Palpitations right side of neck

Sorry you’re going through this. Didn’t your doctor help you to feel any better by telling you it can be caused by anxiety? it can!

I’ve had that happen many times, and it’s basically the artery in your neck is pulsating along with the heart. You may also feel your heart beating stronger when you are anxious.

there are things you can do to bring down your anxiety, and most likely the pulsing will decrease along with that. The more anxious you get about it the more you will feel that.

your testing was all normal, which is great so the key is to lower the anxiety.

I do that by breathing exercises that are specific for anxiety. Breathing is key to calming everything down. Find some great breathing exercises on YouTube! Also meditations to reduce anxiety. I do these a lot and they’re super helpful.

Keep in mind that sensations related to anxiety are not harmful, but I know how they can feel scary. You’re going to be OK. Don’t allow negative thoughts to flood your mind. Let them go and just focus on feeling better. Take care.

Hi Nicole,

yes, it can do that plus many other things. Anxiety can cause real feelings to be over sensitive and exaggerated. What you are feeling is what your mind is telling you to feel which in turn makes you anxious. The anxiety can turn into full blown panic attacks.

When I was at my worst, I could feel my blood going around my body, it was so scary that I went into a panic attack every time I thought about it. After a while I realised that nothing physical was out of the normal but like you I got everything checked out with my GP who told me that my physical health was fine, just like yours is.

I was lucky that my sister was a mental health worker. She taught me not to fear these horrible feelings I had but instead, think of them that the feelings were normal and were there to reassure me that my body was working normally.

It took me a while to be convinced, I stuck with my plan to just accept the feelings as normal if not a little over exaggerated. Gradually the horrible feelings about my blood and the fear that I was dying left me.

I was totally convinced that I was going to die from something awful. I remember telling my husband that

I wouldn't live to be 50. I truly believed that. Here I am today, 72 years old and still going strong.

What a waste of my time I spent worrying about something that didn't need to be in the least bit worried about.

Nicole, I found it so hard to believe people who would tell me I was fine. I was in an anxious or panicked state. But they were right. My mind was playing tricks on me. When you get the sensations in your neck, say out loud "thank you neck, you're working perfectly well" I know that seems a bit daft but your brain believes what it hears out loud through you ears. You can take a step at a time. Ignore the feeling in your neck for a short while and then increase the time you ignore it. I spent months having to say "I'm a strong, intelligent woman" Every time I said it, I got stronger and eventually I no longer felt my blood going around my body. I lost my fear of imminent death too.

Life will get easier for you and you will have coping skills that you'll learn to use when you might be fearful of something. It's irrational fear that is the worst. Normal fear is a good thing as it prepares you to handle what is happening.

I'd spent too many years worrying about something that didn't happen. Please don't do that to yourself.

{{ gentle hugs }}

Carol