1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety for me = tight chest & shortness of breath

Posted , 3 users are following.

NT1983
NT1983

My anxiety manifests itself through chest tightness, shortness of breath and slight dizziness. When I’m having a lighter moment, when my anxiety isn’t heightened and don’t have strong symptoms, I do some light cardio on my bike outdoors. However, after I’ve finished riding my bike at a leisurely pace, I then have a tight chest and shortness of breath. I thought exercise is supposed to help relieve symptoms?

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • jan34534
    jan34534 NT1983

    Edited

    normally exercise relieves anxiety symptoms but not always. sometimes our thoughts can bring on anxiety also.

    have you had anxiety a long time?don’t know how old you are but make sure you are getting a complete physical check up at least once a year.practice some long slow deep breathing for anxiety. There are some great videos on that on YouTube. it will help relieve the shortness of breath and tight feeling in your chest. hope you feel better soon

    • NT1983
      NT1983 jan34534

      Posted

      Thanks, for reply Jan.

      I'm 39 years old and only started experiencing panic attacks in 2021. I took 10mg of Citalopram for about 8 months. Then came off it. for about 4 weeks, I was able to manage low levels of anxiety (tension in chest and shortness of breath). But it gradually built up again, without turning into a panic attack though. I am now taking 25mg of Sertraline. The thing is, when I was not taking any medication, and would experience a little bit of tension and shortness of breath, id go on a bike ride and not have a tight chest afterwards.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.