How to Get Rid of Stuffiness in the Chest from Anxiety and Overwhelmness?

Hey @nitrogenous

I'm so sorry you're navigating this right now. That empty but suffocating feeling in the chest is incredibly draining, especially when it's a new symptom. It's completely understandable that standard distractions aren't working when your body feels like it's under physical threat; your brain isn't going to let you 'just focus' on a movie or a book 💚

I have found that when the mind can't focus, focusing on the nervous system instead can sometimes help lower the volume of those physical sensations.

If you feel that suffocation rising, try splashing ice-cold water on your face or holding an ice cube. It sounds simple, but that sharp cold can 'reset' the physical loop of anxiety by forcing your heart rate to slow down.

Often, that suffocation feeling comes from holding too much air in. Try exhaling through pursed lips (like you're blowing through a straw) for a count of six, making the exhale much longer than the inhale.

Sometimes lowering the lights or finding a quiet, low-sensory space can help. If the 'emptiness' feels overwhelming, some people find that physical pressure, like a heavy pillow or a weighted blanket, helps them feel more 'contained' and less hollow.

It’s really brave of you to reach out and look for strategies before this disrupts your sleep and appetite further. Please remember to be gentle with yourself as you learn to manage this new symptom. Has anything, even something small, provided a tiny bit of relief for you today? 💚

Thank you so much @MatchaToad for your comprehensive answer. I will definitely give your suggestions a go. I used to hate breathing exercises due to feelings of boredom, but have recently found them to be helpful, even if I don’t do it for long periods. I will try to engage with having cold sensations again and see how it goes 🙂 and I totally love the weighted blanket advice—I think it will also help with sleep 🙂

Also thank you for your kind words, I really am trying my best to stay afloat and well as I am currently dealing with everything by myself and often felt like no one cares about me anymore… I think that’s why part of the anxiety is also influenced by the fact that if life turns out worse, I feel like I have to navigate everything by myself and it’s so hard to do so. And a major part of the anxiety perhaps, is the feeling of loss of control, not being able to know for certain what the future looks like and what to do to navigate my problems as I do not want the anxiety to make me avoid my problems completely and making it worse at the end of the day.

A small relief today is finally being able to successfully get my blood test done as last time I tried to do so, they failed it 5-6 times in a row and it was so traumatising for me. 😅

@nitrogenous,

Hi there to help you with this uncomfortable feeling you will need to practice deep breathing many times a day. You need to breathe through your stomach and not through your chest. When you breathe out it needs to be a lot slower than when you breathed in. You can find lots of videos for deep breathing for panic attacks at youtube. I have included a couple of links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ElmnxNuT8 (belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UwYdY3xXUfk (paced breathing)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8SkhiNmk614 (box breathing)

Thank you so much @Misty7, I will definitely take a look at these resources, truly appreciate them!!

@nitrogenous

I'm so glad the ideas resonated with you! And honestly, I totally get the 'boredom' with breathing exercises; it's hard to sit still when your chest feels like that 💚

I also want to say a big congratulations on getting that blood test done! After having it fail 5 or 6 times before, going back and successfully doing it today is incredibly brave. That's a massive win for your nervous system, especially since you mentioned how traumatising the last time was. You should be really proud of yourself for facing that.

I hear you on how heavy it feels to navigate all of this solo. That fear of 'what if things get worse and I'm still alone' is a very real, very human weight to carry. It makes sense that the anxiety feels like a loss of control; the future is a big unknown. But I hope today is a reminder that even when things feel uncertain, you are actually handling the 'now' much better than you might give yourself credit for.

Since you’ve had a big win with the blood test today, how are you planning to be kind to yourself this evening? 💚

@nitrogenous, you're welcome.

I really appreciate your kindness and understanding @MatchaToad 🥹 Often times others judge me as not trying to recover, when in fact, I am trying the hardest I could every day. I think I am going to try and hopefully be able to take my meds earlier tonight which hopefully would also help with the sleep hygiene. 🤍

Oh also, I forgot to ask if you have any tips on how to use the cold sensation outside of home when ice cubes etc are not available? 🫶🏻

Thank you once again 🙇🏻‍♀️

Hi again @nitrogenous,

splashing cold water on your face from a tap or from a bottle of cold water when you are not at home. For the chest tightness you need to do practice deep breathing regularly when you are calm also, not just when panicked or anxious to re-train the mind to go into relaxation. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Awesome @Misty7

I truly appreciate all your advice, hopefully it will work even if just bits by bits!! 🤍