Heart palpitations can wreck your life, upsetting a lot of dreams. I know it and I know how it feels. When I first had them (sometime in the 1980s) I couldn't do anything without getting its "approval." I mean, I had to always consider my heart condition, being unable to do things because they might provoke abnormal heart beats. I had to "ask permission" from my heart before I could decide on anything. If I did this or that, would my heart approve? It was crazy. I didn't know how to deal with it yet.
One day, I decided that abnormal beats cannot rule my life anymore. I cannot let them decide for me, especially what I can do and be happy with, when and where. I had to start taking control again. At first I doubted if this would really happen. But I read in the bible that all things are possible to him who believes. And fear and doubt are from the devil, and the bible says I must resist him. Moreover, Jesus said things will happen according to how I believe they would. God leaves the "how" to me. He backs with his power my faith on how "how" will happen. So I stuck with that rule. Resist triggering thoughts!
My story on how I won against heart palpitations.
What I did to prevent, manage and sometimes stop palpitations.
Palpitations Enslave
My activities were kept to an "extreme minimum" and I was mostly at home or kept in my bedroom because I was afraid of having an attack away from home where no help from folks who knew my condition could be available. It was unimaginable to be amid strange people while you were having an attack. My foremost fear then was that, they might do something stupid in their sincere effort to help me--like apply CPR on me because they thought I was having cardiac arrest. My palpitations were not a sign of heart disease or cardiac arrest. They happened due to extra electrical heart pulses. I had more electricity than the usual person. I'm electrified. 😄
You can never tell. There are people "happy on the trigger," as it were, just eager to apply their skills in CPR once they see the slightest hint of what they think is a heart attack. Or, they might take me to a wrong heart specialist who may try a lot of stupider things on me. Yup, I actually experienced things like this in the hands of doctors who felt the need to prove themselves as the best experts. They'd insist on their opinions even if you say you already have a personal heart specialist who knows exactly what your condition is. Like an ER lady doc who insisted I was having a "heart failure" when I was rushed for excessive bloating. I showed my regular real heart doctor her diagnosis and he just giggled.
So, in the initial years when I first had palpitations, I stayed at home most of the time.
You can never tell. There are people "happy on the trigger," as it were, just eager to apply their skills in CPR once they see the slightest hint of what they think is a heart attack. Or, they might take me to a wrong heart specialist who may try a lot of stupider things on me. Yup, I actually experienced things like this in the hands of doctors who felt the need to prove themselves as the best experts. They'd insist on their opinions even if you say you already have a personal heart specialist who knows exactly what your condition is. Like an ER lady doc who insisted I was having a "heart failure" when I was rushed for excessive bloating. I showed my regular real heart doctor her diagnosis and he just giggled.
So, in the initial years when I first had palpitations, I stayed at home most of the time.
Battlefield of the Mind
But you need to fight. Anything that tends to keep you imprisoned in your room or home or your "safe zone" should be resisted. Don't let your heart condition rule you or set the parameters in your life. It has a tendency to do that. Don't let it. Take back control. But I did this one step at a time. You cannot do this in one sitting like magic. You conquer one small territory at a time. Don't be in a hurry. Relax and enjoy, but make sure you progress. You progress by actually doing it regularly. All the details are in my e-book, "How I Became Palpitation Free."
I started with my mind. I trained my mind to think normal again. And here's exactly what I mean--I got rid of the thought that I might die anytime (this thought tortured me) because of heart palpitations and I also told myself that I shouldn't limit myself to certain places (comfort zones) to reduce the chances of palpitating. I demolished all these thoughts by doing what palpitations forbade me to do. I started brisk walking and exercising, enjoying the outdoors more, laughing and having fun, while at the same time carefully observing precautions. Neither should you be careless.
You need to balance them--freedom, caution and responsibility. I started here. It begins with a battle in your mind. Your mind should "tell" your heart what to do, not the other way around. I had epic fails now and then, of course. It was expected. It was hard but it had to be done. Having palpitations can be so discouraging to the max. But I didn't give up. After a long while, my next step was to study my heart palpitation. Not all palpitations are the same, though in a sense they are.
But you need to fight. Anything that tends to keep you imprisoned in your room or home or your "safe zone" should be resisted. Don't let your heart condition rule you or set the parameters in your life. It has a tendency to do that. Don't let it. Take back control. But I did this one step at a time. You cannot do this in one sitting like magic. You conquer one small territory at a time. Don't be in a hurry. Relax and enjoy, but make sure you progress. You progress by actually doing it regularly. All the details are in my e-book, "How I Became Palpitation Free."
I started with my mind. I trained my mind to think normal again. And here's exactly what I mean--I got rid of the thought that I might die anytime (this thought tortured me) because of heart palpitations and I also told myself that I shouldn't limit myself to certain places (comfort zones) to reduce the chances of palpitating. I demolished all these thoughts by doing what palpitations forbade me to do. I started brisk walking and exercising, enjoying the outdoors more, laughing and having fun, while at the same time carefully observing precautions. Neither should you be careless.
You need to balance them--freedom, caution and responsibility. I started here. It begins with a battle in your mind. Your mind should "tell" your heart what to do, not the other way around. I had epic fails now and then, of course. It was expected. It was hard but it had to be done. Having palpitations can be so discouraging to the max. But I didn't give up. After a long while, my next step was to study my heart palpitation. Not all palpitations are the same, though in a sense they are.
All palpitations are fast and abnormal heart beats. But their causes and effects differ. Some are caused by thyroid problems, some by caffeine, some by heart illness. Mine is caused by rising gas in the tummy (bloating) affecting a nerve. Some palpitations are accompanied by difficulty breathing, dizziness, sweating and others. Mine wasn't, although at first I thought it was.
Most abnormal heartbeats are treated with maintenance meds. Mine was at first but later was stopped by the doctor except for an as-needed pill. But all abnormal heartbeats need to be pacified with positive thoughts. Resisting triggering thoughts is both a good preventive and a calming and relaxing first aid during attacks while medical treatment is unavailable.


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