Is tonight the night that my worst nightmare comes true?
Will the ambulance get here in time?
Would there be space at the hospital for me if I needed to go?
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What if theyre out of ventilators?
It feels like my throat is closing up; my lungs arent working.
Im going to die, and my funeral is going to have to be a Zoom meeting.
These kinds of thoughts arent anything new for me.
Ive had anxiety since I was 12 and have experienced more nights like this than I can count.
This is the main way my anxiety manifests physically.
If youre wondering the same thing, welcome to the extremely not-fun club.
Millie K., 23, has also experienced increased anxiety lately.
Like me, she constantly deals with shortness of breath, usually around bedtime.
Being inundated with news that involves talk of respiratory distress has heightened her awareness of her breathing even more.
As McKee explains, this can cause a cascade of effects like a racing heart and quicker breathing.
(Here are otherphysical symptoms of anxiety.)
Sometimes it can happen because ofhyperventilation, which means youre breathing too quickly.
This is also known as overbreathing.
Thats why you have that sensation.
How ironic that breathing too much can make it feel like we arent getting enough air.
On the other hand, shortness of breath due to thenew coronavirusis resulting from the pathogen SARS-CoV-2.
By definition, SARS-CoV-2 affects the respiratory systemSARSstands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
The resulting fluid and debris can lead to symptoms like difficulty breathing.
With this symptom overlap, can you blame me for freaking out?
First, think about if you have a history of shortness of breath as ananxietysymptom.
If thats the situation at hand,here are some tips for dealing with overwhelming new coronavirus anxiety.
(Even if its a new symptom for you, it doesnt necessarily mean you have the new coronavirus!
Anxiety is a wily beast and wont necessarily feel the same every time.)
Next, you could attempt to assess your other symptoms or lack thereof.
These other symptoms could be from some other health condition like thecommon cold, theflu, or astomach bug.
With that said, it is possible to have shortness of breath from both anxiety and the new coronavirus.
Your capacity to reach out for help will depend on a lot of factors.
Even though I rationally know anxiety isprobablycausing my symptoms, I still obsess over them.
Theresresearchfinding that this intensifies the actual sensation.
Examining it makes it feel worse.
Yet it feels impossible to not examine it.
Theres no positive benefit other than brief relief from anxiety.
You know that in five minutes, youre going to check it again, he says.
Im not the only one.
I wake up every day wishing this was all a nightmare, Denise tells SELF.
I spend hours wondering if Im dying or if its panic.
I get lightheaded, nauseated, and start trying to do breathing exercises.
I feel like I lose my ability to breathe automatically, Denise says.
So what should you do instead?
Here are some great tips formaking a panic attack more bearable, which can help with non-panic anxiety too.
And ensure youre only looking atnews from accurate sources.
My logic is, If I can do this exercise without collapsing, my lungs areprobablyfine.
Shes hopeful that it will reduce her symptoms.
Medication can be a really useful option for dealing withanxietyissues like severe and persistent shortness of breath.
It helps to know there are people out there having the exact thoughts that I am.
If theres anything Ive learned from this anxiety-filled pandemic experience, its that Im not alone.
And if youre feeling this way too, neither are you.
