I think i have been doing better with the heart rate cheking thing. I still catch myself doing it but i really try and stop myself before i do it. And i find that the less i do it the more i realize that is is not useful to me and that i dont need to do it as much. I mean my struggle with this one is far from over but i am glad to report that i see small progress and that i figure there is hope for me yet lol. So i am hoping to eventually just not do it at all since in my case it does not help me. Thanks for all the tips and all the support. I will keep on trying :)
-Diva
Thank you everyone for your help and support and for letting me know i am not alone in this. I will definetely consoder every advice that was given me. I appreciate it soooo much all you sharing with me and giving me tips. It is nice to know i am not alone in this. I will keep you posted on my success with this!
Thanks again!
-Diva
Diva,
It's completely understandable that you do this. You should probably work on trying to stop it though, because it gives you the impression that something is wrong and feeds the panic cycle in the end. But I was thinking, maybe for now you can change your attitude towards it. I started doing this lately too myself but for different reasons. I do checks with myself by checking to see if I am above my resting heart rate to help me recognize when I should be seriously considering doing my breathing techniques or to show myself it is just anxiety when I feel scared that I am about to lose control. Maybe as you try and break the habit you can try and tell yourself that you are only doing this to recognize your anxiety level (maybe by counting the beats per minute instead). An average resting heart rate should be between 60-80 beats per minute I believe, so if you are any higher then recognize you are probably more anxious than you think and do some breathing and relaxation techniques. This was you also only have one minute time frames in which you can be focused on this. I don't know-it's just my two cents. Hope it helps.
Diva,
I am constantly doing this too. I check my pulse to see if my heart is in normal rythym and yea, it does seem obsessive. I hope it makes you feel better that you are not the only one, it makes me feel better. My doctor has told me to stop but really it is not that easy. I dont just check my pulse when i am anxious i do it ALL the time. I have yet to understand why i do this but i cant help it. I will also try the breathing thing instead of checking my pulse, it cant hurt anything right? Well just take heart that you are not alone, and keep us posted.
Well thanks for sharing this with me guys, it helps a lot to know i am not alone. Plus, you are right, it does absolutely nothing for me and so i shall try to make it stop also. Let's keep each other posted on this one^^
-Diva
I thought I was the only one!! It all started for me when I would check my blood pressure with my cuff because it also checks your pulse so I found myself getting my blood pressure cuff every time I was anxious or panicking to see what my pulse was which only made things worse. Then when I was in class and I couldn't use the cuff I began checking my pulse on my neck and now it is a bad habit that I still do. I find that every time I am anxious, no matter where I am, I rest my hand on my neck so I can feel my pulse even though it does nothing to calm me or help the situation. I guess we just need to make conscious efforts to stop doing it. I am going to try to stop this too.
Yes I did exactly the same. I used to check my pulse regularly feeling my neck. I have however managed to stop this and no longer feel the urge. For me it was just a case of seeing that it was of no benefit to me and making a conscious decision to stop. It was hard at the start - but if you can't completely stop at the start, try to reduce the number of times you check you will eventually find as I have that you no longer think about it. I hope this is of some help.:)
Diva,
Nope, you're not the only one who does this. Many of our members have posted regarding this very subject.
Again, positive self-talk and avoiding the activity is key. It's not easy but it can be accomplished with practice. Try to substitute this behavior for a new one. Instead of taking your pulse, try deep breathing. If you control your breathing, your heart rate will follow as both are connected.
Hope this helps.
Danielle
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The PC Support Team
