Chest Pain/ Chest Discomfort

I have not come across any anxiety and panic attack sufferers who did not experience some sort of chest pains.

This is one of the most common anxiety symptoms that sends many people to the ER including myself, many times. It is understandable that anxiety sufferers are so afraid of this symptom. It is right at the area where your heart is. It comes really close to one of the most crucial organs that is responsible for your survival.

I can’t even remember how many EKGs, chest X-Rays, chest CT scans, even stress tests, that I had during my anxiety days. I was told by countless of doctors that my heart was healthy and I should not worry about any heart diseases. But whenever anxiety and panic attack acted up, back to the ER I went. Looking back, I feel pretty silly but just like many of anxiety sufferers, our reasoning is out played by fear.

I’m sure you have read the disclaimer, but I want to remind you that you should get checked out by your doctor first. And if you are told that your heart is healthy and that you have anxiety, please be assured that once you are recovered from anxiety, these antagonizing and scary chest pain/discomfort will start packing.

My chest pains during my anxiety days were very intense. I couldn’t take a deep breath or expand my chest due the sharp pain on and around my chest. That caused me to panic because I thought I would lose my breath and dropped down on the floor. I can’t explain why, maybe it was just the psychological thing, but every darn time I experienced chest pain, it was more on to my left side and sometime radiating to my left shoulder and arm.

This is the real one!

Now, if you are like how I was, an anxiety sufferer, and go on google to type in chest pain, difficulty breathing and left arm and shoulder pain. I can almost guarantee you “heart attack” will be the first answer. Is it the wrong answer? No. What’s wrong here is us not trusting our doctors and instead, we believe Dr. Google. We let our anxiety bluff us and convince us that “this is the real one”. I remember saying that to my family, who tried so hard to calm me down and convince that it’s just anxiety, that this time it is a real heart attack, just to end up with a walk of shame out of the hospital and a bunch of medical bills.

So, what is it that causes chest pain when we have anxiety? It’s muscle tension. Muscles tension is responsible for 90% of anxiety symptoms and chest muscle is not an exception. If your chest pain is worse with movement, then most likely it is caused by muscle tension.

I heard many people told me: “But I never did anything with my chest to have tension there”. Please trust me that with anxiety, a high level of stress hormone is flowing through our body all day long. This causes our muscles to tense up and stay tense, doesn’t matter what area in your body. Once your chest muscles stay under tension for a long period of time, they will start to cause pain and discomfort.

Indigestion, which is also very common with anxiety, can also cause chest pain. It can actually cause very severe chest pain. Heart burn and strapped gas related chest pain are commonly reported from ER departments.

I’m not going to ask you to relax so your muscles can have a break. The word relax is not an easy word to digest when you suffer from anxiety and panic attack. All I’m asking is for you to accept your chest pain. Know that you are safe, and the pain will subside once your anxiety is under control.

I was struggling with chest pains for years. I was constantly rubbing, touching and pressing on my chest to “examine” my chest pain, and by doing so I made it worse. The discomfort and pain persisted which gave me more stress. More stress leads to more tension and that opens a door for longer and more intense episode of chest pains.

There are many short-term reliefs you can use, but ultimately working on your anxiety using A.C.E.R. will permanently eliminate your anxiety related chest pain and discomfort for good. It worked for me, so I’m sure it will work for you as well.

Symptoms are like battles. You can win one here and there, but attacking your anxiety helps you win the war.