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Anxiety

susieb

I have found that if I overthink a situation I’ve become very anxious, which in turn makes me even shorter of breath and my heart starts pounding. I do my deep breathing technique, however nothing seems to really help. I know it’s all on my mind and somehow I have to overcome the anxiety. It’s a bad situation. Any suggestions, I’d like to hear from you.

Leon Lebowitz, RRT Member

Hi Susie, and thanks for this post. We hear you and you are not alone! Others in our community have expressed similar sentiments when it comes to managing this condition (COPD), and the anxiety that may be associated with it.
We do have some material, published right here on COPD.net, which focuses on this very topic. I thought you might be interested in reading some of the information in these articles. For starters, here is a link to one of them: https://copd.net/living/fear-anxiety. I do hope you find it to be helpful.
I also hope that others in the community will chime in and share their own personal experiences with you.
Wishing you well,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
Waiting To Exhale Member
If I feel rushed; if I get angry; if I get in a heated discussion; anything that brings any type of anxiety... yes, it happens to me as well. Especially if there's a type of emergency or urgent situation that jumps up out of nowhere. I used to be the guy who you looked to when you needed order restored from chaos... now, well I'm not that guy anymore and I'm not sure what happened.
BonnieNH62 Member
I've had COPD for 8 years and I still struggle with that same thing. I know it's really hard l feel like I'm drowning and going to die. It is true, your mind is telling you that you can't breathe. When I get like that my husband helps me focus on something else. I bought a hand ball that changes color as you squeeze it. You have to get out of your head because even though you feel like you're not breathing you are. If you breath in good air and blow out the bad air your breathing will return for your normal of breathing. I understand because that's my biggest fear other than a dentist 😀
1. SamanthaSarube Community Admin
  , I hear how scary those times must be but I am glad to hear you have found something that works for you to get your breathing back under control! Thanks for sharing those tips with us. All the best, Sam S. (COPD.net, team member).