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Why do anxiety symptoms have to change?


9 years ago 0 162 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Yes, these physical symptoms are causing me great distress.  I'm also in the process of changing my anxiety meds so I'm struggling with this.   My mind is telling me that these symptoms aren't likely cardiac related (nuclear stress tests...which I've had are 90-95% accurate), but my heart hasn't quite got the message yet.  And until my heart gets the message, or the pain goes away...I'm struggling.  The hard thing is that I have the pain in my chest and throat is there pretty much all the time....from shortly after I wake up until I go to bed.  It's there when I'm sitting, when I'm active, when I'm home and when I'm at work.  I'm overwhelmed with the sensations all the time, with rarely a reprieve.  
9 years ago 0 11210 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Cardio Tech,

I have seen many, many members concerned about their anxiety symptoms posting in the forums. You are ahead of the game though as it sounds like you have ruled out other more serious causes and you know what you are dealing with. That being said I am guessing these physical symptoms still cause you distress. What are some of the thoughts you have when you have these physical symptoms? What does your mind tell you about the symptoms?
 
 
 
Ashley, Health Educator
9 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
If you accept that everything you do gets direction and permission from memory to do it and if you accept there are multiple choices then you would get different symptoms because you have different memories for direction. If you accept panic attacks and anxiety come from searching associated memory then your symptoms will be similar to the memories you have which are for a large part related to your surroundings. If you think hard enough about it you can remember a situation that resembles every symptom you get, even if they didn't happen to you. You just have to be able to remember them to use them. If you accept there is nothing wrong with your heart and can believe it the symptoms go away. As long as you really believe it. It is like this, if you bang your thumb there is a little lag while your memory decides what to do with the sensation. Depending on your past experiences you might scream and cry or just stick it in your mouth. The latter being a positive reaction and something you know from memory helps. 
Now can you do this with your other symptoms? Memory tells you they go away. Can you use this memory to make them go away faster. In theory this action done often enough makes them go away before they surface. In theory they still happen but stop before you notice them. There are so many things that happen to us that we don't notice. Unless there is a reason no matter how illogical it is. 

To give you an idea of how memory influences us, I used to cut trees down for a living. On the way home I wouldn't see the trees as a forest but as individual trees and how I would fall them. This would pass. Now imagine if falling trees scared me. Just looking at the forest and remembering would be a trigger. Professionals seldom panic in a crisis, it is after and if it is bad enough they need counselling to straighten out their memories so they can put them to bed. This sifting memory for answers is what causes panic. If you have answers then there is no need for panic. So you just need answers. No panic, no symptom, no panic. The circle stops.
Like my trees, if I had a close call at work on the way home I would notice every tree that could be a killer. Like chest pain that might have started as an itch or something simple and memory blew it out of proportion. I have Arthritis in my sternum, that could be scary on top of having high blood pressure. It isn't though.

Davit
9 years ago 0 162 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
When I had problems with anxiety back in university...my symptoms were the same every time.  Now...my most concerning symptom is chest pain/pressure/lump feeling in my throat and feeling like I'm suffocating.  My symptoms can come on at any time (sitting, walking, at work, at home, etc.) and can last for hours.  A heart problem has been ruled out.  I take meds for reflux/GERD (and this doesn't feel like my normal heartburn either), so the working theory is that this is anxiety (which it's certainly causing...).  

Has anyone else had experience with anxiety symptoms changing?  This is so scary and distressing and my coping strategies are not working so well right now.

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