Beginning a movement practice might resemble going on a first date in several ways: Your stomach may feel like it’s in knots, your palms may be exceedingly sticky, and your mind may rush with worried ideas.
Nevertheless, newbies are not the only ones who suffer from this alleged gym dread. A gym session at a different studio from your go-to or dipping your toes into barre when you’ve been a long-time powerlifter might also make you feel awkward and scared.
You may have gym anxiety if you experience stress, worry, or tension before working out. Although this is not a formal diagnosis, people who have social anxiety or moderate gym phobia may feel that it is too tough to manage to enter the gym.
There are several techniques that might make you feel more at peace and ease you into a workout regimen, even if anxiety should be addressed with a mental health care practitioner.
Up to 13% of people report having social anxiety at some point in their lives. One of the signs is a fear of being judged and watched in public.
Symptoms of Gym Stress
Gym anxiety symptoms resemble social anxiety symptoms most often. The number of symptoms varies, with some people having several and others having only a few.
Although feeling apprehensive before working out does not necessarily indicate that you have an anxiety problem, you should consult a mental health professional if your symptoms make it difficult for you to go about your normal activities.
Signs of anxiousness in the gym include:
- Anxiety, trepidation, or restlessness before working out at the gym
- Nausea, vomiting, or another gastrointestinal discomfort
- Avoidance or justification
- Excessive anxiety about visiting the gym
- Breathing quickly and perspiring
- Being cognizant of and doubting oneself
You might not feel inspired to exercise because of the signs of gym anxiety. After all, it can be quite challenging to concentrate during a training session if you are experiencing stomach pain, nausea, or are filled with negative emotions.
Stressed Out at the Gym
Some of the factors that could make going to the gym scary are. There are a lot of other people there, some of whom could have more experience than you. Perhaps a portion of your anxiety stems from how you feel about yourself, your abilities, or how you perceive your abilities or physical appearance.
It’s critical to understand the causes of gym anxiety in order to overcome it
Most people are quite conscious of their motivations. Some people experience anxiety when they enter a gym where it appears that everyone is in excellent physical condition, and they are self-conscious about their own physical appearance. Others might struggle with the physical demands of exercise or the soreness and suffering that follows. So, going to the gym can have a lot of corresponding fears.
Unknown things can make you feel apprehensive and unprepared, such as not understanding how to use the equipment, being ignorant of proper gym etiquette, or feeling like you don’t know which exercises to perform. You can feel that you don’t belong or that people will judge you if you have gym anxiety.
It is important to gain the confidence you need to feel like you can conquer the gym by gradually and carefully tackling your gym anxiety anxieties.
How to Get Over Gym Anxiety
There are useful and effective methods for overcoming your gym phobia. Practical strategies include doing research and making a strategy before going to the gym so you know what you want to achieve. Other approaches include psychological techniques to lessen your anxieties and assist you in feeling more at ease at the gym.
Prepare in Advance
Practically speaking, you might feel better if you are completely ready for your workout at the gym.
You can reduce some of your anxiety by preparing for the gym in the following ways:
Take a tour: You can ask a staff member to give you a tour when you sign up for a gym membership or are considering acquiring one. If entering the gym feels overwhelming, try contacting the facility by phone or email to arrange a visit for a time when it’s less busy.
Ask questions: During your tour or by email, enquire about how to use the machines, whether or not you need to reserve equipment, and if there are any rules or guidelines for the gym that you should be aware of.
Plan Ahead: Plan for the workouts you’ll undertake while there. Having a pre-planned fitness schedule may help you stay focused and motivated on your goals. Any exercise that calls for a certain piece of equipment may benefit from having a backup movement in case that machine is already in use. It’s better to stick to easy, uncomplicated activities that you are already familiar with during your training.
Practice some of the moves you intend to use in advance to ensure good technique and ease gym fear. For instance, practice the exercise by following step-by-step instructions from a reliable source if you’re going to perform a resistance training session. Any barbell work you intend to perform can be practiced using either your body weight or a broomstick.
