Physical Sensation in Chest During Anxiety
Does anybody else experience a prolonged anxious feeling in their chest due to anxiety? It's kind of a pulsing sensation, a slight disturbance in the heart, like it can't quite calm down. Tuning into it, it feels as if I can feel my heart beating extra hard, not racing, but I can feel it in there. I suspect it's the same thing as the fight or flight response, but for me it feels like it's prolonged. I feel it every day, and as soon as I wake up, it comes back. I spend days trying to ignore it to no avail. I'm trying to just accept it and go with it for now. Curious to hear other people's experiences or strategies.
I get 'flutters' just like that. I'm not 100% on how long it lasts. I carry my anxiety in my upper chest. I feel it mostly there when it starts. When I become OCD on certain sensations, I have to do certain exercises to disrupt the cycle. If possible, I get my spouse or kids to talk nonstop about their day, ask me questions about random things. If that's not an option at the time I pay my right hand on my left thigh and then my left hand on my right thigh. Cold air helps me too. I keep a frozen washrag in my freezer. I take it out and breathe in the cold. Cartoons help calm me too. Phineas and Ferb and Bobs Burgers are my go to shows.
I hope this helps, even if just a smidgen.
@ironicswife Aw thank you so much for sharing your strategies with me. It's very heartwarming to hear others experience this as well. I think "flutters" is a good way to describe it.
I think my strategies involve mainly distracting myself. I tend to spend a lot of time on YouTube, or, watching TV shows and embroidering. The trouble with doing activities that are calm is that it gives you room to think (maybe too much), yet at the same time, blaring noise at yourself 24/7 doesn't give you time to feel those feelings either. I am not sure that I've found the ideal balance yet. I hope to resolve the reasons for my internal anxiety with time. Thank you for your thoughtful answer.
Anytime! It's definitely a balancing act. I've been trying to balance for 25 years. Over the last maybe 4 years I've found more successful ways that work for me.
Remember, YOU'VE GOT THIS!
THIS DOESN'T DEFINE YOU!!
YOU'RE ALWAYS AMAZING!!
@ironicswife Aw thank you for the wonderful support! <3
