Stress

[BaronFrankenstein]

Im doing a 5 day training course in another city and after just one day in the classroom i came away feeling stressed, my BP was up from its normal 117 to 134 and id got discomfort in my chest for first time in over a month when i got back to my hotel.Ive had no problems doing cardio rehab exercise classes and last week i walked over 26 miles in the course of 6 days.

But being sat down for 6 hrs listening to a lecturer, going through text books and doing mock exam papers has made me feel crap. It took me over 2 hours before the discomfort calmed down. It wasnt pain just a dull ache which i get sometimes when im physically exhausted.

Do you think i should use my GTN spray if i feel like it again or would that be an over reaction?

Ive tried breathing exercises but that just seems to make me focus on the ache more.

Ive been up since just after 3am.

[baly_2023]

Hi, sounds like the classic symptoms of anxiety/ panic attack to me.

I had this happen the first time I went into the office ( where my heart attack happened) and when people were asking me how I was.

I felt like I couldn't breath,my test felt tight, I felt chest pain, I felt light headed, dizzy. It took me a whole afternoon to recover.

The following day I went to cardio rehabilitation, exerted my body and had no issues.

The following week my wife went out for the evening so I was alone with my 9 year old daughter for the night, again the symptoms manifested, again the next day went for a 4 mile difficult walk, no symptoms.

I suppose the advice is if in doubt use GTN or phone 111/999 to be safe.

It's a tough one as I've sat there thinking do I use my spray? I don't, it may not be the right thing to do but I think to myself am I anxious, uncomfortable in my mind about a specific set of circumstances I am in? are those circumstances causing anxiety/panic? are these causing symptoms.

Below the BHF talks about panic attacks.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

I meditate using the calm app , when I have moments I use it to sort my head out and I've never believed or used such things but now I am a true believer.

I'm sure others will comment, I would also speak to your GP or 111 and get some advice.

Best wishes baly

[BaronFrankenstein in reply to baly_2023]

Thanks for your reply. I dont think its panic attacks cos ive had a few of them over the past 15 years. This is like i think arising from the stress im under on this course im doing, im not panicking i feel the same stress i do when im at work on nightshifts and the heat is 9n. Its the tension and stress of being under pressure to peform. Its really tiring, especially once the stress stops. Last night i didnt notice the discomfort i had in my chest until i got back to my room and laid down and it got worse over the course of half an hour. Then some anxiety kicked in and kept me from getting to sleep til late.

It woke me up and i had to take GTN spray for the first time in 8 weeks.

I shall see how i feel this evening after ive done another mock exam under proper exam conditions this afternoon.

[Lowerfield_no_more]

We all suffer from stress from time to time. How we cope depends on what it is that is causing the stress and how resilient we are as a person. But if it is something that occurs regularly at work, perhaps where there are onerous deadlines to be met for which you are responsible, or you have other targets imposed on you that are difficult to meet, and the sources of the stress cannot be avoided and it is clearly harming your health, then perhaps you need to take a step back and question if it is wise to continue subjecting yourself to this situation, for who knows where it will lead. So the first steps must surely be to investigate strategies for coping, the NHS webpage below is not a bad place to start, and I am sure there are others like it. But if none of these work then perhaps a change of job role with less responsibility which you might find more rewarding since you would be much less concerned about what faces you when you arrive at work every day. Anyway I hope you find something out there that helps your situation so that you can relax and perhaps enjoy life a little more.

nhs.uk/mental-health/feelin...