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jelly

2y ago

Muscle Spasm as Anxiety Relief?

i randomly had anxiety today and was experiencing a super tight chest and shortness of breath. i gave myself some space/alone time from my family and couldn’t bring myself to watch netflix or crochet (which are common habits of mine). i just laid in the fetal position in bed. all of a sudden, kinda below my left ribs started to twitch/spasm and released all of the tension - my anxiety went away. i tried googling to see if this was common and i don’t even know how i triggered the spasm. from the limited research i did, it might’ve been the muscle that connects the diaphragm to the upper abdomen. has anyone else experienced this? if so, do you know how to trigger the muscle spasm?

Your answer

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OuchiePrincess

2y ago

Sounds like your muscles were carrying your anxiety around your rib cage and once you had yourself time and space to decompress, they did!
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JJ_123

2y ago

My therapist tells me to look for patterns in how my body reacts during heightened anxiety or panic. Like if I'm grabbing with my hands do I need to hold something? If my legs are restless do I need to get up and walk around? I'm not sure it's the same thing but could be connected to your stress and your breathing?
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Quinee

2y ago

Wow! How good to hear that there is something that can release the physical and mental feeling of anxiety! I've never experienced this, but as for the excitation of spasm - I know there are electrodes that connect to a muscle and they cause it to contract ... I do not know if it can be used for this purpose but it is worth asking.
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ajar

2y ago

It could maybe be that you were tensing the muscles in that area for long enough to cause them to spasm, but if someone else has a more definite answer I'd love to know as well

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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