Health Conditions A-Z Mental Health Conditions Anxiety Alisha Boe Revealed She Had to Wear a Heart Monitor for 2 Weeks—Here’s What Anxiety Had to Do With It "Anxiety sucks, especially when it manifests physically." By Colleen Murphy Colleen Murphy Instagram Twitter Colleen Murphy is a writer and editor at Health. She has extensive experience with interviewing clinicians about patient care and medical research. She loves the Olympics and awards season, as well as spending time with family and traveling. health's editorial guidelines Published on April 12, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Last year, actress Alisha Boe thought she was about to have a heart attack because of her constant heart palpitations. Turns out, the palpitations were from anxiety. The 24-year-old is opening up about the recent scare—and how she copes with her anxiety struggles—in a new Instagram post. Getty Images On Sunday, the 13 Reasons Why star posted a selfie from September 2020 that showed her wearing a heart monitor, with a caption explaining that her "cardiologist made me wear a heart monitor for 2 weeks only to confirm my heart palpitations were just ~~~~anxiety~~~~ 😂 Lmao who can relate ? ✨✨✨✨✨." 8 Causes of Chest Pain That Aren't a Heart Attack As Health previously reported, thinking you're having a heart attack could actually be a sign of anxiety. That's because palpitations, or feelings that your heart is pounding or racing, is a common symptom of a panic attack. Boe, who assured everyone that she is "completely fine and healthy," posted about her experience "to normalize the conversation around anxiety/panic attacks and have an open conversation." 13 Things That Can Cause Anxiety—And What You Can Do About Them Her candid post definitely did help normalize the topic. The comments were filled with people sharing their own similar experiences: "First day of fourth grade wearing a heart monitor because you just have so much anxiety-I love this for us," The Baby-Sitters Club actress Malia Baker wrote. "IM HAVING THEM RN," All American actress Samantha Logan commented. "alisha i 100% feel you, i've taken myself to the hospital and countless doctors because i have thought i was dying. ekgs bc i thought i was having a heart attack so many times," photographer Taylor Giavasis wrote. In response, Boe posted a note to her Instagram Story, saying "Love reading all these comments - ✨anxiety✨ sucks, especially when it manifests physically, but it is so validating to know so many others go through similar things. Tysm for sharing your experiences. 💞" It Took 2 Years of Suffering Panic Attacks Before I Finally Sought Help for My Anxiety On top of sharing about her need to wear a heart monitor for two weeks, Boe also posted about what's been working for her lately when she feels a panic attack coming on or when she has anxiety. She listed these 4 steps: 1.) a deep inhale on the count of 5, hold for two seconds at the top, then exhaling for 5 seconds.2.) Calling someone immediately when I feel panic setting in and talking about literally anything else. (More of a distraction tactic lol)3.) yoga, especially yin yoga (which requires you hold poses for 3-5 minutes) has been a powerful tool for me the past year. Helps me release a lot of tension/trauma I hold in my body.4.) when I'm already experiencing a heavy panic attack I jump in a ice cold shower lmao, it helps - ya can google the science. People shared what's helped ease their anxiety and panic attacks in the comments, too. "I have a small group of people that I can call at any time to just talk to me and distract me or talk through my panic attacks," one person wrote. "Deep breaths, drink water, and tell myself it's just a panic attack," someone else shared. Overall, people were thankful for Boe for revealing her experiences and creating a space for people to share, including fellow actress Kerris Dorsey, who commented, "this is so beautiful and helpful ❤️" To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit