Hello creativecat,
Welcome to the forum
!
I am sorry for the pains you have been experiencing.
When someone experience sever anxiety and panic attacks, they can experience chest pain caused by any number of different factors such as hyperventialation and bloating.
People with panic attacks and anxiety are prone to hyperventilation, or breathing in too much oxygen. It's often due to rapid muscle contractions and excess air in the lungs. Hyperventilation contracts blood vessels and causes considerable chest pain. Anxiety, in general, tends to cause excess gas or bloating. Hyperventilation disorder can contribute to this as well. Bloating can cause an increased amount of pressure on the lungs, which in turn leads to chest pain.
Anxiety Chest Pain is usually more localized to a specific area, and can be closer to the middle of the chest, although not necessarily.
Here are some things you can do to help when you are experiencing anxiety and chest pains:
Control Your Breathing – Recall that this type of chest pain is often caused by hyperventilation, and even if you're not hyperventilating, getting your breathing under control is a great way to calm the nerves. Take slow, controlled breaths using deep breathing techniques that take at least 15 seconds and you'll quickly see a difference.
Control Your Thoughts – If you know that your heart is in good health, don't let your thoughts spiral out of control. Otherwise you may make the chest pain worse.
Control Your Environment – Chest pain caused by thoughts or anxieties is often made worse when you sit and focus on the experience. See if you can give yourself a healthy coping distraction, and much of the chest pain will fade away.
Please also feel free to check out our anxiety forum where you may also get more info and advice from members.
Take Care
UA