurt me first.
Any advice?