Please HELP! What is this feeling?

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I feel like I'm in a downward spiral. I've been so good with anxiety, but the last few days it's just getting worse and worse and today hit it's peak!
I was on a team day out. Felt fine all day. Then lunch at a restaurant came. And I started somehow feeling more and more anxious. Until I got this feeling that everytime I exhaled, my breath got caught in my chest. Almost like my heart stopped briefly.
I went to the bathroom, did some breathing exercises there. And I felt my heart the whole time I was doing those exercises and it was beating normal. So I know it's not my heart.
I can accept it's anxiety, but it's a symptom I've never had before. Is it silent reflux? Is it some form of hyperventilation?
I'm starting to get worried there's something wrong with my lungs. While walking back to the car I felt like I was going to collapse.
And my chest feels weak. I can't describe it any other way. I constantly feel like my heart is going to stop. I've always had heart anxiety, but not like this.

Please has anyone had this symptom and does anyone know what it is?
I understand it's anxiety, but what is physically actually causing this?

[Stecakes]

sounds like a panic attack. you don't have to be under stress at the moment of having one.
feeling like you're going to faint is a common anxiety symptom.
obviously if it gets progressively worse you should seek medical assistance
but really does sound like anxiety/panic attack

[Sparkling_Fairy]

The feeling like I'm about to collapse I've had before. It never happens and it probably concerns me less.
It's this pressure feeling in my chest or upper abdomen. Like every time I exhale it creates a pressure there. I just don't know what it is!
Even when I burp, I feel like it creates an extra pressure. It's almost like whatever air is going into my lungs, I can't all get out.

[Stecakes]

acid reflex maybe ? just with it starting at the lunch
probably worth a Chat with you're gp

[Gary A]

The feeling like I'm about to collapse I've had before. It never happens and it probably concerns me less.
It's this pressure feeling in my chest or upper abdomen. Like every time I exhale it creates a pressure there. I just don't know what it is!
Even when I burp, I feel like it creates an extra pressure. It's almost like whatever air is going into my lungs, I can't all get out.

That's exactly what it is. You're breathing in too much and not exhaling enough. Your body becomes confused by this and actually responds by feeling the need to breathe in more, thus worsening the problem.

It's a very common form of hyperventilation, and while its unpleasant and extremely uncomfortable, it's utterly harmless.

[MyNameIsTerry]

This was most of how my anxiety first manifested when I was at work. As I got much better through recovery it would still manifest like this when I felt under pressure at team events like this.

When it first started my GP explained it was an anxiety attack.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

Thanks all!

I will talk to my GP about it. I have to get a prescription renewed anyway next week.
But I have to catch a flight tomorrow and I'm honestly a little worried. I haven't had this much anxiety since last year. I really hope I can just take this feeling as what it is, and hope it passes in the next few days.

---------- Post added at 17:47 ---------- Previous post was at 17:14 ----------


acid reflex maybe ? just with it starting at the lunch
probably worth a Chat with you're gp

I thought it was reflux at first, 'cause a lot of my chest and throat feelings come from reflux.
But I hadn't eaten yet at this point. I actually went home by the time food arrived, because I couldn't eat a bit.
And this feels slightly different. Normally when I burp I instantly feel better. Now when I burp it also creates a pressure on my chest.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think the question you need to ask here is does it keep happening? And why? Is it only when in public situations?

What if it doesn't happen again?

One of the problems with anxiety is that we associate bodily sensations with fear and this causes us to misinterpret things at a subconscious level. This then triggers us at a conscious level unless we are able to stop it getting further. Even then, it takes some time to reprogrammed the associations the subconscious has made.

For instance, I got in a car yesterday to go shopping and pulling off at speed gave me some sensations like I used to experience with my anxiety ages ago. This dredged that up BUT I handled it and it quickly went. Years ago, that would have set my anxiety off for ages.

It's frustrating but it's all part of recovery. Even things like excitement can feel similar due to the crossover in some physical sensations and off starts the anxiety. It can be a bit like learning to live all over again! I found even normal sensations became a "what was that? Should I panic?" scenario. :doh:

So, if you handled it, try to remember that and work on it if it occurs again. Maybe it is something physical but until you can see repetition, it may be a one off issue so I wouldn't judge it right now and wouldn't allow your anxiety to feed off it as it may never happen again.

[duke27]

I get this often. It usually happens when I'm having a palpitation and goes within a few minutes. Anxiety related apparently. Hope your feeling better today. X

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I had it a little today, but not as bad. I figure since I don't feel it all day long, it probably isn't something purely physical.
I don't notice it when I'm distracted, which should tell me enough!

I'm trying to focus on what I did last year to get over it. What helped me get over it was to let the anxiety happen and not fight it and just accept it was there. It went really quickly 'cause I no longer gave it power.
I remembered that last night and felt pretty good all day. Let's hope this is my start to re-recovery :winks: