upper chest tight stress shortness of breath

Visit your doctor! The pain in an upper chest and shortness of breath are probably caused by stress and anxiety. This anxiety related attack of panic that you’ve experienced can be treated with prescription anti anxiety medications, relaxation techniques for anxiety. My advice to you is to start with some counseling to find out why you are under so much stress. Once your condition is diagnosed you can be under the proper treatment.

this made me feel so much better i have the same exact things as u. im 14 but latly i have been under ALOOOT of stress and i have had a anxiety attack alot of them. but my chest feels like thers needles all in it and it feels rlly tight. but im gunna go to counseling to make things better. I HOPE UR BETTER TO!

hi im aimee
i have been having shortnes of
breath ive been having pannic and anxiety
attacks :-(
im only 11 and im not able to go
to counciling because my parents dont think theres anything wrong with me
so if you know a way to stop anxiety without
having to go to the doc. or counsiling will you
contact me and tell me
at _[removed]_

Hey guys!
I've been dealing with a panic disorder for about a year now. I've found very little help to come from my doctor, but if you really feel like your situation is debilitating it MAY help to take some medication to get you back on your feet so you can stop taking meds and get better the holistic way.

My advice would be to try holistic methods before getting involved in medication, which can make things better or worse, and can be problematic to stop taking (I had a killer withdrawal issue with Xanax).

My recommendation would be to go out and get yourself a copy of The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. You can get it from Amazon or probably any bookstore. It was MY SAVIOR, no kidding.

Basically anxiety/panic attacks/panic disorder can happen from a number of reasons. It can be genetic, it can be a predisposition in your psychology, low self esteem affects it, stress affects it. If you've had a lot of stressful situations in the past year or two (even if none of them SEEM stressful individually - they can really add up), this can put you in a position to have anxiety. Some foods can cause anxiety, certain ways of thinking (such as berating yourself for not doing well enough at this or that) can cause anxiety.

First thing to realize is THESE FEELINGS CANNOT HURT YOU (but you should probably check with a doctor to make sure you're healthy otherwise!). You will not stop breathing, you will not die from having these sensations. People experience a lot of different sensations, tightening of the chest, chest pains, stomach pains, numbness, disorientation, depression, feeling of choking, heart racing, sweating, and a long list of other things. This is your body's fight or flight reaction.

Holistic methods for dealing with your situation include:
1. FOOD - try not to have too much salt, sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. I'd take the caffeine down first if you can. Limit your meat intake. Try to eat organic or at least fresh foods, and lots of vegetables.
2. RELAX - try to take at least an hour to relax every day, and a day to relax every week. By this I mean take an hour to just sit. Just experience yourself, in the sun if you can. Just sit and be with yourself, and do some research on mindfulness practice.
3. BREATHE - learn to meditate or do breathing exercises. This can help you when you actually have the attacks. Think of yourself as being in your favorite place in the whole world, wherever that is. Breath very slowly in and out, trying to make your breaths the same length. Count as you do it. Research "progressive muscle relaxation" techniques and breathing exercises for stress and anxiety.
4. THERAPY - Therapy can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you get. I would seek out someone who understands your situation and who understands holistic methods, likely not a psychotherapist although that can be fun. My therapist has helped me understand how my thinking affects my physical body.
5. READ BOOKS - Get "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" and read it! It's such a comfort. Also check out "Self Esteem" (the one with the flower on the cover), which is not lame in any way, it's been a real help to me.
6. TALK TO PEOPLE - The more people I talk to, the more I realize how common this problem is. It's both comforting and informative.
7. VITAMINS? - I've been taking Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Vitamin B-Complex instead of taking medication. These really help to cheer me up and keep me feeling stable.
8. EXERCISE - Daily vigorous exercise is a great way to deal with anxiety. A lot of this holistic stuff is about making the body health so the mind can be healthy too. Exercising will help to release some of that anxiety and will make you healthier in the process. If you feel an attack coming on, try going out for a nice walk, or running around your house/apartment yelling and laughing. That worked for me in a lot of cases. Try your best to have a sense of humor about it. Get angry if you can, punch a pillow. Any emotion besides fear will help to dispel anxiety.

I've been having a tight chest after a long time of feeling a lot better, and it's really frustrating. I've been finding that if I close my eyes and start to breathe very slow, knowing that THIS IS ANXIETY, and if I imagine my chest opening up, softening, turning into pixie dust or something, that my body really does react. It's amazing how much our mind and body are attached.

