Terrified that there’s something wrong with my heart

[anxious_thoughts]

I’ve had a stressful year so far. Catching COVID on January, which caused tons of anxiety and new fears. This week I was worried about a blood clot in my arm, I went today and got an ultrasound done and it’s a pulled muscle.

But now it’s 2:30am and I’m so anxious that I can’t sleep. My heart is faster than usual and I get a sinking feeling every so often. I keep feeling my heart beat and can’t sleep because of it. I’m just so scared something is wrong from COVID. Although I did have a chest X-ray done almost two months after I got sick and nothing stood out from my heart.

Im 28 and 200lbs. Don’t live a healthy life style.
I try to sleep and I feel my heart racing. Now I feel a pressure on the back of my head. Just anxiety is so out of control at the moment. I’ve never had an ECG done but I’m gonna request one.

[Scass]

Look, I’m not sure what we can say to help you.
You are in a spiral of anxiety, even though your tests are clear.
I think you need to speak to your doctor and be very honest about all of your fears. Perhaps they will help to put it in perspective for you.

I hope you feel better soon.

[anxious_thoughts]

Look, I’m not sure what we can say to help you.
You are in a spiral of anxiety, even though your tests are clear.
I think you need to speak to your doctor and be very honest about all of your fears. Perhaps they will help to put it in perspective for you.

I hope you feel better soon.

Yes I’ve really been in a spiral. :(
Thankfully I was able to calm down after a few hours last night but it felt so scary. Never experienced the sinking feeling in my chest before due to anxiety. I think I will request a heart test just to feel a bit better and speak to my doctor.

Thank you

[Catkins]

I think you need to speak to your doctor and see if they think you need a test rather than just request it.

[anxious_thoughts]

I think it might help soothe my anxiety.
I'm just so worried about the sinking heart feeling, that was scary and I've never felt that before. But I've also experienced the most anxiety this year alone compared to any other years before. It's terrifying...

[anxious_thoughts]

Hi everyone, it’s 3:30 am and I’m so anxious about the sinking heart feeling. I’ve been doing well during the day but now it’s night time and my legs are shaking cause I’m terrified of it happening.

I am extremely exhausted also as I barely slept the night before but then also very anxious. Every time I catch myself falling asleep I wake up quickly panicky and my heart slightly racing a bit because I’m worried to fall asleep just in case the sinking heart feeling happens.

How can I calm this anxiety? :(
Im so tried and just want to sleep.

[NoraB]

How can I calm this anxiety? :(
Im so tried and just want to sleep.

Stop scaring yourself delirious for a start. Then you focus on your breathing taking that breath deeply into your diaphragm. This actively turns off the fight or flight response. I do this with my nocturnal panic attacks where I wake up with my heart racing. These days it takes seconds to lower my heart rate because I no longer fear this response. It's fear which keeps the whole thing going..

Next thing, go through your lifestyle and write everything down that you ingest - body & mind. When my stress levels are high I have to stop eating sugary foods, any caffeine - inc decaf and I have to have my last meal before 6pm. I also have to lay off with programmes I love like Peaky Blinders. Too stimulating see. Also, If you're eating at night this will raise your heartrate because that's what happens with digestion. Go through absolutely everything that you do and see if you can lower that heart rate with a few tweaks here and there but don't expect it to happen overnight..

Sort your health out. Improve your fitness. Eat healthier. Small changes can make a big difference. If you know you are unhealthy, and it's bothering you, this will play into your fears. Doing something to help yourself has the opposite effect and your mood will improve. You don't have to go all out with the gym, a walk everyday will do it. Or some stretching exercises. That's what I do, walking and Pilates and it's doing the job.

[anxious_thoughts]

Stop scaring yourself delirious for a start. Then you focus on your breathing taking that breath deeply into your diaphragm. This actively turns off the fight or flight response. I do this with my nocturnal panic attacks where I wake up with my heart racing. These days it takes seconds to lower my heart rate because I no longer fear this response. It's fear which keeps the whole thing going..

Next thing, go through your lifestyle and write everything down that you ingest - body & mind. When my stress levels are high I have to stop eating sugary foods, any caffeine - inc decaf and I have to have my last meal before 6pm. I also have to lay off with programmes I love like Peaky Blinders. Too stimulating see. Also, If you're eating at night this will raise your heartrate because that's what happens with digestion. Go through absolutely everything that you do and see if you can lower that heart rate with a few tweaks here and there but don't expect it to happen overnight..

Sort your health out. Improve your fitness. Eat healthier. Small changes can make a big difference. If you know you are unhealthy, and it's bothering you, this will play into your fears. Doing something to help yourself has the opposite effect and your mood will improve. You don't have to go all out with the gym, a walk everyday will do it. Or some stretching exercises. That's what I do, walking and Pilates and it's doing the job.

