Asthma is more than wheezing and chest tightness. Cróna Tansey explores the emotional side of asthma, how it affects her mental health, and what she does to manage the aftereffects of an attack.

An asthma attack involves more than wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness.

Imagine the last time you felt unwell. As we know, the physical symptoms of an illness are only part of the deal. The other half is the emotions that come hand-in-hand with pain and discomfort. 

I also have to contend with rising fear, panic, and embarrassment when having an asthma attack. Sometimes, the emotional consequences of an asthma attack can feel worse than the attack itself.  

There have been times I've made an attack worse due to my reaction. I've trained hard to stay calm when the worst happens, but this isn't always possible.

On most occasions, my asthma attacks come as a surprise. I don't expect them; unfortunately, they can be unpredictable. My usual response is to go into shock. I can be having a typical day, going about my business, only to have a full-blown attack seemingly come from nowhere.

As you can imagine, this can be scary and overwhelming.

4 ways asthma affects my mental health

1. I feel like I’m always on guard

Before my doctor and I found the correct combination of asthma medications I needed, I was always anxious and on guard for attacks.

A couple of years ago, my asthma was so poorly controlled it could flare up from the slightest trigger - even from stuff I used to tolerate. Spray deodorant turned from a boring necessity to a huge risk. I felt like my lungs were overreacting to everything they came across.

I couldn't understand what had changed. One minute, I was living an almost normal life. The next minute, asthmatic outbursts from all directions. Being on high alert for attacks was tiring. I didn't feel like myself and was always tense.

Asthma attacks are unpredictable and can happen anywhere, anytime. When an attack occurs, I need to act fast, but that's challenging when I'm in shock and panic. My emotions can make it difficult to manage flare-ups, which increases my anxiety over my health and knocks my confidence.

2. Asthma attacks can be embarrassing

They don't always happen when you are at home with your medication. In fact, I'm most likely to have an attack when I am out and exposed to triggers such as cold air, pollen, and smoke.

Asthma attacks can also draw unwanted attention. I have uncontrolled coughing and wheezing, and I find speaking difficult. My eyes start streaming from panic and fear. It is not an experience I can easily hide from onlookers.

I would pretend I was fine to others, but deep down, my mental health struggled with the embarrassment.  

3. Asthma attacks are scary

My main fear during an attack is whether I will get it under control without emergency help. It can be terrifying as I wait for my medication to relieve the symptoms.

Asthma attacks are often accompanied by overwhelming emotions and an unpleasant adrenaline rush.

By the time the attack is over, I'm drained. Bad episodes often send me home early due to sheer exhaustion.

4. Asthma attacks make me feel vulnerable 

Severe attacks have knocked my confidence in ways I would never have expected. Sometimes, I fear my lungs or body will betray me any second. As you can imagine, relaxing wasn't easy.

Alongside the constant fear, I wasn't confident about exercising outdoors for a long time. I worried that cold winds or road dust would trigger an attack.

In some ways, I felt weak. I wondered why others could manage running and hiking outdoors without their lungs reacting to the slightest thing. My low confidence and self-esteem made me sure that people would judge me for my asthma symptoms, thinking I was unfit.

The idea was mortifying. I couldn’t be mindful about my asthma and take things day by day. Instead, I hid indoors, too self-conscious about an attack or other people’s perceptions of me. 

Trusting the asthma treatment and my instincts

I finally settled on a combination of asthma treatments, but it took a while to trust them. My inner voice had been trained to expect the worst and be hypervigilant, so I found it difficult to accept my asthma was now well-controlled. I knew the attacks had affected my mental health and that recovery would take time.

I still get scared, embarrassed, and panicky, even now. I'm working on this, and I am getting better. Yet, too few people don't consider the emotional impact of having asthma. I need to use each episode as a learning curve to cope better with the next time.

During flare-ups, I remember how I've gotten through this before. I will do so again this time and the next. I've learned to trust the medication. More importantly, I've learned to trust in myself.

The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.

The individual(s) who have written and created the content and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence, or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen. 

NPS-ALL-NP-01449 JANUARY 2025