chest area feeling tight/ cant take a deep breath.

Read my post, just before yours - although it doesn't mention breathing difficulties, that HAS been one of my many anxiety related problems - chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling like you can't take a deep breath - you name it.  It's all part of this anxiety thing - and for most of us it goes along with health related issues.  Take care, be strong and realize it's probably nothing more than anxiety trying to take hold....just keep fighting and you'll eventually get some relief.  All the best to you.

  I get this all the time and your right it is very scary, mine is above the breast but across the whole chest more of a tightness then a pain aggravating as heck, I do notice if you drop your shoulders and relax the muscles of your chest wall  you can feel it loosen up, but then of couse for me it's back again in minutes. If I dont pay attention to it, it seems to go away. I asked my Doc if you can tighten the chest muscles without even knowing your doing it and he said yes.

Thank you soo much for your response. I notice too, if I dont pay attention to it it does seem to go away for a while...it always comes back though, sooner or later. Sometimes I even get that feeling in my upper abdomen. Almost like a pressure where my stomach is? Feels like the top of my stomach is pushing upward. It never hurts...just more of a pressure, tightness feeling.

Do you mind me asking what other symtoms you get with your anxiety??

Thank you again for your help.

ThatsMzTaz2U said...
  I get this all the time and your right it is very scary, mine is above the breast but across the whole chest more of a tightness then a pain aggravating as heck, I do notice if you drop your shoulders and relax the muscles of your chest wall  you can feel it loosen up, but then of couse for me it's back again in minutes. If I dont pay attention to it, it seems to go away. I asked my Doc if you can tighten the chest muscles without even knowing your doing it and he said yes.

Thank you soo very much for that advice! I am going to try that next time I get that tight feeling.

btflnvy said...
The best way to try and reduce this symptom is to breath using your diaphram and not your chest. Usually when your having a panic attack or anxiety you will start using your chest to breath. Check that next time you feel that way and see if you can correct it. It usually makes the sypmtom less severe or it can knock it away completley.

I get this same feeling with anxiety.  I feel like my chest is tight and that I cannot take a deep breath.  If I dont have this.....I have nausea.  It is horrible and I can understand exactly how you feel.   I use relaxation techniques when i get anxiety and I will post some sites at the bottom of my text that explain relaxation and what techniques are good to use.   I also found that it helped me to actually understand more about anxiety.  I used to panic more when I had anxiety and worry that my heart was beating too fast, the anxiety wouldnt go etc etc.  I ended up getting anxious about being anxious.   In hospital I was taught about anxiety and that it would go away.  Anxiety and panic eventually reaches a peak and cant get any worse so comes back down again.  It cant hurt us and cant last forever.   anxiety is adrenaline and andrenaline is just a hormone.  It cant hurt you and will go away eventually.  It will reach its peak and start to disappear.   I find distraction helps and tend to draw, paint, listen to music etc when i feel it coming on.  remember to breathe normally too, it would over  breathe and this didnt help me at all.   Hope the sites are useful and hope i havent rambled on too much!!!!!   http://www.iampanicked.com/anxiety-articles/breathing-meditation.htm http://www.emetonline.co.uk/help_facts/relaxation/index.asp http://www.michaellank.co.uk/relaxation.html

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