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Q: 

Anxiety Maybe?

By Anonymous July 19, 2010 - 3:45am
 
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Hi-

Can you tell me what could cause slight chest tightness, a racing heart, and having to catch your breath? A lot of changes are going on in my life so I'm thinking it could be anxiety because it doesn't happen too often, But, it also happens randomly and not necessarily when I'm thinking about everything that is overwhelming me. Also, I'm 25yo. Thanks!

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Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for your question, and for finding EmpowHer. Those symptoms can be scary, because those also are signs of a heart condition. If you really are having trouble, you may need to go to the ER for help. However, if you are a pretty healthy person and have no reason to suspect a heart problem, I'm not a doctor, but it sounds like it could be stress/anxiety to me.
If you have episodes regularly, you may want to contact your doctor or clinician to discuss options for helping to deal with your condition. Excessive stress and anxiety can lead to other health problems--it's just plain bad for you. So it's good you're already recognizing that you get overwhelmed and think it may be anxiety you're experiencing, because it's the first step to getting a handle on it. Look for ways to decrease stress in your life, and practice relaxation exercises to help you deal with panic attacks. I wrote a couple articles about stress and anxiety, here is one of them:
https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2010/01/19/watch-out-excessive-stress
Also, you may want to check out EmpowHer's Anxiety page:
https://www.empowher.com/condition/anxiety/definition
Good luck and please check back to let us know how you're doing.

July 19, 2010 - 8:34am
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