Stomach Anxiety problems while bodybuilding.

[Rycherx]

It has been a struggle for me for the past 4 years.
I was big at one time, but panic attacks affecting my workout. Alot of times, when I get anxious, I start to feel nausea. Of course, with nausea, I can't eat or workout. I have to allow it to pass. Therefore, I quit working out all together. There's not point if you really can't eat. I know for sure that only 3 to 5% of the population gets panic attacks. Of those, only a portion will have nausea as their symptoms because most have heart palpitations. Of that percentage I don't know how many are actually trying to build bodies, and as for this forum, I don't know how many are in the same boat. I have been working out for the past 4 months with no anxiety problems messing my workout. I've gone from 145 to 162 as of today. I am pushing myself to 170. I don't exactly know the point of this message, but I guess I am just trying to find out others who are facing this obstacle and what prescription or cognitive behavioral help is aiding them while they are into bodybuilding. As for me, I'm on Paxil along with Creatine. RycherX:confused:

[GetnBigr]

just eat....get over it puss boy

[Tryska]

wow...what a unique and interesting problem to try and figure out.....well my first question is...why did you panic? what was the thought in your head that set it off? or better yet, what was the specific crisis that preced it?

i was experiencing panic attacks for a while, and it was during a time where i was facing the emotional fallout in the wake of a bad relationship, and the actual panic attack theme centered around a specific incident that my ex put me through..(he pretended to be an intruder in the house - i didn't know he was home - and he snuck up on me and gave me a good scare and almost got hit in the head with an iron - he thought it was a wonderful joke - i had the illest adrenalin fear response ever in my life)....anyway....at that time i also had an underlying depression caused by some thyroid issues i was having...now that the thyroid issues have been addressed, the panic attacks have disappeared too.....(thanks for posting - i didn't realize it til just now)....but i'm presuming the paxil will help with that, from my experience i definitely believe that panic and anxiety are rooted somewhere in depression right?

in any case, my point with that story was to ask if your trigger was specific, or what made you panic when approaching the weight?

something which might help, i was watching a guy in my gym do it, is that before he did a set, he would calm himself and focus.....almost meditate, and then proceed to lift....he wasn't lifting particularly heavy and he was doing all machine work, but still i thought that was a neat trick.

[Taras]

I'm glad to hear the Paxil's helping. As far as cognitive approaches, there are at least two organizations that sell programs on tape. Their web addresses are www.stressrelease.com and www.attackinganxiety.com.
Good luck!

[benchmaniac2]

Rycherx, i have heart palpitations and nausea when i eat at stressful time times..espescially if im in a rush.