So have faith! Do some research! You can get better!
Good luck everyone
Iris*

Hello! i need help...i have a tight chest, mainly behind my sternum (breast bone) im a 17yr old male and it only happens every two or three months...just out of the blue!!! i was just sitting on a chair watchin tv when it started. its dont think its anxiety, but my doctor said it could be GERD (gastrointestinal reflux disease) which is just like acid reflux...i dont think this is it because i dont get an acid like feeling but i get this tight knotting feeling like i said right behind my sternum...does anone have a clue to what it may be? :-(

i heard someone said they had gastritis which causes acid to squirt into their lungs, therefore causing a tight feeling when they exhale...but my tightness happens when i inhale....im very confused!!! :'(

can somebody please help me i have had shortness of breath for 2 months its not bad its alright but im just wondering what it is because 3 weeks ago i went to doctor did lungs xtray and my results were fine so now i wanna wats the problem here not that much of shortness breath sometimes it my breath comes out well tho please help

Hello.
I'm Having A Problem.
My Chest Gets Tight when I Inhale.
So I'm forced To Have Irregular Breathing.
Sometimes I Feel Like I Am Digesting Thumbtacks.
And I Always Feel Like My Brain Is Frying, But I Have No Fever At All.
I Get Dizzy, And Can't Concentrate.
When I Drink My Stomach Feels Better For About 2 mins, Then Goes Back To Hurting.
If I Eat My Chest Hurts..

Help? D:

Do you smoke weed?

what has smoking weed got to do with it?

Weed helps. Smoke weed. Trust me.

Hi my name is Jane, I am 55yrs old, and I have been under alot of strees for quite along time now, mainly due to problems in my life especially trying to find employment. I have been diagnosed with IBS and I have Osteo Athritis, but I also suffer with Panic Attacks especially while I am in my sleep shortness of breath I actually feel like I am dieing it scares me to death!!!!!! I also of late have been suffering with Reflux, I think I have Hyeatus Hernia also, and I get this awful pulsateing just below my breast it makes me feel sick and very lathargic, I am at my wits end I am not sleeping I can have 3 to 4 panic attacks even before I put my head on my pillow I am not even in a deep sleep when this happens please can some one help me? I dont know what to do even when I go to see my doctor's they give me anti depressants which make me feel like a zombie I dont need these, they make me feel terrible, I dont like taking medication anyway I have tryed to help myself with walking although I dont exercise like I used to because of my athritis which first attacked my knees. I am a strong person but this is actually making me feel ill, if there is someone out there that can help me pls Do. :-(

Hi,

I think PixelFool summed it all up perfectly, what a great reply to the topic. I'm a 36 year old Graphic Designer, I always thought I controlled my health well but like most people in my profession, I have recently felt the symptoms of stress & anxiety.

The first instance terrified me, I was travelling and after a big night out that ended with a naughty kebab (very bad, I know!) I spent the following day doing the rounds, breakfast, coffee, shopping, coffee, lunch, coffee, coffee, coffee etc. That night, in my friends house I felt totally fine then suddenly there was a tingly sensation and nausea, it passed but I decided to go to bed. I think I may have slept for an hour or so but then woke up feeling very weird altogether. It felt like something was very wrong, shocks going through my body, stomach pains, bloated feeling and constipation. To cut a long story short, that night I did think I was about to have a heart attack at any moment. The funniest thing was that I felt embarrassed to wake up my friend so just lay there, terrified, wondering how bad it would look to find my corpse in the guest bedroom of their new house. Very surreal really, I eventually fell asleep despite the total anxiety and when I woke up I knew things needed to change.

I had heart burn pretty much for the next week and other GERD symptoms. I was all VERY worried at first asking my family about issues of heart disease (a bad move if your mother is already pretty nervous and a worrier!) but after a few visits to the doc and a series of tests I got the all clear. He but me on blood pressure meds as that was high (I really don't want to be on them but with the help of a nutritionist I'm hoping to ween myself of them) and told me to lose weight, I did so & after 6 weeks now I feel better already and fitness is now top of my list of things to do, just as much as working to earn money is a must for me I have to realise I also have to work just as hard at staying relaxed and healthy.

I think the most important thing is not to let things build up in your life unchecked, if I think back to the last year I can see why I was headed straight for the way I have been feeling lately. I recently set up my own small company (so there's stress there), I'm in a complicated long term, long distance, relationship (more stress), I had a court case over my head (busted for having a joint at a music festival = LOTS OF STRESS! altho the outcome was fine thankfully and its behind me) and in general I'm uncertain about whether I'm doing the right things in terms of where I am careerwise, my relationship and more or less where I am in the scheme of things.

I would definitely look at nutrition & fitness, they have helped me so much. I am also going to take PixelFool's advice and get a copy of "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook", because I think its important to realise what exactly is stress & anxiety, I must also accept that I'm probably going to have these issues long term and basically need to work hard at all the angles to maintain as stress free a lifestyle as I can.

Here's hoping things improve even more for me. For anyone feeling the same, lower your salt intake, if u drink coffee just have one a day in the morning, talk to a nutritionist & basically get off the couch and keep fit.

All the best,

T

anonymous wrote:

Weed helps. Smoke weed. Trust me.

Not a good idea in my book i would not be going through serious anxiety and panic attack if it was not for smoking weed for year. I loved it and miss it but i do realise what it did to my life

noo weed does not help weed is bad bad bad bad