Will the anxiety ever fade?

Hi Wild Tech - good question - thanks for posting it! Yours is also a valid concern!
Just as asthma affects everyone differently, anxiety levels also vary from patient to patient. For some folks anxiety may be a driving force for episodes of asthma while for still others. not so much.
I think it is reasonable to expect that as one gets to know more and more about their own specific asthma condition, and that condition is brought under better control, the anxiety levels should begin to decrease.
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)

Thanks for sharing this! I too relate to the feeling of anxiety with asthma. Honestly, I have a hard time getting to sleep at night especially if I've had a particularly symptomatic day or night before. My lungs are so unpredictable, which in and of itself causes a lot of extra stress. I feel a lot more comfortable with managing my condition after years of practice, but there is still a certain amount of anxiety I deal with regularly simply from having chronic illnesses. It's always handy to have some coping skills when that comes up - I love to write, watch "Friends," read a good book, or reach out to a loved one. I've found one of the most helpful things is to reassure myself that through all the scary health things I've encountered, I've always made it out on the other side. It's not easy and 100% relate to and support you in this. -Corinne, moderator

Wild Tech, have we talked about mindfulness meditation before? I've been using Calm and Headspace, and both of them have been useful for both periodic anxiety attacks and lessening more generalized anxiety overall. Youtube is a good source for free meditations too. I promise I'm not one of those folks that believes meditation solves everything -- it's more about learning to train your body to relax and distance yourself from the grip of those scary feelings. I've been in your shoes and it's been a big help for me. <3 -Melissa, asthma.net team

This question is so relatable. Many of us have or still feel this way. What I did to help with that anxiety is to get all the education I could about asthma from reliable sources, such as this site, the American Lung Association, etc. I wrote down questions for my doctor and asked if he could answer them before he conducted the exam. I talked with others to find out the tips and tricks that worked for them.


I also make sure that I am prepared. I never leave the house without an inhaler that is working and has enough medicine in it to help during an attack. I take my medicines as directed. I use my inhaler or nebulizer at the very first sign of symptoms. I learned this the hard way - the longer you wait to determine if you are having asthma symptoms, you will require more medicine for a longer period of time. Or you may end up in the ER. Using my asthma action plan helps me know exactly which medicines to take when to take them and how much to take. This helps take the guesswork out of managing symptoms.


Having some understanding of how asthma impacts my breathing, following my asthma action plan, and taking medicines at the first sign of symptoms helps me feel more confident in my ability to manage my asthma. I also don't hesitate to head to the ER if needed. ~ Lorene, moderator