My Heart Is In Pain Emotionally: How To Grow From Emotional Chest Pain
We all feel heart pain sometimes, for emotional pain reasons or others. If your chest pain symptoms are from heartache, you might feel overwhelmed. But even severe chest pain from heartache will go away over time. Heartache chest pain can be supported through therapy, which involves talking about your feelings with a licensed mental health provider. Read on for more advice about chest pains here.
Life brings lots of ups and downs, and with that our hearts can hurt emotionally. Some situations are out of our control, which can make them difficult to deal with. Some of these situations leave us with heart-related pain, but not in the life-threatening way like medical conditions like, heart disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or even a broken rib would cause chest pain, but it can still be extremely uncomfortable. It could be from the loss of a relationship, the death of a loved one, or situations that didn't go exactly like we thought they would. It's completely normal to experience this heavy emotional pain, but you don't have to carry it alone. An online therapist and certified professional can help.
Does Your Heart Or Chest Hurt?
Each person has different strengths and weaknesses in life, and sometimes we all think, "my heart hurts". This includes emotional strengths and weaknesses. It's perfectly normal for everyone to experience emotional pain or think "my heart hurts" from time to time. So, why are some people able to bounce back so quickly while others aren't when they think this way? Some people with chest pain feel they have developed higher levels of resiliency, even when they have been in extreme pain before, allowing them to process the situation of "my heart hurts" faster than others before it gets worse. They can continue moving forward and past the situation that caused them severe pain.
Heart Pain
However, other people stay stuck in this "my heart hurts" pain for longer. If they try to ignore or not address their pain, they carry the risk of becoming depressed and start experiencing other symptoms that affect their wellbeing. One sign is that they might struggle to do the things that they need to do daily. If someone stays stuck in their sadness and thinking "my heart hurts" for long enough, it can ultimately lead to issues.
How To Grow From Heart Pain
While no one likes to experience painful situations in life, there are ways that we can learn from experiences where we feel "my heart hurts". There's a time to feel your pain and process through the situation that you experienced. But then there comes a time when you need to continue in the process. The following tips will help you do that.
Pain As A Process: See What You Can Learn From The Situation And Pain
We all find ourselves in situations that lead us to think "my heart hurts" at some point in our life or another. If you find yourself in this place, it can help to spend some time processing the situation to see what you can learn about yourself or others going forward. For example, if a significant other ended a relationship with you, it can help you grow to look at the situation and see what happened, what you could have done differently, or warning signs that you should have watched for. This can help you to see areas that you need to grow where "my heart hurts". It can help you spot areas that you can improve in, or pump blood to, metaphorically speaking.
Tap Into Your Support System
Sometimes, when you feel "my heart hurts", the pain is too much to handle on your own. If you have a strong support circle of family and friends, make sure that you talk to them. Let them know how you are feeling and what you need from them. It could just be a sign that you need someone to spend time with to help distract you from sitting in your pain too much. Sometimes friends and family can help provide you with a break from emotional turmoil, especially when you think "my heart hurts". Other times they are exactly what you need to be able to process through the situation with someone that can give you an outside perspective, even if you're thinking, "my heart hurts".
Acknowledge Your Ability To Persevere Through Chest Pain
Many times in life, we don't believe that we can make it past a situation where we feel "my heart hurts". If you have lived through something that you weren't sure you could handle, such as a panic attack, and felt, "my heart hurts", take time to feel the new strength that you were able to tap into. It will help to build your confidence even if you can't tell it's doing that at the moment. Knowing that you were able to overcome a situation where you felt sharp chest pain and survived, you build your resiliency that you can tap into in other situations that come along in the future. In those tough situations, learn how to take a deep breath, and allow enough oxygen rich blood to flow through, calm you, and let you move forward.
Look For Ways To Help Others
When we go through difficult situations in life and feel "my heart hurts", it opens a door for us to help others that are going through the same situation or ones that are similar. At a certain point in your recovery process, it can help you take a big step forward if you take your focus off yourself and use your time and energy to help someone else. If they are going through a situation similar to what you have been through, you will be able to empathize with them more than other people will-you've both felt, "my heart hurts". You can use your experience to encourage them to continue moving forward as well. You may even find a new purpose by doing this, which will only have come about because you went through that painful situation where you felt , "my heart hurts".
Seek Professional Help When You Think "My Heart Hurts"
It's easy to get stuck in emotional pain when you think "my heart hurts". Sometimes it just feels too hard to see how to recover and move past it. If you find that you are trapped in your pain, reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for help. A licensed therapist can help you experience the emotional healing and growth that you need in your life. Many people are hesitant to reach out for health because of the stigma that surrounds mental health challenges. They don't want others to believe that they are weak or can't handle a situation on their own. This is where BetterHelp can help. It's an online resource developed to connect qualified professionals with those in need of mental health care.
You Can Grow From Pain
Online counseling also makes it easier for people that are suffering from heavy emotional pain to get help. If your heart muscle feels like it's in pain, professional help is there. This breastbone chest pain doesn't have to stand in your way of getting the help you need to grow through life's rough times. Sometimes you just don't feel like getting up and leaving the house, and you don't have to when you can contact a compassionate therapist from your home's comfort.
