My Experience with Strength Training and Panic Attacks
This post is going to be more personal than others.
This is not going to be well-researched and I’m not claiming that anything here will be either groundbreaking or particularly insightful about anything. This is simply my experience and I hope it speaks to somebody out there.
It’s very difficult to “leave work at work” for police officers. Seeing the worst in humanity every day wears on you mentally, which then affects you physically. I think police culture is slowly moving toward openness about mental health issues, which is a very good thing.
In addition to coaching, I was a police officer for about 3 years. That isn’t very long, but was long enough for me to get a taste of the emotional rollercoaster that all officers go through.
So here’s my experience.
At least once a week for the past 6 months or so, I’ve had panic attacks while training, usually while squatting or deadlifting. They might last for just a couple minutes, or leave me on the floor for 10 minutes or more shaking and gasping for air. After it passes, it’s right back to normal. It’s weird.
Sometimes they’ll happen when I’m not training, but they’re definitely worse if I’ve already been exerting myself.
It’s very rare that a specific thought will trigger them. They usually hit out of nowhere, but are always preceded by a large amount of mental stress and fatigue. The actual training session seems to have very little to do with predicting when they happen. Trust me, I’ve tried to predict them. I think the combination of overall stress and hard physical exertion take them over the edge.
Stress is stress. Your body reacts to mental and physical stress in many of the same ways. If you try to pile on too much, the combination builds up too high and something has to give.
The best management strategy I’ve found is to concentrate on here and now. Take one minute and try to name all the sounds you hear. Or all the tactile sensations you feel. This doesn’t work all the time but helps calm me down and get my breathing back to normal. I focus less on trying to control my breathing and more on other things around me. Generally the breathing takes care of itself.
I still can’t predict them, which drives me nuts. But being ok with that and adjusting training if needed has been the best solution for me. And the more I’m aware of them and the less I worry about them, the less often they happen.
Everyone experiences large amounts of stress. Exercise helps. But be careful how hard you’re pushing. Sometimes an easy workout is what your body (and mind) needs. Train with a friend or family member. Sometimes just going through the motions is a good thing. Train for the long haul, not today or this week, and don’t beat yourself up when you aren’t at your best.
If you’re in law enforcement and struggling with mental health issues, talk to someone. There is nothing wrong with you and you aren’t weaker than anyone else.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK
Of course the disclaimer: I am not any sort of healthcare provider, don’t take this as medical advice, etc.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me