God it's great to have muscle. I decided to get on top of some stuff that had to be done today, and let me tell you, hauling a huge bird cage up a flight of stairs was surprisingly a lot easier than expected.
I've always had self-esteem and body image issues when it came to my big shoulders and blocky build (I'm east Asian so the "ideal body" is a slender build) but having my body on my side today was amazing.
I feel so empowered and confident.
Edit: wow! thanks for the response guys, I didn't expect this to resonate with so many of you.
Edit 2: just got off work and I can't believe how many people this is reaching! Thank you all for your kind words and lovely stories - and fuck the people who sent me derogatory DMs. Sit on a cactus.
This is not a joke.
I have high functioning anxiety and sometimes when I am really anxious I get all the above mentioned symptoms and it sucks. It sucks big time. I wish I could make people understand this is what I feel when I get anxiety because people don't understand they think it's just 'worrying'
Edit- I was not expecting such a response on this post. I feel better looking at the comments that I am not alone. I hope we all get through it. I hope all is see better and anxiety free days soon!
After reading the comments, I have realized this is a god tier superpower
I have heard a few times that decreasing calories leads to muscle weight loss and that by fasting you barely lose any muscle mass, is this true?
Edit: Here is the source of the claim that fasting doesn't or barely causes any loss of muscle mass
For the longest time I thought it was because I sit all the time from working. But I actually have a standing desk which I use throughout the day and I also workout 2-3 times a week. i also stretch often.
Sometimes it's so bad that I feel like I have to crack my neck, shoulder, and back all the time. It's not exactly pain but more like just tension. I've gone to the chiropractor and it only helped temporarily. I noticed that when I intentionally relax my muscle and take deep breaths the discomfort goes away. But it's so hard...I feel like my body is just in a constant "fight-or-flight" state if that makes sense.
Anyone else experience this and have any tips?
EDIT: To summarize the responses, below are some common things that the fellow subredditors have found helpful -
- Massages
- Yoga
- Stretches
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Tens unit
- Hot bath
- Heating pad
- Meditation
- Exercises that strengthen the muscles
- Check out potential underlying medical conditions
So glad to know that I'm not alone in this. You guys are amazing! Very grateful to have this community on the journey of battling anxiety.
Take a breath slowly, fully (belly-chest-head), and as comfortably as possible, and let it out the same way. Repeat this for a minute or as long as you need, and you will feel better. Try to smile if you can because it does help a bit. If it's still tight, it helps to hold the tension (safely) on purpose, and then let the tension go as you exhale. For your chest try breathing in fully (belly-chest-head), holding it, and "squeezing" the air to your head. After a bit (10 seconds or so) let it go and feel the tension dissipate. You guys deserve this for toughing it out in this crazy time of our lives. You will get through, and here's a ritual to help you out. Whenever you want to dial it back a bit, go through these motions. Here's a virtual hug you guys.
I recently started doing lifting (Nike training app and barbells). Some days when I do the workouts, I’ll be sore afterwards, while other days I won’t be. I mentioned this to a friend who works out more than me. He said it means that I didn’t effectively engage my muscles during the exercises, and that the exercise was practically useless since I didn’t actually help my muscles. I can’t tell if that’s bro science, or if he’s right and I need to better engage my muscles even though I’m trying pretty hard as it is to engage them.
