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| MHAW 2014 |
This is an interesting one, and actually exercise wasn't
something I was initially going to include in my Seven Steps to Stability. Reason being, putting it simply, that I don't
play competitive sport at all or go to the gym.
It's just not for me and never has been, despite my school trying to
force me to play rugby for five years.
The only thing I've ever really done consistently exercise-wise is
walking, but even this became difficult after the 2011 incident. I remember once walking on my own around in
the rural area around where my parents live (and where I lived at the time) and
because I was on my own and a fair while from home, given I only had my feet to
take me places, I started panicking that I wasn't able to get out of the
situation. I had a mini panic attack on
my walk back and as such it was difficult to differentiate between the feelings
of this and the physical effects of the gentle incline back to home.
Anyway, overall, walking and trying to increase the amount I
do has been a really good way of helping my anxiety. It allows you to process thoughts, which
sometimes is the last thing you need, but other times it allows you to gather
them and in fact make them more rational.
In the meantime, you're getting good exercise.
The other problem I had around this time was, linked to
health anxiety, the fear of what more vigorous exercise may do to the heart
rate, especially when you factor in the medication. Although I was reassured that doing exercise
wasn't affected by the medication, believing this is easier said than achieved when you
have health anxiety. So, walking was
good exercise, but not particularly anxiety inducing. And, needless to say, it got easier over
time, so I was able to go walking and enjoy it.
I'm fortunate that one of my friends I mention in blog 4
also likes walking, so we often go on significant hikes in our nearby rural
area.
The other thing I started just after this incident was
swimming. I hated swimming at school for two reasons; 1) the pool was full of
slime and 2) the competitive element again.
I hated all PE at school, but I'd heard from various sources that
swimming was quite a good way of alleviating anxiety. Again, you could control the amount of
severity you put into it and how far you did with no pressure, as well as it
being good exercise and different exercise to walking. So I reluctantly started and haven't looked
back. It was hard, both physically and
mentally at first, but I knew I had to increase my exercise levels.
Since then, I have got more out of swimming than I had
anticipated. I have met some really
great people whilst doing this, most of whom I see every time I go. I go early in the mornings before work, twice
a week if I can. Now I commute a
reasonable distance it would have been easy to stop, but these people have kept
me going and I now look forward to going as a result. Such is the nature of swimming at similar
times each week, you will see the same people and chances are some of them
will be like minded. But this social
element has done as much for my recovery as the exercise I get from swimming
itself, and I would wager others would get the same experience, if they let it
happen.
Walking and swimming are great. They give you good exercise, improve your
social life and help you to forget about the anxieties in your life. I would definitely recommend it. The worst thing you can do when you have anxiety
is to sit around and dwell on your thoughts that's experience talking. It
takes you away from the modern era of screens too; social networking, which in
some cases can do more harm than good.
Let's just hope, as I mentioned in another blog recently, in
the case of walking, we still have plenty of places to walk in years to come.
Last blog of MHAW to come: the theme is helping others.
Best wishes
Al
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