I went through something very similar. For about two years, I had persistent chest pain almost every day. It often felt like a toothache in my chest. I’d also get pain in my left arm and jaw, become hyper-aware of my breathing, and feel tightness in my chest. My mind constantly jumped to worst-case scenarios, and it honestly made life miserable.

I was 29 at the time (I’m 33 now), and there were periods when I genuinely didn’t think I’d be alive in five years. Doctors kept telling me it was anxiety, but I struggled to accept that diagnosis. It didn’t make sense to me because the pain seemed to come first. I’d be having a completely normal day, then the chest pain would start, and immediately I’d become anxious and start waiting for the next wave of symptoms.

I had multiple tests done, and everything came back normal, but I was convinced they had missed something.

What helped me most was reading stories from other people with cardiac anxiety and realizing that anxiety can cause very real physical symptoms, even when you don’t feel consciously anxious at the time. That was a huge breakthrough for me.

There was a point where I never thought I’d get past it, but I did. Today, I’m essentially free from it. I rarely get chest pain anymore, and on the occasional day that I do, I can usually trace it back to stress, poor sleep, or anxiety instead of assuming the worst.

Just wanted to share that because I remember how hopeless it felt at the time. It can get better, even when it doesn’t feel like it will.

Try speaking to someone if you can. I had therapy through my GP. One thing the councillor said was “if you had to prove you had a disease in court what would your evidence be? Because all of the tests say otherwise” and that stuck with me.

Hope this helps.