Chest anxiety

What do you recommend against chest anxiety?

Can you describe this more? 

I have this feeling of unrest in my left chest which won't go away.

I think a lot of us feel anxiety located in the chest area.  For one thing when we're anxious it can make it feel harder to breathe because our muscles tense up. Anything you can do to help bring relaxation to your body would probably help a lot.  Gentle exercise can help discharge some of that anxious energy. 

 

Do you practice any relaxation techniques?  Choosing some and practicing them daily can really help too.  Things like:

Progressive muscle relaxation

Positive visualization (for example, visualizing yourself calm and relaxed in a favorite location)

Deep slow breathing from the diaphragm (breathing from your belly)

4-7-8 breathing technique (breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, breathe out for 8 counts)

Mindfulness meditations  (you can use apps like Calm and Headspace)

 

I hope this eases up for you soon!

I think a lot of us feel anxiety located in the chest area.  For one thing when we're anxious it can make it feel harder to breathe because our muscles tense up. Anything you can do to help bring relaxation to your body would probably help a lot.  Gentle exercise can help discharge some of that anxious energy. 

 

Do you practice any relaxation techniques?  Choosing some and practicing them daily can really help too.  Things like:

Progressive muscle relaxation

Positive visualization (for example, visualizing yourself calm and relaxed in a favorite location)

Deep slow breathing from the diaphragm (breathing from your belly)

4-7-8 breathing technique (breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, breathe out for 8 counts)

Mindfulness meditations  (you can use apps like Calm and Headspace)

 

I hope this eases up for you soon!

Thank you, I think it's my costochondritis though, I did an exercise for it and it lessened the chest anxiety.

I have this also.

 

I’ve been doing CBT (telemedicine : talking, reframing and reconditioning) once a week. Doing yoga with good breathing synchronization. Doing yoga nidra (body mindfulness). Doing positive mantras (think up app). Started zazen meditation. Practicing Lojong (zen teaching). Praying to God.

 

Basically doing all and seeing what works and found they are really similar and synergistic. Realized I benefit from all the mind trading I can do.

Yes yes yes I have it big time. My left chest feels like it’s going to explode, exposed very uneasy hard to explain feeling. I hate it I absolutely hate it. My chest is full of all kinds of torments.

I had extreme bouts of the rib to sternum inflammation during interdose withdrawals for years.  When it started cracking like a huge knuckle joint and reverberating through my body = I was in a lot of pain and scared shootless.  The building of chest pressure pain was terrible and I would often intentionally push on my sternum firmly to get the cracking/chunking over with and relieve the pressure.  That was probably not the best idea as it just causes further inflammation.  It healed up with a collection of car wreck injuries at the start of acute tapering withdrawals, but was an issue for almost my entire time on Benzos.

I’ve been doing CBT (telemedicine : talking, reframing and reconditioning) once a week. Doing yoga with good breathing synchronization. Doing yoga nidra (body mindfulness). Doing positive mantras (think up app). Started zazen meditation. Practicing Lojong (zen teaching). Praying to God.

 

Hi BillyOff,

 

Do you have any good Yoga Nidra recommendations? I find that, in general, I struggle to sit still when attempting any kind of yoga, as my racing thoughts are in full swing. This is discouraging, but I'd like to keep trying.

 

TG

I use a couple on YouTube. Search for yoga nidra. Find one with a voice you like. It is meditation where you focus on the voice and just follow the body awareness verbal instructions. There is a bit of hypnosis that happens. At least for me the last couple times. The short active positive phrase stayed with me at a subconscious level for a day after. Once this happened to me I picked another phrase that I wanted to feel and that had a big impact on me. I do yoga nidra now every day after a yoga deep stretch. It helps me.

I have chest pain right now on the left side.  If I didn't have so much stress on me it wouldn't be so bad.

I use a couple on YouTube. Search for yoga nidra. Find one with a voice you like. It is meditation where you focus on the voice and just follow the body awareness verbal instructions. There is a bit of hypnosis that happens. At least for me the last couple times. The short active positive phrase stayed with me at a subconscious level for a day after. Once this happened to me I picked another phrase that I wanted to feel and that had a big impact on me. I do yoga nidra now every day after a yoga deep stretch. It helps me.

 

Thank you! I'll give it a try and report back this week! 

 

TG

Count me in too. I also experience a lot of the anxiety I feel in my chest area. This can be very distressing. I am not sure why but this seems to be common in most anxiety sufferers.

I've had various kinds of chest pain since spring 2020 and know how terrifying it can be.  After all, if you google "chest pain" what's the first thing you read?  "Call 911."  So of course chest pain is frightening! 

 

Living with undiagnosable chest pain is actually why I started taking Klonopin on a daily basis.  Turned out when I quit Lipitor most of the chest pain went away.  But I was left with a Klonopin problem (thanks Lipitor.)  And now I have other forms of chest pain that seem related to Klonopin.  There's the horrible cramping in my upper left chest.  And the squeezing feeling around my heart.

 

If chest pains have given you "health anxieties", you can buy a "pulse oximeter" to check your 02 and heart rate, a home blood pressure monitor and even a 1 or 6 lead home EKG.  There's also a ring or wrist pulse oximeter you can wear through the night that will awaken you if your oxygen or heart rate get beyond whatever point you set.  None of these are super-expensive and can help peace of mind, which can in turn lower anxieties and help sleep.