How to Cure Chest Pain Caused by Anxiety

(465 Words)
If you have chest pain, the first thing to do is to get it evaluated by a doctor to make sure that it is not something physical. If anxiety is determined to be the cause, then the following measures may aid you.
Try to feel less anxious
If anxiety is what is causing you to feel chest pain in the first place, then it makes sense that lowering your anxiety may cure your chest pain. There are many ways to do this. A lot of people find that meditation can help. You can buy a book on self-guided meditation or take a class in it. You can also buy CDs that lead you through meditation. You may find that exercise actually helps to calm you down and make you feel less anxiety. There are also books that can help you relieve anxiety such as The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It by Margaret Wehrenberg or The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition by Edmund J. Bourne. You can seek professional therapy if you need additional help.
Get a massage to help relax you and your muscles
Many people are actually experiencing physical pain because they tighten their chest muscles so much because of their anxiety that they strain them. You may find that a massage can help you relax in general and also relax these muscles. You can talk to an experienced and licensed masseuse about your pain and he or she may be able to come up with a plan to help you.
Distract yourself
You may have small pains in your chest that turn into large ones because you are constantly thinking about them. Even after your doctor has told you that it has nothing to do with your heart, you may scare yourself after every little pain. Of course it is important to be diligent, and if you think you really have a problem then do not be afraid to see someone. If, however, you know in your mind that it is just anxiety then stop thinking about it. Distract yourself with something else. You may want to watch a funny movie or read an engaging book. Call up a friend or go out. You may find that when you stop thinking about the chest pain that it goes away. Also, do not assume that you will get chest pain because this can cause a self-fulfilling prophecy, and then you may really get it.
It is amazing what the mind can do to the body. Many people suffer from chest pain that is caused not by a physical ailment but which instead is the direct or indirect result of anxiety. Take the above steps to cure such pain.