I hope those of you who are suffering from the 'head pressure' (tension headaches) find this post, as this 'ailment' ruined my life for a good year - but I finally got on top of it for the most part and would like to leave information around these health forums on how to beat it, as I see so many people begging for help all over the internet.

Long story short, after smoking marijuana one day and having a severe panic attack whilst high I developed chronic tension headaches caused by anxiety and a panic disorder that lasted for about a year and seriously impacted all aspects of my life.

Head pressure, 24/7 obsessive, irrational thoughts about the headaches, head/eye/shoulder pain, vision problems, tremors, depersonalization, derealization, fear of never being 'normal' again, body chills - you name it, I had it, every day... I'm sure those of you who've been vigorously searching the web posting your symptoms and asking for help can all relate.

I have one word for you. ANXIETY! I know you will disagree, just as I did - however, I assure you it is anxiety. I had multiple anxiety/panic driven check ups for brain tumours, subarachnoid hemhorraging, sinus issues, jaw issues for TMJ and every other damn headache related thing I could think of and that I discovered on the internet that labelled 'headache' as a symptom. I even spent $3000 to have my wisdom teeth removed, which did nothing lol.

Now, you all want a cure, so here it is... CALM YOURSELF DOWN. Beat the anxiety and the tension headache will go with it. Breathe deeply for 5 minutes, think about nothing but the headache and imagine it slowly fading away. Tell yourself that it is nothing but a figment of your anxiety. Realize that the reason you have this 'head pressure' and other symptoms is because...

You are anxious, the tension headache arises, you dwell on it and make yourself more tense, the headache gets worse, you become more anxious. It's a neverending circle. You need to break that circle. Here's how:

- learn about and practice mindfulness (this helps immensely)

- exercise, go for a jog or lift some weights for a few days each week (this really helps too)

- when you are done with your job, daily activities or whatever it is you do, whip up a herbal tea consisting of camomile, passionflower, skullcap, damiana, or whatever nervous system calming thing you can get your hands on

What ever calms your racing mind, do it. Whether it be gaming, reading, walking, fishing, bike riding. I do highly recommend you do the above 3 things though as they are what saved me.

If you don't believe me that it is anxiety, google it and do a bit of reading. It will all make sense once you can make yourself believe that it could be that. You just need to consider it to begin your path to having a normal feeling head - not that feeling where it's full of pressure. Heck, if you still don't believe me, take some friggin xanax or drink a few beers and lay down for a bit and take your mind of it with a movie or a book, I guarantee you the headache will almost disappear, or at least fade a bit.

Anyway, hope I could help and good luck to all your poor people who are letting the head pressure consume you. You can do it but. I did it, so you can too. Don't get me wrong, I still get the occasional one, but that's normal. I still suffer from anxiety and was diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder), but I am slowly getting it under control.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

Here's to a headache free you!

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