Need help controlling my anxiety (and breathing) while having a cold.
Posted , 2 users are following.
So I had my first panic attack 7 years ago, when due to hydration I had a severe episode of short-breath which began my whole downward spiral with anxiety. Since then every time there is a change in my breathing (almost all of the time extremely minor) the "system" kicks in and the anxiety is overflowing.
The good thing is that I get rarely sick, but when I do, it's hell.
Right now I am experiencing a simple cold, half my nostril is blocked and I am feeling like I am not getting any air (which of course is not true, but I can't help it). So I am asking, how do you cope with your anxiety when you are having a cold or some other physical illness?
Oh, and dont get me started on the "It must be covid then" thoughts that come and go all the time 😦
0 likes, 1 reply
devin1222 mike33466
Posted
Getting sick on top of having physical anxiety symptoms is super frustrating and exhausting. To help ease your mind, you could get tested for COVID just so you can rule it out! I'm not sure if you've been tested before but it's not as bad as people make it out to be and it for sure sets aside some worries when you get your results back (it helped me when I first started feeling sick in the beginning of this year). If you know it's just a simple cold, then all you can really do is rest, drink lots of fluids, and take some medicine that may ease your symptoms. For a stuffed up nose, I like to put some Vicks vaporub under my nose to help clear it. You're supposed to put it on your chest but it gives me quicker relief when it's directly under my nose lol but do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Maybe if your nose feels clear, it'll help you feel like you can breathe normally. Lately I have been telling myself that if I seriously could not breathe, my body would be giving me major signals for it. I can't tell you how many times I've gone running to a mirror to see if my lips were a blue-ish color or if my fingertips were turning blue all because I felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen.
Also, my go-to is always DayQuil and NyQuil. These will definitely help ease your symptoms and hopefully give you some relief from your cold symptoms. Just keep telling yourself it's just a little cold and it will pass with plenty of fluids and rest! Maybe set up a phone/video appointment with a doctor just to talk through your symptoms to help ease your mind.