I think I might have anxiety?

Little bit of OCD there I think,palpitations,well I've had them now for over forty years off and on,still alive and kicking,just the old enemy anxiety,turning out one of its tentacles,causing fear and worry.

Hard to get rid of,as I've proved,but it helps once you accept that you're going to be plagued by them now and again,sometimes a good tranquillising medication will assist,but getting a good one from your GP will be short term because of the addiction problem that may follow.

However I found exercise and fresh air to be a big help,and also having a mind-consuming pastime that you enjoy,basically anything to stem the tide of anxiety.

Funny enough I had some palpitations today,for about 3 or 4 hrs off and on,but I didn't worry,i know it's my digestive/gut problem that cause mine,so I just let it run its course and sure en ough they went,but then again I'm 64,and they were a lot more sinister at 24.

Hope you get some relief soon,in the meantime don't despair,you are not alone!

Best Wishes Malc

I may be wrong but are you linking your own issues with palpitations to your family being harmed.  Anxiety is insidious. It starts in a small way and gets gradually larger and takes over your waking life.  Try and be realistic with yourself when you think something has happened and logically think whether it is a trick of the mind or really the truth.

Richard

rich

As far as pain goes,  that is the electrical activity generated by your nervous system. Often chest pain is associated with anxiety but it could also be heart or lungs at fault depending on where the pain is so if you are still worried about chest pain maybe get an ecg to test your heart is OK but 9/10 it is usually anxiety especially at your age.

Richard

I've posted this quite a few times with regards to anxiety and it seems to have helped people so feel free to use it if you wish:

The best thing to do first is become aware of your physiology, or the very real physical symptoms you're experiencing. They are there. It isn't necessarily a symptom of anything else but if you fear it is, you should consult your GP. If you have physical checks and they eliminate the problem (ECG for heart, etc) then you should put it down to anxiety.

Anxiety comes because your brain is creating a 'fear' in your mind, and as with anything that creates fear, you become anxious.

The anxiety, usually, starts in your chest, so you begin to breathe faster and your chest becomes tense (as a muscle would if it is being exercised). Your lungs need more oxygen and no greater way of getting oxygen around your body is by blood. Blood gets to your lungs faster when your heart pumps it quicker, so your heart rate increases.

The lungs are working hard now. They are communicating with your brain asking for more help. Your brain helps by asking your heart for support. So the heart is working harder than it normally would to the point where it needs help from your brain again.

Your brain can't cope with both having a go at it asking for support - you get symptoms such as perspiration, pains in your chest, tingling in your arms, toes and fingers. So your brain panics and makes mistakes.

Your brain then tells you to react accordingly – panic.

The panic says, “focus on your heart; why is it faster? Why are my arms tingling? Why does my chest hurt?”. Your brain says, through duress and under pressure, “I'm having a heart attack; I'm going to die!”

You're not. Just stop and think before your lungs tell your brain that they need oxygen, fast. Focus on your breathing.

How to deal with anxiety is subjective and it depends on how disciplined you are in being able to set yourself space and time to be able to perform breathing exercises rather than rely on medication being there for you to help you. 3 things I've found are the most helpful - 1. Guided Meditation, 2. Mindfulness and Awareness, 3. The '7 to 11 Breathing Technique'

Guided meditation, first of all, is quite structured and disciplined in the sense you have somebody there guiding you through the process of meditation (obviously) and you don't want to disturb others doing it at the same time - but similarly expect others to respect you whilst you do it.

Mindful and awareness can often come hand in hand with guided meditation. Through mindfulness and awareness, you become aware of where you are and most importantly what your body is physically experiencing. In focusing on these feelings (chest pain, shortness of breath, pins and needles) by breathing them in, in a controlled manner, by breathing them out you are effectively telling your brain and body to breathe these pains out too, and they will eventually go away.

The 7 to 11 breathing technique is when you breathe into your lungs through your mouth, nose or both, until your lung capacity is completely full - it may even hurt; you may use parts of your lungs you've never used before - and hold your breath for 7 seconds. Following this, you purse your lips as though you were blowing out a candle and gradually exhale until your lungs are empty. You hold this for 11 seconds and don't take another breath.

Keep doing this for as long as you want. The longer, the better. During the exercise you might experience forms of euphoria; your fingers may tingle, your head may feel slightly dizzy - this is good; this is tension unburdening itself off you; don't worry about it. Instead, focus on it and treat it as a good feeling.

With all of this, it will not be an immediate cure. Mindfulness and awareness courses, and meditation classes take time to book and when you go to them, both take patience to master. The 7 to 11 breathing technique you can perform whenever you want.

My advice would be to understand for the first two you won't get anywhere this week but if you take steps now to look into them and how practical it is to do them, by the end of the week you may be on the right track.