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What does it mean when my heart beats really fast when I walk into a crowded room?

32 Answers
Last Updated: 06/02/2020 at 8:37pm
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Moderated by

Tanyia Hughes, Adv Dip Psy

Psychotherapist

I have been through a lot in life too, which helps me to be able to empathize with situations, thoughts and feelings that we have. Sometimes, it's not easy just being human.

Top Rated Answers
Profile: Br33zyS3tz
Br33zyS3tz
August 17th, 2015 12:58am
Well, dont worry, this happens to me as well; such a reaction may be linked to feelings concerning anxiety, nervousness, discomfort, and such; its important to understand that feeling this way is okay, its normal, and it happens; just try and calm down, breathe regularly, and try to keep your composure. Be confident and regain control, it will pass; dont be fearful of such sudden feelings either; you are strong:D
Profile: MaryWyath
MaryWyath
February 28th, 2015 1:40am
You're experiencing anxiety. You feel nervous and scared of what might happen. You also feel uncomfortable for being around too many people.
Anonymous
May 1st, 2015 9:24am
From my experience with social anxiety, it was because of my nervousness. I felt as if I was getting an anxiety attack and my heart would race and I wouldn't be anle to breathe. I just didn't like being around a lot of people.
Profile: vissarionthecat
vissarionthecat
May 9th, 2015 10:40pm
It's a manifestation of social anxiety. Personally, if this happens I'd recommend just walking out of the room before it gets worse, wait to calm down a little, and then try and go back. Try and ease yourself into it.
Profile: keithincracow
keithincracow
July 27th, 2015 4:29pm
Does this happen every time you walk into a crowded room? Does it matter whether you know the people in the room or not? I'd like to hear more.
Anonymous
April 3rd, 2015 4:29am
It means that you're a normal person like everyone else. Also, it means that you're focusing on your physiological body too much which might not aid you in this case. Rather than focusing on your heart rate, take a deep breath, focus on your breath and know that you are in control of your body. And self assure yourself that "I AM OKAY".
Profile: xcxmotionless
xcxmotionless
April 26th, 2016 2:02pm
It means you may be experiencing some anxiety or nervousness about going into those crowded rooms.
Anonymous
April 28th, 2015 1:44am
It means you are concerned what people are thinking and how they will react. What you must remember is that they are thinking the same thing, so relax and enjoy yourself.
Profile: Hanna195
Hanna195
July 21st, 2015 6:39pm
It usually means you are nervous/anxious. When you feel like that you tend to get a racing heart rate, difficult to breath maybe and feel sick and many other symptoms you weren't aware of that can be caused by Anxiety. It basically means your brain sees fear and goes into danger mode and making your body think it is in danger when really you are not. Anxiety can be handled and you can cope with it. Meditation and breathing exercises really help but some others would disagree. Just find a way that helps with anxiety that suits you :) Talking to a friend, family member or therapy can help a lot!
Profile: KrinkTheMellowUnicorn
KrinkTheMellowUnicorn
December 1st, 2015 10:48pm
Sounds like a touch of anxiety. Most people feel a heightened sense of excitement (a rush of energy) when engaging with a bunch of people at once. For some of us it can be slightly more unpleasant and feel just like stress or worry (anxiety).
Profile: Russellistrying
Russellistrying
March 12th, 2019 8:13am
For me, it's a symptom of anxiety. My heart beat increases, my breathing quickens and becomes shallow and my body temperature rises (I feel flush in my cheeks). These are warning signs for me that anxiety is present. If I'm mindful, there are ways I can avert the anxiety before it becomes unmanageable. I'll find a spot in a room where I have some distance from others and focus on taking deep, slow breaths. This signals my body that I'm not in a crisis so that it can hopefully slow my heartbeat. If I notice my thoughts are racing, I'll picture a tranquil place in my mind and together with the breathing, I can usually get myself back to baseline.
Anonymous
April 17th, 2018 11:44am
You start to feel anxious, so naturally, your heart starts to race than usual, I think what you need to do is to practice some breathing techniques or try going to the doctor about this. Hope this helps
Profile: Camamam
Camamam
May 28th, 2015 11:39pm
There are many things that can cause a heart to beat fast, excitement, anxiety, adrenaline. It doesn't have to be a good feeling or a bad one.
Profile: JustNiall
JustNiall
May 24th, 2015 11:25pm
This might indicate that your having a panic attack, or anxiety. You just need to calm yourself down and focus your emotions. It might also confirm that your nervous or very shy, but getting to know the people around you, and conversing can help with this.
Profile: EmmaSupportiveListener
EmmaSupportiveListener
February 26th, 2015 11:16pm
If it mostly happens in social situations then it is most likely to be anxiety (however always see a doctor for a health checkup just in case). You would need to talk to someone about social anxiety. CBT or mindfulness have helped many people with social anxiety.
Profile: wonderfullPiano50
wonderfullPiano50
June 28th, 2016 11:39am
When you walk into a crowded room and your heart paces really fast, it could mean several things. Firstly, from a physiological perspective, a fast beating heart is merely a physical arousal. So if you see it separate from your emotions, it is just a body response. But if you want to add the emotional element to understanding why your heart was beating fast (which you don't have to if you want to block the emotional side of things and go into a crowded room feeling neutral), there are generally only a two reasons why your heart would beat fast in a crowded room - 1. You're excited or extremely happy to be in the room or 2. You're scared or extremely nervous. If the latter is what you feel, then you should direct your focus to one thing in the room and smile while doing so. This should help you find balance and calm, while the smile raises your body temperature to hopefully generate a more positive emotion.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2020 8:37pm
