Getting Started
Anxiety in The Gym
Performing exercise and training on a consistent basis has been seen to be highly beneficial for your physical and mental health. However, for those suffering with anxiety and depression, it can be much easier said than done. Whether you’re thinking about going for a run around your local park or attending the gym, these tasks are far more challenging when your mind works against you, giving you all the reasons not to go.
Below are a number of factors/methods to help minimise the impact it may have on your mental health in a negative manner.
Peak Times
Going to the gym can be a great way of exercising on a consistent basis as it offers both, the right environment and numerous pieces of equipment allowing you to add variety to your workouts. However, attending the gym when you suffer with anxiety, in particular social anxiety, can be a very daunting ordeal.
With this being the case, it may help to avoid going to the gym around ‘peak’ times, when it will be the busiest. Peak times will usually be early morning before people go to work and late afternoon, when people finish work. Understandably, you may also fall into this category and therefore be forced to go around these times, in this case, consider going later if possible or perhaps even during lunch breaks etc.
Gym Partner
Whether you suffer with anxiety or not, having a like-minded companion to go to the gym with can have a great impact on your workouts especially if it is something new. Being in a busy and unfamiliar environment can be enough to make anyone feel a little anxious, so being able to have someone there with you will hopefully reduce that.
Not only this, having a training partner can introduce a healthy competition and someone you can challenge on a consistent basis, but this in turn will also allow you to push yourselves further then you may have done if you trained on your own.
It would be advisable, to ensure the person you exercise with, has like-minded goals and passion to what you do, as this will enable you to stay focussed. Having someone who doesn’t share the same desires as you may only hinder your progress over time.
Personal Trainer
With the fitness industry booming, personal trainers don't go a miss. There are plenty of freelancing PT's and one who work within different gyms. Even with all of these PT's it can still be hard to actually get booked in for a session due to such high demand, and rightly so.
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Having a personal trainer doesn't just come with the benefit of getting you in shape, they also allow you to build your confidence in a gym environment in a safe and professional manner. To whereas if you attended without a PT as a novice, you could injure yourself, setting you back from the start.
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Having a personal trainer will also mean you won't have to attend the gym alone, instead you have someone there to assist and guide you throughout your workouts.
Relocating Gyms
Although may seem like a more drastic approach, sometimes the environment you're in, isn’t something you can get comfortable with and find yourself constantly feeling anxious every time you go to the gym. However, depending on location, there is usually more than one gym in the local area and therefore may be worth looking into attending elsewhere and seeing which is best.
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A lot of gyms now will offer free day passes to allow you to use their facilities and see if it is right for you. Take advantage of these offers and explore to see what can offer you the most and see where you may feel most comfortable.