Stress Center Peer Support

I'm 23 years old. My daily routine generally includes walking for 40 minutes, followed by jogging for 20-30 minutes later, and I do this 5-7 days a week depending on how I feel.

My problem is after my jog when I stop to cool down I always find myself trying to hold back a panic attack.

When I stop jogging and my heart is racing, and the wind hits my sweat making me feel cool in parts of my body and the blood rushing makes me feel warm in other places, it all feels very weird and reminds me of the beginning stages of a panic attack.

Within a few minutes of distracting myself I begin to feel normal again, but if I don't distract myself, or don't succeed in my attempt to distract myself with something else it escalates and occasionally I will go into a panic attack.

I still force myself to exercise because I find when I do exercise my anxiety levels for the rest of the day are very low and I feel great throughout the day.

I'm curious, for those who have gone through similar exercise-related anxiety issues how did you eventually make it subside?

Hello EricC I have the exact same symptoms as you when I exercise and after although mine frequently start before the cool down. All I can say is hang tough--mine has never gone completely away but just overtime is kept decreasing a lit bit at a time. Also a friend of mine told me to tell myself, this is HELPING me, during the exercises and cool downs and sometimes this makes me realize, hey I am stronger than this feeling and i can make it!! Good luck to you.

This is a HUGE issue for me. I am a runner. Straight up. I am also a Marathon Trainer. It's "My Job". And recently, since panic attacks have crept back into my life after 4 years of "relative freedom", I've had two full-out panic attacks after running. I also have had tremendous problems with anxiety and cooling down.

It's so hard. I hear you.

The adreneline in exercise and in a panic attack do feel similar. It all comes down to how we tell ourselves to perceive it.

Trying using some sort of mantra for when you are cooling down - something like "I'm healthy, I'm strong, I'm feeling good, I'm proud of myself, I'm . . ." If you feel your head with positive, healthy thoughts, you won't have time for the negative, scary ones.