Haley Dunn
This month, Haley Dunn has been gracious enough to share her own story about anxiety and CrossFit. Haley was our Athlete of the Month for October 2024, so please read our blog about her! She came with Coach AK for a “Bring a Friend” day, and got hooked. Haley has been a member since December 2023 and can be seen mostly in the morning classes but will come to some evenings a few times a week, depending on what her schedule allows. As you will see through her story, cardio is something that Haley struggles with and had to work through. Knowing this is a weakness and working out with people she barely knew caused Haley’s anxiety to increase. After consistently attending class, she got to know her fellow members and became friends with them. She learned they were supportive and never judged her for her ability. She was able to learn what increased her anxiety and how to put a handle on it when it pops up. Below is all written in Haley’s own words.
Preconceived Notions on CrossFit
As a new member of IA, there were plenty of classes that I came into and doubted my physical abilities. I had a ton of preconceived notions about what I could or could not do because of the size of my body. Gradually working out the moves and with practice I grew to love lifting and moving more. However, cardio has always been a place of limit for myself. There were plenty of times where I looked at the cardio as a place of dislike instead of a place where I can grow.
Anxiety Shows Up
While working out one morning during an exceptionally stressful time in my life I was rowing and broke down. Unable to breathe and tears coming down my face, Coach Jen came over and slowly coached me back to being able to finish the workout.
Community Bond
I’ve never been in a community so diligent about lifting others up and recognizing growth. In that moment of weakness I learned that coaches know the abilities and limitations of each of our bodies. It gave me the ability to trust the coaches recommendations and know that they wouldn’t pressure anyone into doing anything their body couldn’t handle.
Moving Forward
I still struggle with minimal anxiety about the workouts. Ways I’ve found help me combat that is not looking at the workout before I’m at the gym. Showing up is half the battle and looking at the workout before hand definitely has caused me to cancel coming to class. It also sometimes feels like a reward when I show up to class and the workout is something I love doing, more specifically weightlifting.
Overcoming Anxiety Accomplishment
One of the highest points of my Industrial Athletics experience has been conquering Murph. I truly believed I wasn’t at a level to do it. But after some coaxing I signed up and amazed myself with completing it. I’m excited to see what my body can do next and pushing my boundaries.
Opportunity over Fear
Haley has grown to come to classes with rowing and look at it as an opportunity rather than something to fear. Seeing the support in the community from both members and coaches helped her to bring her emotions under control. By learning herself, she has been able to move better than she has and see improvements every day. Sometimes feelings of anxiety help lead us to a better future. Feeling anxiety or out of place in the gym is not an uncommon feeling. There are ways to work through these feelings and overcome these obstacles.
