When I feel panic and anxiety

Hi Integra,

You say that you're heart rate doesn't change - but in your previous post that you have palpiatations - palpitations are usually associated with an increased heart rate, please could you clarify this!

Commonly when experiencing anxiety the heart rate will increase, as the body is preparing to fight or run away from the perceived cause of threat.

It is also possible to have anxiety-like effects from other causes, such as medicine or caffeine.

Do you feel that that there are factors in your life that are causing you anxiety?

When i am feeling anxious my heart rate may jump to around 79 bmp, I would say that it could be work, 7 weeks ago my colleague who I work with deceided to leave and pursue other things, I immediately began to worry about how I was going to manage when he left as the project that I work on has always had 2 people to run it, management decided not to recruit a full time replacement and just bring someone in 2 days per week which set the alarm bells ring for me. From then on things have just got worse anxious, nervous, slight chest pain dizzy I have constant urge to find out about whats wrong with me which does not help. Despite discussing these concerns with my employer who has been great, I feel that these strange feelings are never going to disappear or is it something more serious.

Hi Integra,

Thanks for your reply. It seems fairly clear that what you are experiencing is some natural anxiety at the changes in your work, suddenly having to do the work of almost two people.

Any change, good or bad, induces a degree of stress, which is fine when it's very short lived.

What you are describing are the natural symptoms of stress, your mind and body responding to the stress of feeling overwhelmed by the extra work. These will go when once again you feel calm and relaxed about work.

When we feel stress our thinking about things becomes less rational and the imagination can be overactive, imagining the worst - which would be a helpful response for getting us to flee immediately from a dangerous situation, but is not helpful over a longer period. It can lead to anxiety about feeling the anxiety, and worrying what's wrong with you.

When you feel overwhelmed with too much to do at work a useful thing to do is to write down the specific tasks that you have to do, and then prioritise them, and plan when you will do them. The situation then comes within your control and you can relax more with it.

You keep yourself fit, this is really useful in overcoming stress - when stressed the body is preparing to fight or flight, so a good workout satisfies that urge and afterwards mind and body are calmed down.


This Panic Attacks website has useful advice on reducing anxiety, the 7/11 breathing exercise may be very beneficial

With best wishes.