Hello Nora,

Thank you SO much for this. I am so upset with myself that I’m letting it put so much fear into me. I finally thought I had put it to rest earlier in the day as I kept busy and didn’t think about it, but when it came to bed time my mind chose to fear. It’s almost 5am and I’ve never experienced anxiety this badly before.

Since I got COVID back in January I’ve been finding it difficult to do my 45 minute walks again. I’m afraid of everything, I’m afraid of my own body giving out during walks and I used to really enjoy going out with my family but I’m scared of everything now. So you’re right, it’s definitely fear that keeps it all going.

I will try to cut out certain food containing sugar as well as change my life style. I’ve been trying to slowly push myself each week to walk or at least get 5k steps but it feels like some other health related anxiety pops up and I’m back to square one. And you’re so right, if I know I’m unhealthy that eats into my fears. That’s part of the problem too. I miss my old life pre COVID, I need to stop living in fear.

[NoraB]

It’s almost 5am and I’ve never experienced anxiety this badly before.

My experience is that it always seems worse at night when it's quiet and they are fewer distractions..

My advice? Get up. Move about. Go do something boring. Burn off some of that nervous energy. Don't lie there and allow your mind to scare you.

Since I got COVID back in January I’ve been finding it difficult to do my 45 minute walks again.

Dial it back a bit. Build UP to your 45 minute walks. This will take some time and that's to be expected after having COVID as it would be any illness..

I’m afraid of my own body giving out during walks and I used to really enjoy going out with my family but I’m scared of everything now. So you’re right, it’s definitely fear that keeps it all going.

Your body is working magnificently. We don't appreciate just how well our body works for us. It's not your body that's the real problem here, it's your mind..

I will try to cut out certain food containing sugar as well as change my life style. I’ve been trying to slowly push myself each week to walk or at least get 5k steps but it feels like some other health related anxiety pops up and I’m back to square one. And you’re so right, if I know I’m unhealthy that eats into my fears. That’s part of the problem too. I miss my old life pre COVID, I need to stop living in fear.

I have fibromyalgia. My old self is long gone. I was incredibly active ten years ago. Now it's a very different story. On my worst days I can't exercise. I might be in bed or in a chair. So, I have a timer set for every hour (over 9 hours) to remind me to move and I do 250 steps around the house or I get out of bed and walk on the spot. This has taken away the concern that I'm not moving enough. It helps.. Maybe stop pushing yourself to do the 5k? Listen to your body and don't push yourself when you feel tired. Give a little more when you have more energy? Try gentle exercise - like stretching.

Aside sugar, look at gluten and dairy. These are huge triggers for me.

Re your pre COVID life? It might well be the case that you do get back to that. Even better maybe? But I find that looking to the past can be as unhelpful as imagining the future. Try and work with the version of yourself that you are now - today.

Your mind is in the past or in a fearfully imagined future and that's the problem, but you can work on this too..

[anxious_thoughts]

My experience is that it always seems worse at night when it's quiet and they are fewer distractions..

My advice? Get up. Move about. Go do something boring. Burn off some of that nervous energy. Don't lie there and allow your mind to scare you.



Dial it back a bit. Build UP to your 45 minute walks. This will take some time and that's to be expected after having COVID as it would be any illness..



Your body is working magnificently. We don't appreciate just how well our body works for us. It's not your body that's the real problem here, it's your mind..



I have fibromyalgia. My old self is long gone. I was incredibly active ten years ago. Now it's a very different story. On my worst days I can't exercise. I might be in bed or in a chair. So, I have a timer set for every hour (over 9 hours) to remind me to move and I do 250 steps around the house or I get out of bed and walk on the spot. This has taken away the concern that I'm not moving enough. It helps.. Maybe stop pushing yourself to do the 5k? Listen to your body and don't push yourself when you feel tired. Give a little more when you have more energy? Try gentle exercise - like stretching.

Aside sugar, look at gluten and dairy. These are huge triggers for me.

Re your pre COVID life? It might well be the case that you do get back to that. Even better maybe? But I find that looking to the past can be as unhelpful as imagining the future. Try and work with the version of yourself that you are now - today.

Your mind is in the past or in a fearfully imagined future and that's the problem, but you can work on this too..

I never thought of actually moving around. If it happens again tonight I’ll do that. But I’m really hoping it doesn’t. I’ve tried to nap today during the day but I keep getting the adrenaline feeling in stomach and sometimes the sinking feeling in my chest. These things really scare me, but I really think that the sinking feeling might get worse when I focus on it. Which I think is a good sign that it could be anxiety.

That’s very true! It’s my mind. I spoke with my doctor today and she’s going to send me for blood work and an ECG, I explained the anxiety and the sensation I’ve been getting and she gave me Ativan to try. But I’m afraid to take those.

That’s great with what you have been doing to stay a bit active. Yes I think 5k steps might be still a bit much for now, only some days I can actually get that and I end up feeling sad when I don’t.

I am feeling very happy that I’m actually going to get some tests done. But I truly hope it’s nothing serious and is all anxiety related. I hope to be a better version of myself definitely!