How To Relieve Chest Tightness From Anxiety & Stay Calm

Sudden chest pain can be a common symptom of anxiety, particularly during panic attacks, and it can be frightening. The hyperventilation that often occurs during anxiety or panic attacks can lead to a fight-or-flight response that frequently brings with it a variety of common symptoms. To calm anxiety and reduce chest pain from a panic attack, it can be helpful to focus on positive affirmations, distract yourself, and take deep breaths. Practicing a healthy lifestyle can also reduce anxiety in general. Working with a licensed therapist in person or online can help you work through anxiety chest pain and improve your overall mental health. If you’re unsure whether chest pain is related to anxiety or a physical health issue like a heart attack, please seek immediate medical care.

How does anxiety cause chest pain?

When someone experiences intense anxiety, such as a panic attack, they can hyperventilate. Hyperventilation can rapidly increase the amount of oxygen and lower the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood, potentially causing your body to experience a fight-or-flight response. This fight-or-flight response is generally responsible for the anxiety symptoms you may experience during a panic attack, which can include chest pain, increased blood pressure and heart rate, heart palpitations, dizziness, muscle tension, lightheadedness, bloating, and confusion.

Chest pain can be a common symptom of anxiety

GAD chest pain vs. heart attack chest pain

The pain caused by generalized anxiety disorder or panic attacks is sometimes confused with heart attack pain. Like panic attacks, heart attacks often have symptoms that include chest pain. The average person may not notice significant differences between anxiety and heart attack symptoms. As a result, if you aren’t feeling anxious or don’t live with frequent anxiety but are experiencing chest pain, it can be crucial to seek medical attention just in case you are suffering a heart attack.  

How to relieve chest tightness from anxiety during a panic attack

It may take a few minutes for your body to return to normal after experiencing a panic attack, which can feel like an uncomfortably long time. Knowing strategies to ease chest pain from anxiety may prepare you for the next time you experience a panic attack. This doesn’t necessarily mean learning how to prevent a panic attack, but if you can lessen the severity of the attack, you may alleviate the chest pain (persistent chest pain may be different and should be addressed by a medical professional). 

Some strategies on how to relieve chest tightness from anxiety

There is generally no one-size-fits-all approach to stopping a panic attack or coping with a panic disorder, but there may be coping techniques you can do to make panic attacks shorter and milder. You might try the following:

Prepare a script of positive thoughts to help you calm down and relax

During a panic attack, your mind may race with negative thoughts that can be likely to fuel and worsen the attack. By preparing a list of positive things, you can counter the negative thoughts and try to stop your panic attack before it escalates. You might keep a copy folded up in your pocket or as a note in your phone and pull it out when you need to, reading your positive thoughts out loud to drown out the negative.

Breathe through your abdomen with deep inhalations and exhalations

As mentioned above, hyperventilation is frequently responsible for many of the physical symptoms you may feel during a panic attack. Slowing down your breathing can help to calm the nervous system and reduce your heart rate. Find a quiet place if you can, and put one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. Try to take slow, deep breaths, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. The hand on your stomach should rise and fall with your breath, and the one on your chest should stay still. Continue breathing deeply until your anxiety or chest pain eases.

Distract yourself with exercise, meditation, and other activities

Focusing on your negative thoughts during a panic attack can lead to further anxiety, so you might find something to distract yourself with when you feel anxious. Try petting your cat or dog, turning on a TV show that always makes you laugh, calling a friend who is good at calming you down, singing or humming your favorite song, or going for an exercise or a run. You can also try meditation for relaxation.  

Learn how to address anxiety chest pain and other anxiety symptoms

If you have severe anxiety that leads to panic attacks or makes you experience anxiety chest pain, speaking with a licensed mental health professional may help you manage your symptoms and potentially reduce the frequency and severity of your panic attacks. Online therapy might be the right choice for you if you’re ready to get started with treatment. 

Online therapy can help if you’re experiencing shortness of breath or chest pain from anxiety

Online therapy often has many benefits, especially for people living with anxiety disorders. People with anxiety can feel overwhelmed trying to find a therapist and hoping for an open appointment slot. Talking to a therapist face-to-face can be difficult, but attending therapy online may make it a little easier to open up and get the help you deserve. Mental health professionals from online therapy can assess your symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and more. Moreover, they can provide helpful coping strategies to lessen the symptoms of your anxiety.

Effectiveness of online therapy for mental health

In addition to being convenient, studies show online therapy can be effective in treating many mental health conditions, potentially including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and panic disorders. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you feel you’d benefit from working with a licensed therapist.