Anxiety might be the cause of the heart palpitations. Social occasions can be a very stressful experience and makes my heart race sometimes. The amount of people in the room may also have an impact on your mental state. Going into a room, especially one such as this, may be uncomfortable. The social obligation that will be required of you is intimidating. Even the sheer numbers of people can make my anxiety rise. The people within may require something from you, such as something as normal as conversation. Or perhaps, they may want to ask you questions. Maybe they are just as uncomfortable with conversation as you are. There is many circumstances that you could experience, causing your anxiety to have physical symptoms.
Profile: mirielleeden
mirielleeden
October 1st, 2019 6:28pm
This could be a sign of anxiety induced by crowds or lots of people. While it is difficult, it can be easy to manage with the right help and support. Not everyone gets anxious from the same things and not everyone has the same symptoms so talking to your doctor or a therapist is always a good idea. Feeling this way can be very stressful but there’s always a way to get help even through online resources. Never hesitate to call a hotline for your anxiety or even just talk to a friend. I wish you the very best.
Profile: Darksaviour04
Darksaviour04
December 24th, 2018 6:11pm
It may be a sign of social anxiety. You need to look for other signs like do you sweat or have some peculiar habit of playing with your hair or pen, have sweaty hands. You feel scared or in general restless. You are alert all the time. You have shaky voice and fear of embarassing yourself. Thoughts like you will make fool out of yourself or people will judge you and hate you. You feel conscious interacting with others and prefer not to. Fast heart beat can at times be a natural one time thing and its ok a little rise inheart beat doesnt mean you have social anxiety so relax
Anonymous
December 5th, 2017 2:53am
it means you could have social anxiety. You can feel emotionally overwhelmed and challenged by the amount of people, if you are insecure. It triggers
Anonymous
June 6th, 2017 11:13am
It's a very big chance that it's social anxiety. Many people experience this level of anxiety, some even more with worse signs and symptoms
Profile: chale
chale
May 2nd, 2017 1:26am
Sometimes rapid heart beats can be a symptom of anxiety. However, before you jump to worst case scenario, what else are you feeling at the moment? Do you display any other symptoms of anxiety - like trouble breathing, sickness in your chest, etc? Or if you wouldn't go as far as to say that you an full out anxiety, maybe having that many people around is just something that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Profile: ingeniousBerry82
ingeniousBerry82
April 18th, 2017 6:10pm
That means you are feeling nervous. I guess it happens with everyone when going on stage to give a speech to a number of audience. Whether it is small crowd or big crowd, try to take deep breath in and out. Find some company to help you ease up and it will be fine.
Profile: AlanRY
AlanRY
November 1st, 2016 4:57pm
Rapid heart beats before walking into a crowded room may mean you have been anticipating a negative outcome. As in "what I imagine will happen once they see me". I used to imagine people murmuring things behind my back, or gossipíng about me and my flaws. I fear they would catch up I was a fraud, an impostor. By calling myself a fraud and impostor, by belittling me, by imagining how others would criticize me, I made myself anxious and scared myself. Once I neutralized thoses images I imagined, once I stopped telling myself those nasty things and started talking to myself kindly and supported myself: I stopped feeling anxious, scared, and started regaining my self confidence.
Profile: peachicus
peachicus
October 24th, 2016 11:30pm
It could be a sign of many things but the first thing that springs to mind is a form of Anxiety, likely agoraphobia or social depending on what you feel when you're in that room. Again just a possibility
Profile: politeLove33
politeLove33
October 10th, 2016 4:47pm
It means your nervous, scared, or worried about something. Or just you don't like to be in new areas
Profile: DapperRainbow
DapperRainbow
May 23rd, 2016 11:01am
You could be experiencing anxiety related to claustrophobia, but it could also be that you feel vulnerable to how many people are there and the amount of unpredictability makes you mildly nervous.
Profile: Alexisgkr
Alexisgkr
May 16th, 2016 10:34pm
This means you have agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is a very common phobia in which the person feels some level of anxiety in a crowded place and believes that there's no escape from such a place in case of a fire or an earthquake or other natural phenomena. The best thing a person could do is seeking help from an expert to get over this sense of anxiety that is paired with high blood pressure, muscle paralysis and fast heartbeats
Profile: Sassy001
Sassy001
April 16th, 2016 7:54pm
It could be from anxiety,nervousness,feeling shy in a crowd,feeling insecure or social phobia.If it happens at other times,you should consult a doctor because it could be physical.If it happens alot and worries you or causes disstress,speaking to a doctor or therapist may help.Try some relaxation techniques,deep breathing,meditation to help stay calm.
Profile: MartiMileyCyrus
MartiMileyCyrus
February 15th, 2016 11:21pm
This might mean you feel anxious or nervous but you should always talk to a professional. And remember there is always someone you can talk to