Commonly Asked Questions On This Topic Found Below
What does it mean if my heart hurts?
Should I worry if my heart is hurting?
How do I stop my heart hurting?
How do I know if my chest pain is serious?
Are chest pains normal?
What are 5 causes of chest pain?
Where do you feel heart pain?
Does heart pain come and go?
Commonly Asked Questions On This Topic Found Below:
What does it mean if my heart hurts?
You may already be familiar with some of the most common causes of heart and chest pain. When your chest hurts, this can be a sign of a problem in your heart muscle or lungs, like coronary artery disease, mitral valve prolapse, high blood pressure, angina, COPD, cardiac arrest (heart attack), and more.
Heart disease is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the world; in fact, heart problems are the leading cause of death for both men and women worldwide. But did you know that emotional distress from a painful situation can also cause physical symptoms, such as unexplained chest pain, stomach aches, and whole-body aches?
While scientists are still trying to figure out the link between emotional pain and physical pain, preliminary studies show that when a person is going through a particularly stressful or harrowing situation, the areas of the brain that regulate our emotional reactions can overstimulate the vagus nerve – the longest of 12 cranial nerves and the responsible for heart rate and cardiovascular activity, among other things. When the vagus nerve is overstimulated, it can cause chest pain and rapid heartbeat.
That being said, chest pain can be a sign of a serious medical emergency. Call 911 or seek emergency medical attention if you experience new or worsening chest or heart pain along any of the following symptoms:
- Sharp pain, discomfort, numbing, prickling, or a burning sensation in the arms, neck, back, or jaw
- Cold sweats or dizziness
- Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
- Pressure, squeezing, or stabbing chest pain that gets worse
- Extreme fatigue
- Sudden nausea or vomiting
Should I worry if my heart is hurting?
Although there are many possible causes of chest pain – many of which are non-life threatening – cardiologists and family physicians recommend never to ignore pain that occurs in or around the chest area. Along with chest pain, worrisome symptoms that could suggest a heart attack or severe cardiovascular event include:
- Shortness of breath
- Cold sweat or heat flushing
- Fatigue
- Aches, heaviness, or a tingling sensation in one or both arms
- The chest pain may get worse or come suddenly
How do I stop my heart hurting?
If your heart physically hurts, you should see a doctor to rule out serious any cardiovascular issues. If you’re hurting emotionally, talking to a licensed therapist online might help. Click here to learn more about online therapy get matched with a qualified mental health provider today.
Are chest pains normal?
While sometimes chest pain is just chest pain, it can also be a signal for serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as heart attacks, pulmonary embolism (when a clot restricts blood flow in one of the lung arteries), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), and more.
What are 5 causes of chest pain?
Five of the most common causes of chest pain that are not heart attacks include:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): also known as acid reflux, it happens when the acids in the stomach travel back up into the throat, causing a burning sensation, sour taste in the mouth, and chest pain. Symptoms may get worse when you’re laying down.
- Peptic ulcer: open sores in the upper part of the small intestine or the lining of the stomach. Chest pain can be a symptom of peptic ulcers.
- Asthma: for people with asthma and other breathing issues, a coughing spell from blocked airways is the most common cause of pain and pressure the chest area. Trying deep breathing exercises can help during coughing spells.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): it happens when the airways become obstructed or damaged, including the tiny air sacs that transfer oxygen into the bloodstream and get rid of carbon dioxide. People with COPD pain may feel it around the heart, chest, and back.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you physically hurt from sadness?
Sadness is a feeling of emotional pain due to loss. Sadness may flood your body with hormones like cortisol. Ultimately, it leads to a heavy-itchy feeling in the area around your heart, or chest. Being overcome with the pressure of sadness may increase the risk of pain. This pain is also sometimes referred to as broken heart syndrome. This is a collection of different symptoms that are similar to a heart attack. Usually, it occurs in response to emotional distress.
How can I stop from hurting emotionally?
To stop the heavy chest and heart pain, you need to develop what is called emotional resilience. One example of a helpful way to stop your emotional heart pain is by exercising. There are many other ways to deal with emotional pain. Emotional pain can be stopped by finding a new hobby. You may start by painting, singing, drawing, or any other thing you love. Try your best not to ruminate over things that could affect your emotional health.
When you are in physical pain, such as heart or chest pain, it is normally due to the heavy pressure of emotional pain you feel. Sometimes, the pain may be due to withdrawal symptoms after a relationship. However, there are effective ways to stop your emotional pain. The first step to take may be to understand how you feel. Doing this will help your emotional health, and the speed of emotional pain will slow down. After you understand your emotions, you need to accept them. Try not to judge yourself while you do any of these things. Try forgetting about the pressure and pain of the past by focusing more on the present; you may also try reading a new book. Doing that usually helps you heal from emotional pain. Sign up for BetterHelp with your email address and other details for more help dealing with chest pain from emotions.
Why is the heart hurting?
Emotional pain or chest pain from heartache usually arises due to emotional stress and ultimately causes your chest to feel pain. You get some painful sensations that affect stomach activity and sometimes lead to breathing issues. Common causes of emotional pain are loss, or on some occasions, physical pain. Headache often arises also due to emotional pain.