Jane’s Story

LIFTING MY ANXIETY

How weight training has helped me manage my anxiety.

I have suffered with anxiety for most of my life.  When my mental health first took a turn for the worse, I had no idea what was happening to me, why I was suffering, or how to manage it. 

I will never forget the first panic attack I had, this awful feeling took over my whole body and mind.  I felt like I couldn’t breathe and thought I was going to die.  When I started suffering with anxiety and panic attacks, I was going through a traumatic time in my personal life and it escalated into me suffering badly with my mental health. 

For a long-time I suffered in silence with my anxiety and it led me to cancel plans with friends, not take up work opportunities I was given, and even miss out on family get togethers.   

From an early age I always enjoyed sport and fitness, but along the way I lost myself.  My family moved home a lot when I was young, and I ended up in living in different counties and having to leave friends behind.  This knocked my confidence and I became withdrawn and suffered with low self-esteem, giving into fear and giving up on the things that actually brought me enjoyment.

I did eventually reach out to my doctor, and they helped me understand that it was ok and got me the help I needed.  The support from therapy helped me to understand what was happening to me psychologically, and how I could manage the anxiety to start getting my life back.

It hasn’t been easy, and I have had many setbacks along the way, but learning to manage the anxiety helped.  After years of trying to live as normal a life as possible (although I’m not sure normal is even a thing!) the anxiety has always been there for me in the background.

This last three years has been a real positive change for me though.  I focused on learning all about health and wellness and became fascinated by the connection between our physical and mental health.  Through attending wellness events and building up my knowledge I was able to join up the dots on how nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, meditation, and your environment all play a part in our overall health.  I found enjoyment again in the things I loved.

What surprised me the most is what happened next, at the beginning of last year I started weight training. 

I’d always fancied training at a gym, but I hadn’t been anywhere near one since being at University and I only braved going to classes there then.  Like before anxiety got the better of me and I gave up on the classes and never even touched the weights area. 

This visit seemed slightly different as I had enjoyed the wellness events and knew I wanted to improve my fitness.  I also knew I had got the help of a personal trainer to support me during this process.  The first time I visited I was so nervous, it felt really daunting to me stepping inside, (as anyone who suffers with anxiety would know just actually turning up and not leaving is an achievement in itself) all I could see were all these people that seemed to know what they were doing and I thought I can’t do this.  I felt like a lost sheep!  The trainer was friendly and helpful, as were the other team members, which put me at ease immediately.  So, I said to myself no one is really interested in what I’m doing, just do your best and try.  Little did I know how much I would end up enjoying it!

Weight training has helped me learn how to focus my mind on that moment, by concentrating on only the weights I was lifting and the movement I was doing, to learning how to focus on my breathing to progress performance.  For once I didn’t have time to think about my anxiety, my mind was too busy focusing on the training to worry.  Training has now become such an important part of my life.  It’s not just about keeping me physically healthy and the results I can achieve with my body, it’s about how much it can help keep me mentally healthy and the results I can achieve with my mind too. 

Finally, I got to a point where my anxiety didn’t take over anymore.  I was quite literally lifting my anxiety with weights!

For me weight training has allowed me to finally break free from my anxiety and feel confident again.  I’m much more positive, have a great mindset and have completely reduced my panic attacks, and if they ever do ever happen, I can certainly manage them much better. 

Mental ill health can happen to anyone at any time and it’s vital that we have the knowledge on how we can all support ourselves both mentally and physically. 

Don’t forget If you are suffering do reach out to get the help and support you need. Doing something physically really can help support you mentally too.  I highly recommend trying weight training, but it’s all about finding what works for you, as what works for one person may not work for another.  Try a new sport or exercise and see what you fall in love with, reach out and get help from those around you, and from professionals who can help you on your health journey too.  Once you’ve found what works for you, you’ll never look back.