Video Transcription

Tight Chest – get to know anxiety

One of the symptoms that I had was being unable to breathe deeply. I felt a tightening in my chest, as if I was breathing only from my tubes rather than from my lungs, almost as if the air was only coming this far. That was distressing. There were also times when I wasn’t conscious of being upset, but I found myself sighing rather than breathing. I wasn’t sad or sighing for any particular reason, I just noticed it happening.

Anxiety for me almost started off slowly. It took a while for me to realize that something wasn’t right, and then I sought help. First, I spoke to my parents, then I went to my GP and got connected with the help I needed. I told him a bit about my background, like the fact that I had been overseas, and the fact that I had to come home because I was feeling depressed, anxious, and suicidal. He put me on some tablets, did a test with me, answering questions to determine what was actually going on with me and how severe it was. He made sure I was able to access the right medication and also referred me to cognitive behavioral therapy with a psychologist.

I had done a lot of positive thinking in the past because I belonged to a church that was very supportive of thinking positively about yourself. I already knew that kind of thinking. When I went to the psychologist, he said, “Well, that’s really what you need to be doing.” Instead of focusing on your symptoms, what you need to be doing is changing your thinking. If you understand that you’re overreacting or overacting in terms of what’s going on in your life, you need to start talking to yourself about it and say, “Actually, it’s not that bad.” You need to think in positive ways and perhaps do some problem-solving exercises to alleviate where your mind is going.

So, that’s what I did. The key advice I would give is to talk to somebody about it. Don’t do it on your own. Find someone that you can talk to, whether it’s your parents, partner, or anyone else. But certainly, go and talk to your doctor about it.

Video by Beyond Blue