Why may I be struggling to exercise after trauma?
Traumatic events impact our physiology. They change how certain systems function, how easily certain areas of our body move, and how we feel being in our own bodies. There is increasingly more evidence surfacing on trauma’s ability to be stored in our bodies and to manifest as various health conditions, but the more widely accepted and commonly expressed version of this is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
With PTSD, we commonly see a few major physiological changes. The amygdala, a part of the brain that is associated with our fear response, is often hyperactive. Other areas of the brain that help to modulate our response to stressors are often hypoactive, meaning they aren’t as successful in inhibiting the stress response in our bodies. This feeds into increased activity of the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) parts of the autonomic nervous system. To summarize, people with PTSD often have a very active nervous system that impacts how they interact with the world around them.
When the body has undergone trauma, we cannot expect it to function in the same way that we’d expect the body of person without trauma to function. Exercise, while incredibly important, is still a stressor to the body. It is still an activity that increases what your body is asked to do. And when your body is in survival mode after a major or even minor trauma, your body is putting all its energy into keeping itself alive. And it’s on high alert for any stimulus that may jeopardize its ability to keep you functioning. Even exercise that is well-intentioned can be misinterpreted as a threat to your body.
In a recent study, they found participants with PTDS actually fatigued more quickly with intense exercise than those without this history. Studies like these, and the many others out there on trauma-informed care point to a need for different exercise programming for those who have a history of trauma. It also can serve as an affirmation for anybody who has a trauma history and has tried to re-enter the world of fitness and exercising without success. You are not broken, lazy, or weak. You just may have needed a different kind of exercise program in order to succeed.
There are a couple of things to consider when choosing an exercise program if you have a history of trauma.
1. If it is a class or an instructor-led workout, it may be helpful to find someone who is trained in trauma-informed language to help empower you to make choices throughout the course of the workout or movement routine.
2. Maybe pick an activity that keeps your heart rate and breathing under control. You may find high intensity exercise triggering or further stimulating of an already stressed nervous system.
3. Consider choosing an exercise that goes in bursts of on/off to allow your body to recover and return to a baseline. I’m not saying you need to go start HIIT training, but even a walk that has park benches along the way to take moments to rest can be helpful in calming, grounding, and regrouping during exercise.
4. Even choosing a place to exercise that feels safe and comfortable to you can make a huge difference in your body’s response. Perhaps at home in your basement is the only place you feel comfortable. Maybe it’s outside with a loved one. Find a space in which you are able to ground or anchor if you find yourself overwhelmed with the activity.
Everyone’s experience with trauma is different, but knowing ways to move your body that doesn’t leave you drained, triggered, or in pain is so vitally important for your healing. Know that you can always start small, and that there are so many people to support you in your own unique journey.
Much Love, Marysa
References:
Sarabzadeh, M., Soleimanifar, M., Helalizadeh, M., Neurophysiological Relationship of Neuromuscular Fatigue and Stress Disorder in PTSD patients, Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.041.