Chest tremors
Ive recently been diagnosed with anxiety although Im sure Ive had it for years and just tried to overcome on my own. Its been so bad the past month that Im developing new things every couple days that feel wrong, been to doctors and thats when they confirmed I am physically fine but have anxiety thats causing physical symptoms. The latest is spasms/tremors in my chest whenever I try to relax. Ive tried breathing exercises but the problem is that when I focus on my breathing is when they come. Its preventing me from being able to fall asleep at night and any time I wake up I cant get back to sleep. Any tips on how to take your mind off of these types of pains?
@Winter126 I'm sorry that your anxiety has gotten that bad, I know how it feels to not be able to ground yourself.
First things first, when you are panicking, the goal isn't to force yourself to relax (that won't work) but distract yourself. There are lots of grounding techniques you could try. To expain a couple:
5 senses: name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste right now.
What sensations can you feel?: ie Lets imagine you're sitting in a chair. How does it feel underneath you? It is study? Soft? Is it made of metal? Wood? Fabric? How does the material feel when you run your hands over it?
Pick a shape and find that shape around you: ie circles- the light bulb, the clock on the wall, the ring on my finger, the screws holding the lightswitch, the space between the 6, 8, 9, 0 on the clock, etc
Tense and release: starting with your toes and moving up your body one body part at a time, tense up your muscles for 10 seconds and then release
Now that you are distracted and you aren't panicking or experiencing tremors lets find a way to relax that won't set you off again.
I like to listen to soothing music. Weightless by Macaroni Union has been shown to lower anxiety but I also care of clair de lune. I'm sure there are a lot of other songs that could work instead.
Don't give up on breathing exercises or better yet meditation exercises that are meant to clear your head
Listen to an audio book with a calm plot and read by an even more calm person. It's like a bedtime story and might help you fall asleep because you will be focused on the story rather than your breathing.
These were only a few suggestions I could think of off the top of my head but hopefully one of them or a combination of them can help you. If not, maybe we can brainstorm some more techniques together. :)
