It’s Not Laziness: The Hidden Reason Trauma Survivors Avoid Exercise

Have you ever tried to start working out, only to feel overwhelmed, panicky, or like your body is betraying you? 

You’re not alone and you’re not lazy. For many women, past trauma can make exercise feel impossible.

As a trauma therapist, I help women untangle the hidden ways their past affects their present, including why working out feels impossible.

Why Your Being Betrayed By Your Body

If you’ve ever felt panicked or shut down in the middle of a workout, there’s a reason for that. Your body is wired for survival, and exercise can mimic the same sensations as past trauma.

When you perceive a danger, your nervous system kicks into gear causing a cascade of internal reactions to prepare you to fight, flee, please, or freeze your way out of danger. 

During a stress reaction, your heart races, you sweat, and your breathing becomes shallow. 

Which are some of the same things that you experience during a workout. Your heart rate increases, you start to sweat, and your breathing can become shallow. This can be triggering because all of these internal reactions are linked to all the other times that your nervous system came online because of a stressful or traumatic event.

If you had a childhood full of stress and chaos you might have an overactive stress response and could (unconsciously) avoid anything that resembles those sensations, thoughts or feelings. 

When you’ve lived in survival mode for years, your body learns that certain sensations like a racing heart or sweating mean danger. Even if your mind knows you’re safe, your nervous system may react as if you’re back in a traumatic situation. No amount of tough love or telling yourself to get over it will help when you’re having a present day reaction to an old trauma. 

When There’s Been Childhood Sexual Abuse

For some women, these body-based triggers go even deeper. If you’ve experienced childhood sexual abuse, the link between trauma and movement can be even stronger. We know that at least 1 in 4 girls experiences sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence. Often, these abuse experiences are not discussed or swept under the rug without addressing the issue. 

For survivors of repeated childhood sexual abuse, overwhelming sensations like a racing heart, sweating, or feeling trapped became linked with danger. These same sensations can arise during exercise, making movement feel unsafe, even years later. 

This is why certain sensations like a sweaty hug from a friend or the feeling of your shirt sticking to your skin can trigger a full-body reaction. It’s not the hug itself, but the way your body has learned to associate these sensations with past danger. 

Women in these circumstances often blame themselves, feeling embarrassed and believing that something must be wrong with them. Not recognizing that their body needs help distinguishing between present day discomfort and past trauma. 

How to Change Your Relationship with Exercise

If sensations like sweat on your skin feel unbearable, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t have to force yourself through it. Trauma therapy can help you gently reprocess these reactions at your own pace, in a safe and supportive space. 

You can rebuild a relationship with movement that feels safe and empowering—on your own terms.

I work with adult women virtually throughout California and inperson at my office in Lompoc, CA to help them heal from their invisible wounds.

Schedule your free phone consultation & learn why women are trying EMDR therapy.