Being a runner with Anxiety Disorder really sucks 😞

U don't even run bro

A rustle in the bushes?

A rustle in the hand is worth two in the bushes.

I hear ya.

I guess I was lucky that I grew up with one of those old WW2 dads who refused to recognize anxiety disorder and phobias like the ones that so profoundly effected my life.

I couldn’t give in to them, I wasn’t allowed to and had to fight to get through the many jobs and many years.

I would have stayed under the covers my entire young life. That wasn’t gonna happen and I feel it was the right approach

They dont go away though and I actually turned to counciling when I was in my early 60’s

How about carrying a dog repellant spray when in the city, and a bear spray when on the trail?

It's not that hard to do.

I do that when hiking. I've probably got an extra canister if you want it.

But I do understand that you are probably just using that as an example and your anxiety is of course broader than that.

Would much rather be a runner with anxiety disorder than most other sports, and I say that with a lot of certainty.

How would you like to sail the seas with the killer whales and sharks and storms threatening you? How would you like to be a cyclist with all those distracted drivers these days? You get the idea, and the idea is that running is fundamentally one of the safest sports there is, at least in terms of catastrophic injuries or even serious injuries.

I get it that anxiety disorder really sucks regardless, but I am just wondering if there are ways to manage it, and I might consider the sport you've chosen to pursue to be one very good way to do so.

If it makes you feel better know that a mountain lion would absolutely not be rustling in the bushes. That’s prey behavior as they flee. Rabbits. Squirrels etc.

A mountain line would be absolutely still. You would likely have zero idea it was even there until it was about to grab you.

I started running when i realised I didn't have the cajones to be a road cyclist. I've got my own boundless stupidity to worry about.

Bear scat is filled with clothing and bones that reek of bear spray.

You're much more likely to be attacked by dogs than mountain lions.

Have you considered medication?

Everybody has anxiety. Most people have the morality to go through life anyway. Immoral people instead sit around talking their feelings.

So stop being a runner then.

Imagine being a female runner with anxiety disorder. They probably assume every rustle in the bushes is Jamin.

That’s my honorary Native American name.

You run in a neighborhood of million dollar homes or near your employer's corporate campus. You aren't prey for the four-legged cougars and too old for the two-legged variety.

running with anxiety and rustles in the bushes is a zero sum game

https://carnivorespotter.org/urban-carnivore-spotter/

Hey, that's really neat!

See mostly coyote sightings on there, and more than a few racoons. But also some bobcat!

My neighbor and her dog got attacked by a racoon last year. It got really involved, with plenty of follow-up and what-not.

Neighbors started a campaign to get the place where it happened exterminated, etc. As for me, I went down with a cinderblock and was hoping to put an end to it with minimal fuss, but couldn't find it.

Eventually a surprising number got trapped and removed.