by Tamika Burgess
As I sat at my desk that Tuesday morning I felt an unfamiliar tightness in my chest. It felt like someone’s palm was being pressed down on the area around my heart. As the intense pressure continued my only reaction was to place my hand over my heart; as if that would ease the pain. But it didn’t.
That afternoon, I told my boss how I was feeling. “Tamika, that’s stress and I think you should go home” he said.
I thought he was crazy for suggesting it was stress, but since the pain was so strong I decided to go to the Emergency Room. During my examination I described the pain and its location. In that instant everything changed. I was taken to a room and a few doctors came in and ordered nurses to conduct several tests on me. I asked one of the nurses what was going on, “We want to make sure you didn’t have a heart attack” she said.
“A heart attack, I’m only 27 years old.” I nervously said.
After the tests were completed, all the results came back negative. There was no evidence of a heart attack. But the doctors still wanted to figure out what was causing my chest pain. I was admitted to the Hospital for an overnight stay so they could monitor me as I slept.
One night turned into a three day stay. While there I did everything from running on a treadmill to having my heart examined via ultrasound. Again, all my tests came back ok. The doctor suggested I follow up with my primary doctor because the pain was most likely associated with anxiety.
When I met with my doctor a week later she explained that when I worry I get anxious, and that causes stress; which manifests itself in my body as chest pain.
She recommended that I avoid stressful situations and gave me a prescription for anxiety medication. She said the medication would help me remain calm so I wouldn’t experience any pain.
However, I decided against filling the prescription. I didn’t want to become dependent on a drug in order to relax.
And because I couldn’t figure out why I was stressed and anxious, I researched calming activities to do. I ended up finding three simple things that really help me:
- Figure it Out
Because a specific issue isn’t at the forefront of my mind doesn’t mean I’m not worried about it. Whenever I feel the chest pain starting I stop whatever I am doing and think about what is bothering me. When I figure it out, I then assess whether or not I should actually be worried or if it’s something I need to let go of.
- Write
Writing my feelings down has become very helpful. Regardless of how I feel, I try to write in my journal daily. It’s a great way to purge all my thoughts and feelings. This allows me to not keep things bottled up, which could later lead to stress.
- Read
Out of every solution that I researched, reading works best. It quickly takes my mind somewhere else, allowing me to escape into the book. Thus, causing me to relax and not worry about anything.
In the years following my hospital stay I realized I was in fact stressed out by my job. At the time I was the supervisor of a national account at an Advertising Agency. The demanding tasks from my superiors, and the pressure of running a department were too much. Plus, I really disliked the job.
Having quit this job almost two years ago, a tremendous amount of tension has lifted off of me. Occasionally I do still worry and feel anxious about different aspects of my life. But how I handle it now is what makes the difference.
Stress is often referred to as the “silent killer” for a reason. It can stay in the back of our minds for a while, only to show up without warning. And since we can’t always remove ourselves from stressful situations, finding ways to deal with it is vital.
Tamika Burgess is a freelance writer and a blogger. Currently living in Brooklyn, NY, Tamika was born and raised in Southern California. As a freelance writer, Tamika’s work has been featured on various sites, including The Well Versed and 212Access. Her work is also featured on her blog, The Essence of Me.