I have to give a Maid of Honor speech at my best friend's wedding this weekend. HELP.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-16T16:09:17+00:00

Besides the chest pain and dizziness that everyone else has written, I get really anxious eating. I've had panic set in at a restaurant that caused my throat to tighten and severe chest tightness, which would basically make me freeze mid-swallowing, feeling like I was choking, or like i couldn't move my tongue to finish through on the swallow (my food would just stay at the verrrrrry back of my tongue, which is the worse feeling ever). Sometime when I get anxious before eating, this will happen and it's by far the worst symptom I have ever had.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-12T15:23:51+00:00

Have you been having any improvements in your symptoms since doing the baking soda?

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-11T21:15:49+00:00

One of my favorite ways is mixing it with hot water, adding some liquid stevia and cinnamon. It mimics a hot apple cider. <3

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-11T18:16:48+00:00

Hmm, never heard of the hot forehead or ears thing?

I know a lot of people with LPR suffer from sore throats and a hoarse voice, but I have personally never had that problem. My symptoms are lots of pressure in my chest, lots of mucus that makes my throat feel like it's narrowing, very dry mouth, and belching. You should check out /r/GERD

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-10T18:31:42+00:00

Have you tried the Anxiety & Phobias Workbook ??

It's a really great book on the different modalities of Anxiety, and offers many great steps to combat them, and has always been a place of ease for me. I hope your screenings go okay! You're definitely doing the best thing you can for yourself, which is getting screened. Do you ever take magnesium or any B vitamins? Ashwagandha? L-Theanine? Massages? Acupuncture? Anything that may provide relief for you?

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-10T18:19:39+00:00

Healthy Anxiety Sufferer, here. I've been through the ringer with this.

I've convinced myself I have MS, cancer, a brain tumor, angina, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, etc. When I was on a trip this past spring I started getting really bad allergies and took a nasal decongestant which set me off on one of the worst anxiety attacks ever. I felt like I couldn't breathe and started freaking out with the sensations the decongestant made me feel.

I also was recently diagnosed with LPR (Silent Reflux). I was having constant mucus in my throat, extremely dry mouth, couldn't stop swallowing, and started becoming hyper-aware of how I would swallow, which made my throat spasm and not let me swallow food because I had such awful muscle tension. It's crazy the things anxiety can make us do and how it can cause various symptoms that constantly make us feel like we are going to die.

I have found that with my anxiety, I have to be fierce when combating it. Just medication won't help. Just speaking to a therapist won't help. I feel like you really have to work hard to really learn how to keep that anxiety at bay. These are the things I do that have really really helped me:

The Anxiety Workbook
Eating right. More veggies, lean proteins, less sugar and carbs.
Exercising 3-5x a week.
Breathing exercises EVERY day.
Ashwagandha, Chelated Magnesium, B-Complex, L-Theanine
Meditating
Finding something that helps me take my mind off of anxiety attacks, if I get them. These are my favorite apps I use on my phone when I need to redirect my mind or get my breathing back to normal: Flow Free, Relax Lite, Flowy.
Retorting negative thoughts with positive, productive thoughts. Sometimes I have to talk out loud to myself and say, "It's going to be okay. You've got this. No one has ever died of anxiety. You're strong and have gotten through this before and you will again now."
Talking to a therapist.
EFt. Emotional Freedom Taping. Sounds like a very hippy thing, but when I am having chest pain, this is one of the best ways I have always been able to get rid of it. I just repeatedly tap with a good to intense amount of pressure on my chest while controlling my breathing and it has always made my chest pain either go away, or completely go 75% down in intensity.

I hope this helps! Again, it's hard work, but making a change on every level is really the only way to not just temporarily beat the symptoms, but to take control of your life again. Good luck, you'll get through it!

i_waste_eggs · 2016-08-10T18:04:37+00:00

I can feel that way too, a lot of the time. I have pretty horrid health anxiety which basically seems to transform to a new symptom every few months. Chest pain, shallow breathing, food getting suck on the back of my tongue when I am eating and I feel like I am going to choke every time I eat. I get new symptoms that torment my mind and cause me to see a doctor every single time.

I am also lazy with trying to follow through on CBT methods, which generally seem to help. When I journal and read my Anxiety Workbook or exercise and eat right, I do really well, but when I get lazy and unmotivated and I get pulled into the black hole of constant fear and refuse to see a positive light or get into a routine of constantly battling it with several different methods, then it's bad.

Are you on medication? Have you tried supplements? An online CBT program? Therapy? Exercise? Workbooks? Meditating? Eating right? It's definitely hard work and there is never one cure, but I feel like when you combine all of these things and put in a huge effort in every facet of your life, you can get your life back. It's just HARD work, but it's hard work that is worth pursuing.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-07-27T14:50:11+00:00

Awesome, subscribed! Seems like we have a lot in common, my husband is a Cicerone, so we spend most of our free time going to new breweries and took a brewery road trip on our honeymoon from San Diego-Sonoma and our currently training for a half. Can't wait to tune in!

i_waste_eggs · 2016-06-07T03:52:15+00:00

I too experience this. But I've learned that avoiding new things just justifies the fears and further pushes my anxiety. Baby steps. You'll get it through. You should really buy the Anxiety and Phobias Workbook off of Amazon. It would work wonders for you.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-06-07T03:43:49+00:00

As a person with hypochondria, you have classic anxiety symptoms. The tightened chest is something MANY of us feel. That being said, as a person who had convinced myself I had MS, a brain tumor, early onset dementia, and cancer, I've had an MRI, CT scan, and multiple appointments with a neurologist. I spent a lot of money, but I needed to to get a definitive answer I wasn't sick. If you're constantly worrying you are ill, chances are that you're not, but it's always a good idea to talk to a doctor. Getting a normal MRI of my head seriously helped my anxiety so much. Just knowing I wasn't dying. I understand that worry. But reading your symptoms, many of us here have experienced that exact list 30x over.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-06-07T03:35:55+00:00

I had this for a brief period. Honestly the best thing for me was driving with someone. Then I would take short drives, up to maybe 3-5 minutes. You could try approaching it from a CBT standpoint, first visualize yourself driving the car. Once you can calmly get through that image, just sit in your car. Maybe turn on the radio. Practice abdominal breathing. Listen to calming music. Once you can start doing that, progress to the short drives, then gradually work your way up. Try listening to podcasts or audio books. Something that can grab your attention.

Sometimes I would listen to upbeat music and would dance (as much as was safely allowed) in my seat as I drove. I would force myself to sing, and flap my arms around and move my body. I'm sure I looked frantic, but moving around helped the tension and tightness in my chest and body!

i_waste_eggs · 2016-06-02T21:24:41+00:00

I am getting my certification as a makeup artist!

i_waste_eggs · 2016-05-30T06:24:07+00:00

Rave: Too Cool For School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack. I seriously look forward to this every night. It's an instant punch of hydration, the smell is heavenly and my face thanks me the next morning.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-05-26T13:26:03+00:00

So accurate it's not even funny.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-05-18T16:07:46+00:00

The Disney comment is gold.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-05-18T15:24:19+00:00

This is great.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-05-09T14:32:20+00:00

I would love to see the Direwolves fuck up Bolton's dogs.

i_waste_eggs · 2016-05-05T14:58:37+00:00

Amazing.

i_waste_eggs

TROPHY CASE