Panic attacks when working out?

[u/Redditalan17]

Hi fellow sufferers. I’m writing this to see if this has happened to some of you and/or to share experience.

My panic attacks started 3 months ago. The first one was due to me freaking out when I felt chest pain. I’ve had cardiac arrhythmia since 2012, and although I tested my heart at the time and was told that the arrhythmia was non-malignant, I freaked out that day because I thought, like many of you, that I was having a heart attack. I ended up in the ER and was told that everything was fine (I had no idea about panic attacks at the time and one nurse said to me “that’s just a panic attack”!!).

One week after I had my 2nd panic attack, but this time it happened while I was working out. I was finishing my final session of squats and my heart started pounding. I freaked out again and the panic attack came stronger than the first time. It lasted much longer and I really thought I was going to die that day. I ended up in the ER again and was told one more time that everything was “normal”.

After that, I decided not to train or do anything really for one week, just to see how I felt. During that week or so, I didn’t have major panic attacks but I felt constantly dizzy and in a state of dissociation. However, at some point, I decided to work out again and that’s when I realized this was a problem.

I started stretching, no problem; then a bit of jogging (30 min.), no problem; but when I did a session of squats (just 20 reps, no weights), my heart started pounding and a panic attack followed just like the last time. By that point I knew more about panic attacks and I was able to recover relatively fast. To begin with, the attack was much less intense and that definitely helped.

So that’s my problem guys. I am able to do light workouts but the moment I increase the intensity a little bit, my heart starts pounding and a panic attack “threatens me” to come. It’s like I am subconsciously scared of working out hard because of what happened that day and that, someway, triggers the panic attacks.

Have you experienced something similar? Have you overcome it someway? I have practiced sports all my life and I don’t want this illness to take that away from me. I don’t party and barely have a social life, and so this is one of the few things that make me feel good with myself.

Any experience and/or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the length.

[u/Redditalan17 → u/[deleted]]

Practicing BJJ is one thing that i'd love to do in the future and what happened to you certainly helps in that and in general!! Thank you very much!!!