uncomfortable chest pain?

Posted , 4 users are following.

i have always had a very bad habit of twitiching/flexing/tightening certain muscles in my body as a way of dealing with anxiety. i just constantly tighten my muscles or move them around, not necessarily becuase it makes me feel better, but just as a reaction to stress. the areas i get obsessed with tigthening change after a couple of weeks, but i always tighten my back right shoulder muscle, and then normally have another muscle that i twitch too. for the past month or so, i have been constantly tightening my chest. like, just flexing my inner core, so that my chest feels very tight. i can't stop tightening it, because, like i said, this is a habit i have had for a very long time and it is very hard for me to shake it. i have recently started having very uncomfortable chest pain. it's not super painful, just very uncomfortable and constant. my chest (like the area around my heart) aches and throbs, and just has the general chest pain feeling. there is only occasional "shooting pain." it often keeps me from sleeping, and i have to rub my chest constantly to try and ease the pain.

is this something that i should see a professional about? i'm beginning to be worried, simply because chest pain is associated with the heart and it scares me. i've read that these general muscle flexing rituals could be signs of OCD--should i see a psychiatrist to talk about this, or just go to a doctor about chest pain? (if it matters, i have struggled with anxiety for years but have never been to a doctor for it.) thanks for any help!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    This actually sounds like a way my counselor told me to cope. You should start at you feet and contract muscles for 10 seconds then relax them and repeat. Then move up to calfs and thighs all the way up to your head. It's supposed to release something into your body to help you relax so maybe this is your way of doing this without knowing it.
  • Posted

    Also if it worries you then definitely see someone
  • Posted

    Before you can say this is anxiety, even if it is anxiety a full exam should always be done. Let the doctor diagnose you, they are so familiar with heart issues and anxiety issues. Id say go get a full exam.
  • Posted

    Hi,all that flexing might be affecting a muscle causing irritation. etc. Or maybe you pulled a muscle. I dont know. If you cant stop flexing and the discomfort doesnt go away,id start with seeing a doctor and go from there.
  • Posted

    Sounds like what we all experience - so can relate to that. However, have you had your underlying health checked to make sure it is Anxiety?

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