Phobia of Sitting

Off Topic
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Hello all my rational minded friends!

I come to you with advice on how to flip my brain switch so I can overcome my biggest phobia (sitting).

I never let myself sit for extended periods of time. And to me extended isn’t something like 5 or 6 hours, I am talking anything that exceeds 25 minutes. If I feel I am going to be forced to sit for too long I can’t focus on anything going on other than the fact that I am sitting and it’s uncomfortable. I go to see movies maybe once or twice a year, and only if it’s something super important (avengers) because the thought of being forced to sit for 2 hours terrifies me.
I only seek out standing jobs, which limits me a great deal because most standing jobs seem to only be minimum wage, retail type things.

When I am at home I don’t really let myself sit much beyond ten minutes. I don’t like going out for dinner because it takes to long sitting in a booth or what have you, and waiting on food and waiter, and bills, blah.
I also don’t go on trips , or even to malls that are a 35 minute drive away. Which is a big deal because the local mall is ABSOLUTE SHIT. (For realz, it’s like 5 jewelry stores and a shoe outlet LOL.)

Anyway, clearly I limit my life in every way just so I do not have to sit, but right now it’s extremely important to overcome this issue that I’ve had for a number of years now.

I have just been offered a position , a very , VERY good position, the best position I’ve ever been offered in my life at a company my dad retired from. It will be a work from home position so I knew right off the bat I would be buying myself a standing desk.
There is , however, a 4 month training period at the downtown office which will be a class room setting and it’s basically sitting from 9-4 5 days a week.

I cannot let my head explode during this time because it’s a complicated job and I want to learn it.

I know the second i am doing it from home I can control all of the things that freak me out because I can be standing and pacing and stretching at my leisure, but i need some reassurance from sane people that nothing horrible will happen to me in 4 months.

So here are my irrational thoughts:
First off sitting with de activate my glutes and make my hips tight
Then my beloved squat will slowly start turning to shit over time
week after week
5lbs off my squat , 10lbs 15…
then my ass will shrink
then ill never find a man , ill never get married , and ill never be happy LMAO

OH How the mighty anxiety jumps to strange random things in the blink of an eye, but this is literally what I am dealing with so :

I am still going to be training powerlifting 4x week and doing my cardio
i will walk at lunch and maybe after work
i will do glute work and hip stretches before and after work, and probably in the bathroom stalls also
um
so will i be ok, or will my body drastically change??

Ok thanks for listening, friends, HUGS

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I actually think that guving your body a break from all the pacing might help your situation. Of course I am not a sane person, but this is my opinion. As much volume as you do, I can’t see this being a problem for you.
I know it will be hard, I am not a sitter either, but you can do it. Just keep thinking of your son, and how this will improve the quality of your lives. It’s only 4 months. That’s nothing in the long run.
You can do this!

You may even try to explain that it is a problem for you and that would like to be in the back of the class so you stand for a while.

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Any chance you might be able to use a yoga ball in training? It’s all I ever sit on at my desk at work anymore and I’ll sit for hours on end…but I can fidget so much easier on it than I can in a chair. It’s made all the difference in just being able to stand up and move after such a long time sitting.

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Here are a few tips:

  • Like @ChickenLittle said, explain to your boss and whoever’s conducting the training that you have hip issues, you’ve worked with a doctor/physical therapist/chiropractor/medical professional, and if possible you’d like to sit somewhere that allows you to stand for a couple 5-minute increments during the training, should the need arise.

  • Buy some biznass casual shoes that work well in an office and are also good for walking in (I owned a pair of Rockports that looked great with slacks and felt great for a couple mile walk.) If you have 15-minute breaks during the day, wear a watch and take a 5-10 minute power walk during the break. If you’ve not done them, you’d be surprised at how effective a power walk is for fighting the fidgets, improving concentration, and making you feel good. If you have a 30-minute lunch break, eat then walk briskly for 20 minutes. If you can’t find good casual shoes for walking in, take your gym shoes in a backpack/briefcase/big purse.

  • When you return home, briefly stretch and do a couple sets of single-leg glute bridges with a pause at the top. Hold the non-pressing leg straight ahead so your thighs are parallel at the top of the motion.

As for your strength, since you’re continuing your regular training, I’d be surprised if you lose any strength. I was at my strongest on some lifts when I returned to school, was sitting literally for 12 hours a day studying, and only lifted a basic 5x5 program three times each week, for an hour and a half each session.

Padded or hard surfaces such as those on chairs aren’t muscle monsters that consume gainz on contact :wink:

Good luck and enjoy your new venture!

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Great tips you guys!
So nobody thinks asking the instructor if I can stand periodically would make them think I wouldn’t be a good fit for the position? They dont know I’m already pricing out standing desks lol. I dont want to come across as super weird before they’ve fallen in love with me and my quirky ways …

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How about you tell them some bullshit like you’ve go a minor hip injury and ask them if you can bring your standing desk to the training? You should be able to put it on a table in the back where you can stand and pace to your hearts content.

It probably would be okay to be more honest and just say "Hey, I don’t like sitting for long periods of time. Can I bring my standing desk to the training? I’ll come early to get it set up without disrupting anything. Is there a facilities person I should talk to about making sure there will be a decent table I can put it on?

I’m sure you can do this in a way that won’t make them think you will be a problem employee.

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I think if you present it as the medical issue it is and calmy request the occasional accomodation you know works (briefly standing), I don’t think they’ll see you as anything other than a thoughtful, proactive professional. You can even tell them you’re selecting a standing desk to use at home once you’ve completed training, which will demonstrate your dedication and enthusiasm for the job.

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That’s your actual fear. All of the other stuff is just crap.

Stop placing conditions on happiness. Learn to like who you are where you are now.

Simple but very difficult, I know. You’ll probably need professional help for that.

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I need professional help for a lot of things :blush:

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Agree with OnEdge.

Tell them you have an injury (bad back always sounds scary), cannot sit for extended periods, and bring one of these:

…put all that strength you built up in the gym on display, and lug that thing in with one arm…

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Be careful though. You don’t want to sound like a liability.

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Before you sit down, accept that the feeling of freaking out is going to come. Think about what it feels like when its happening, what it feels like when it’s coming and when it is over. Then have a think about the consequences of not moving. What is the worst thing that will happen? What good things could happen if you remain seated. It’s good to do this a long time before you face the situation and write it all down.

Then come up with some ways you can feel calm when it happens. This may be 3 breathes while thinking “in 2,3,4 out 2,3,4”. It may be taking 5 steps from the desk then coming out. Have 3 or 4 things you might try.

When you start to feel freaked out about sitting, think about the things you wrote down. It helps to identify the feelings in your head “I think I am beginning to have some anxiety about sitting here. That’s okay, I expected this to happen. It may pass, it may get stronger. I’m prepared to deal with it however it goes”

Then use your strategies. Think about that “worst possible outcome”. It won’t work every time but it will almost certainly get better everytime so you need to accept some failures along the way.

This sounds like fiddling with the biggest schlong out there but it works for a lot of people.

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take a bunch of valium

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I love this post, thanks !

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Lmao