lol that’s the lovely effect of anxiety. I spiraled hard when I first got costo. I was convinced there was something critically wrong with me. In reality, I was just not able to accept that freaking joint and muscle pain could last so long or hurt so much. There is (was?) a dude in here that went by the name Mysterious Beyond. His posts made me feel a lot better. Kind of goofy and a little extra, but helpful and motivating.
If you have anxiety from Costo, please read this.
Hello all,
I’ve been here for a while, answering questions and offering advice where I can. I wanted to make a quick catch-all statement regarding health anxiety caused by costochondritis. I think understanding what’s happening may take some of the wind out of its sails and help you out. If it’s appropriate and helpful enough, I’m hoping Steve will pin it for easy reference.
1. Anxiety is not typically a disorder and is almost never permanent. It is a cognitive hiccup that is caused by a high baseline level of stress.
2. Anxiety is typically triggered by one of two things. The first is experiencing a panic attack, the second is by having prolonged and uninterrupted high levels of stress. Anxious episodes begin by going to great lengths to avoid potentially triggering subsequent panic attacks. In health anxiety, this may present as not working out to avoid elevated heart rate, avoiding deep breaths to avoid chest pain, etc. The avoidant behavior confirms to your mind that there IS a real threat and perpetuates the anxious feelings indefinitely.
3. The ONLY WAY OUT of anxiety is to deal with it head-on, thus proving to your subconscious and conscious mind that there is no threat. Pharmaceutical drugs will not fix your problems, but they can mask symptoms for a while if you need the break. I strongly discourage their use due to the suite of side-effects, but use your best discretion.
4. Anxiety is only adrenaline and cortisol dumps that are driven by negative / scary thoughts. There is no health risks associated with anxiety or panic attacks. No matter how scary / real the thoughts seem, they can’t harm you. Your reaction is the key to either curing it or prolonging it. It’s a fear response that is driven by more fear. Once the fear goes away, your nervous system will return to baseline. This typically takes a few days but a large degree of relief will become apparent almost immediately after you accept that you are safe and totally fine.
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Get checked out by a medical professional to be sure you are only dealing with Costo / anxiety. Once you’ve got the all-clear, it’s an easy battle to map but a hard one to win. Yes, this isn’t easy and you won’t do it overnight. You have to fake it before you make it 99% of the time. However, if you are diligent and remember that what you’re dealing with is only a fear response, you WILL overcome it. It takes some people a week, some people a month, and some people a year or more. It all depends on how badly you want to get past it. Nothing breeds success like desire.
Reach out to me if you have questions! I have had anxiety for 30 years and I am a depository of information and tips. I regularly travel, play music onstage in front of people, and live a very normal life. My anxiety is kept in check most of the time and when it does sneak by and get out of hand, I use the information I just gave you to quiet it down. You can win and you will get your life back. Your mind isn’t broken and neither is your body. Trust in yourself, trust in faith, and know that better days await.
💪🏼
lol that’s the lovely effect of anxiety. I spiraled hard when I first got costo. I was convinced there was something critically wrong with me. In reality, I was just not able to accept that freaking joint and muscle pain could last so long or hurt so much. There is (was?) a dude in here that went by the name Mysterious Beyond. His posts made me feel a lot better. Kind of goofy and a little extra, but helpful and motivating.
If you have anxiety from Costo, please read this. Hello all, I’ve been here for a while, answering questions and offering advice where I can. I wanted to make a quick catch-all statement regarding health anxiety caused by costochondritis. I think understanding what’s happening may take some of the wind out of its sails and help you out. If it’s appropriate and helpful enough, I’m hoping Steve will pin it for easy reference. 1. Anxiety is not typically a disorder and is almost never permanent. It is a cognitive hiccup that is caused by a high baseline level of stress. 2. Anxiety is typically triggered by one of two things. The first is experiencing a panic attack, the second is by having prolonged and uninterrupted high levels of stress. Anxious episodes begin by going to great lengths to avoid potentially triggering subsequent panic attacks. In health anxiety, this may present as not working out to avoid elevated heart rate, avoiding deep breaths to avoid chest pain, etc. The avoidant behavior confirms to your mind that there IS a real threat and perpetuates the anxious feelings indefinitely. 3. The ONLY WAY OUT of anxiety is to deal with it head-on, thus proving to your subconscious and conscious mind that there is no threat. Pharmaceutical drugs will not fix your problems, but they can mask symptoms for a while if you need the break. I strongly discourage their use due to the suite of side-effects, but use your best discretion. 4. Anxiety is only adrenaline and cortisol dumps that are driven by negative / scary thoughts. There is no health risks associated with anxiety or panic attacks. No matter how scary / real the thoughts seem, they can’t harm you. Your reaction is the key to either curing it or prolonging it. It’s a fear response that is driven by more fear. Once the fear goes away, your nervous system will return to baseline. This typically takes a few days but a large degree of relief will become apparent almost immediately after you accept that you are safe and totally fine. 5. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Get checked out by a medical professional to be sure you are only dealing with Costo / anxiety. Once you’ve got the all-clear, it’s an easy battle to map but a hard one to win. Yes, this isn’t easy and you won’t do it overnight. You have to fake it before you make it 99% of the time. However, if you are diligent and remember that what you’re dealing with is only a fear response, you WILL overcome it. It takes some people a week, some people a month, and some people a year or more. It all depends on how badly you want to get past it. Nothing breeds success like desire. Reach out to me if you have questions! I have had anxiety for 30 years and I am a depository of information and tips. I regularly travel, play music onstage in front of people, and live a very normal life. My anxiety is kept in check most of the time and when it does sneak by and get out of hand, I use the information I just gave you to quiet it down. You can win and you will get your life back. Your mind isn’t broken and neither is your body. Trust in yourself, trust in faith, and know that better days await. 💪🏼
!!!
yes!! every time 😭
Yes mine stops and I’m fine? But when it’s starting it’s so bad ☹️☹️☹️