Do you ever feel stabbing chest pain or increased heart rate even at rest? These might be chest anxiety symptoms.
Some people who suffer from anxiety might develop chest pain anxiety symptoms that accompany this primary condition. So, how do you know if you suffer from chest pain anxiety symptoms? It can be summarized in the following:
Chest Pain Anxiety Symptoms
- Stabbing pain
- Slight aches
- Burning sensation
- Tight chest
If your anxiety is accompanied by 2 or more of these symptoms, then you’re probably suffering from chest pain anxiety.
However, you should not confuse chest pain anxiety symptoms with heart attack symptoms. Some people may be suffering from a heart attack and assume what they are feeling are chest anxiety symptoms as well as the other way around. Here are some differences that might help you to not mix them up:
Chest Anxiety symptoms vs Heart Attack
- If you feel the pain while doing physical activity, it’s probably a heart attack. If you feel it while at rest, then you’re probably experiencing chest pain anxiety symptoms.
- If you experience short breath, it can be a sign of a heart attack.
- If you experience constant pain that doesn’t eventually stop, then it’s a symptom of a heart attack. If the pain disappears within seconds, then that’s a symptom of chest pain anxiety.
Chest anxiety symptoms
If you have any symptoms of a heart attack, call the emergency service right away. If the symptoms are not consistent, you should also check-up with a physician to know the reason behind your symptoms.
How to cope with Chest Pain Anxiety
So, how should you cope with your chest pain anxiety? Mainly you need to have control over your anxiety. Anxiety symptoms can be reduced by:
- practicing breathing exercises,
- regularly exercising deep relaxation,
- improving nutrition including the intake of vitamin supplements,
- learning techniques to stop panic attacks in the early stages
- exposing situations that make us anxious,
- recognizing and expressing feelings,
- questioning and challenging negative internal speech,
- by questioning and challenging the distorted beliefs underlying the problem,
- by using self-encouraging affirmations
Every-day life tips for reducing chest anxiety symptoms
Apart from the list above, there are some every-day life tips to alleviate both your general anxiety and the anxiety in your chest:
#1 Spend more time outside
You should not be spending most of your time in a room or in a closed area, this is very unhealthy and can make your anxiety worse.
Try to spend at least 30 minutes of your day in an open-air area, even if it’s your back yard or your patio. This will have a significant positive effect on your mood and will significantly reduce your anxiety.
#2 Drink calming beverages
Some drinks are actually very helpful at calming your nerves and reducing stress, thus helping with anxiety. Some of the options are:
- Lemonade. Just add some sugar to a cup of water and then squeeze a lemon over it.
- Mint really helps in relieving stress. There are plenty of mint drinks- one of which adding mint to a lemonade drink. Another tasty, calming mint drink would be adding mint to water, then add water and sliced cucumber.
Apart from being great antioxidants, these beverages notably reduce stress.
#3 Meditate
Meditation will help you out in coping with your anxiety and the chest pain that accompanies it. There are a lot of breath-taking natural sights that are all around you. Find a landscape, trees, a lake or whatever is near you and gaze at how magnificent the view is. This is the only thing worth overthinking honestly.
#4 Visit a doctor
If nothing is helping and the pain is only getting worth, you should visit a doctor. Doctors will know exactly what you’re suffering from and will offer professional help.
Find out more about chest anxiety and related conditions on our FAQ page.