Should I work out at the gym?

[Teafrenzy]

Before anyone responds with the usual "yes it's good for you and relieves stress"...let me explain.

I have noticed a pattern, a big INCREASE in anxiety following a workout. Any kind of strain on my body, that gets my heart pumping.

For example, yesterday I had to purchase and move a 70 gallon dehumidifer into the house by myself. I felt really beat after lugging it around.
What followed were anxiety symptoms..shortness of breath and chest pain which I am kind of used to. A bit later my head starts to tingle and I begin to have anxious thoughts, even depression afterwards.

Today I helped a friend move an older model plasma tv. Those things were heavy! The same thing happened..anxiety. And I was feeling great today too up until that point.

So I am faced with 2 schools of thought. The first is...I should work out and get used to the anxiety that follows. It's part of the "accept it" idea to recovery. The idea is to face your fears and anxiety head on.

The second is that I am already making progress. Makes sense to just stick with 1-2 hours per day of brisk walking. Why rock the boat?

[gypsylee]

1-2 hours a day of brisk walking sounds pretty amazing to me and I would stick with that.

[BlessedBackyard]

I could be wrong, but it sounds like you're body's signaling to say it's not quite ready for that type of exertion. I would stick to the brisk walks, for now, and slowly move up to the weights.

[Kirk]

Maybe stick with what works best for you.

[fixmybrokenmind]

I am usually a huge advocate of the gym, but in the case it makes you feel worse stick to walking for now.

Unless your life revolves around being a fitness model, intense exercise won't benefit you a whole lot more than an hour walk would :). In fact if you struggle with fatigue as well a walk is the best form of exercise to start with.

[joehoax]

I would stick to the walks especially if you say you are seeing progress. I love going for walks because it gives me time to listen to my favorite music and also I listen to podcasts which helps me during my anxiety. They have some great ones to help deal with anxiety and it's something I checked out and am glad I did.