Writing It Down: List all of the equipment you intend to utilize along with your training schedule. Locate your necessary equipment when you get at the gym and either gather it all in one spot or modify your strategy as needed based on the equipment that is available. At the conclusion of your workout, don’t forget to put all of your equipment back where it belongs.
According to research, social anxiety makes people avoid participating in sports or other athletic activities where they can be seen by others.
For those with social anxiety, especially women, going to the gym may be quite difficult as a result.
Explicit Therapy
Anxiety can be effectively treated with exposure treatment.
To treat anxiety, exposure therapy involves exposing a patient to the cause of their anxiety or the environment in which it is present. By doing this, worry from that specific source eventually disappears.
The idea of exposure therapy enables you to face your anxieties one at a time and eventually conquer them.
A smart strategy for overcoming gym fear is to move slowly.
Exposure therapy is frequently used by therapists, so talking to a mental health professional about it is a smart idea. You can, however, employ a few self-help techniques to deal with modest gym-related anxiety.
In the short term, avoiding the gym due to your worried sentiments will help you escape those feelings, but it won’t give you the strength to get over your gym anxiety.
Exposure treatment is frequently used to treat phobias, but it may also be customized to treat any kind of irrational fear, such as gym anxiety. There are two categories of exposure:
Exposure in your imagination: Imagining your dread. For instance, by visualizing yourself exercising in the gym and allowing yourself to feel the emotions that occur.
Exposure in the presence of one’s fear. For instance, going to the gym for the first time or just a tour, even if you don’t work out.
According to the American Psychological Association, succumbing to your anxieties instead of fighting them could make them worse. By confronting your anxieties through tried-and-true methods like exposure therapy, you may find it easier to get over them.
Exposure Therapy is Used to Treat Gym Anxiety
You can use one of the following techniques to put exposure treatment into practice:
Graded exposure: List your gym phobias in order of most challenging to least intimidating. Start by tackling your least-familiar anxieties and work your way up to your most challenging ones. An illustration would be taking a tour and then traveling to a specific location with some equipment. Finally, you might attempt to utilize extra gym space and equipment.
Flooding: Gradated exposure’s antithesis is flooding. You would start by facing your most difficult fear, then move on to your mildest dread.
Desensitization in stages: Use relaxation methods like deep breathing exercises or muscular relaxation while confronting your concerns.
This exercise seeks to make your brain connect, overcoming your worries with feeling comfortable in the environment. Try to focus on deep breathing as you either imagine or feel your worries at the gym. Be aware that even if you fall short of your desired goal, getting closer to it counts as progress. If you suffer from social anxiety, go to the gym when it’s less crowded and then gradually shift your arrival time to when there is more social activity.
When Should You Get Assistance
You should seek assistance from a licensed mental health professional if your anxiety feels unmanageable or if there are any concerns about your mental health.
Let’s consider the potential that some self-driven attempts to get over gym phobia may end in failure. The solution in this situation is to seek professional assistance. By doing this, you’ll realize that you’re not in this alone and that you don’t have to do everything on your own.
Initially, contact a therapist. Consult your family physician for advice if you are unsure how to find a therapist. They can be very helpful in pointing you in the right direction. Even the act of reaching out can make you feel more exposed but go ahead and do it. You deserve it. You will frequently be pleasantly surprised by the resources you have at your disposal and the support you will get.
A Closing Statement from Doc T. Elliott
The final word, in your journey to fitness, you should feel confident in who you are right now. Whichever form of exercise you choose to do in the gym, you deserve to be there.
It can be tricky to enter a crowded environment loaded with novel and difficult situations. You may reduce your fear of the gym by gradually overcoming these issues, to help you gain confidence and feel at ease there.
Exercise can also help with anxiety symptoms; odds are, you won’t be successful in overcoming gym anxiety on your first try. It takes time to prioritize your health and find out more about what makes you feel healthiest.