For some context , from 2013-2015 I had severe anxiety. Almost 24/7 , constant panic attacks. It all stemmed from a random fear that something was wrong with my heart. Despite no family history of heart issues , being a lifelong athlete with no health issues , as well as doctors visits. It led to insanely increased sensitivity to my heart rate and beat. Around 2015 through diaphragm breathing and honestly just an unexplained shift in mindset , I was able to beat it.
fast forward to august of this year and I was training for a duathlon. For whatever reason all the cardio I was doing led to a gigantic increase in anxiety. I can’t explain why because over the last several years I’ve done competitive powerlifting, lifting pretty big weights that jacked my heart rate and breathing up, played rugby , as well as running and had no issues. It just came on all of a sudden.
at this present day it’s not quite as bad as it was in 2013-2015 but it’s damn close. When I lift and do cardio my anxiety skyrockets, especially after a chest session, for whatever reason after I do chest work and my legs feel sore it feels as though it messes up my breathing and jacks my anxiety up. All throughout the day I’m obsessing over my heart and using diaphragm breathing at work to keep myself from having a panic attack. I am severely trying to get back to normal and not let it take another 2 years of my life.
im wondering if you know of any articles and information that might help me tackle this issue. I know that it’s irrational but telling myself doesn’t seem to help. The negative thinking filters through and I think “oh what if I have some heart issue they’ve never caught. What if it’s just a freak thing and I drop dead”