Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Hi all, this is my first post here, I'm hoping that sharing here and hearing from others can start to help me feel a little better. I think I've always had anxiety, but was able to manage it on my own. This year has been a different story. The past few months I've been having health scare after health scare, convincing myself that with each symptom I feel that I have some horrible disease. Additionally I've been kind of obsessing over current events/the news which always seem to be scary and fear-inducing. I had my first panic attack ever at a public event outdoors with a lot of people; I didn't realize that's what was happening and thought I was just dehydrated or had a physical health problem.
So I fixated on the idea something was physically wrong with me and have been to the doctor 5 times since July. One of my blood tests showed elevated liver enzymes, and I convinced myself I had cancer. Yesterday after a follow up, my doctor confirmed all my new tests were normal and I seem to be fine physically. So I feel better about that, but now am worried about panic attacks. I had two last week, and realized that any time I leave my house I get overly anxious. I think that I've actually been displaying agoraphobic behavior for a long time. I lost my sister last year, and I think I still havent fully dealt with the grief. I don't go out or see my friends any more. I feel like now that I've acknowledged this I'm ready to work on it, but this crazy anxiety with panic attacks is crippling me! My doctor put me on busiprone which has been making me dizzy, and which heightens my anxiety because I feel light headed like a panic attack is coming on. I guess I am just looking for advice or any tips on other ways to manage this while I wait for the medicine's side effects to stop and for it to hopefully start working. Thank you!
-Dylan
Honestly I'm so proud you're already at a point where you feel like you're ready to work on it, and I know how crippling anxiety can be! Honestly this might sound weird but when I'm feeling really anxious and fucked up, and my normal tricks don't work (sudoku, ken ken, baking, walking) I go to a field of grass with some trees and lay face down and honestly just hug the ground and breath and let the sensations of the earth calm me down. If I feel anxiety come up, I acknowledge it, and let them rise and then fall as I exhale. It is very grounding, because I become aware of the physical sensations and the realness of the ground I'm on which helps me come back to reality. I cry and sometimes scream, but it's like nothing has ever worked better.
Now, with regard to panic attacks. I have come to sense and know when they are about to occur and work hard with finding distractions immediately. Distractions for me are using my brain for something other than anxious thinking. Reading and music are my favorite sources of relief. Focus comes with these activities and I find that therapeutic too. Now another inexpensive thing I am trying. Vitamins and supplements. I take Magnesium and B6 supplements daily and it seems to be helping but, marginally. Too often I have looked a pills as a magic bullet that was going to solve the problem completely. I have learned discretion. If the pills help me solve 20% of the problem then I realize that I have to pick up the ball to get the other 80%.
Hope this helps.
I've been having the same experience this year, usual anxiety blowing up into full-grown terror induced by health anxiety nearly everyday. And this has been happening since June already, i can't believe it's only been 5 months. I'm sorry for your loss. I also think like you that grief may play a part in the process since my uncle (my father's brother, probably the last connection to the family I had) died in February of 2017 after battling multiple cancers for more than 4 years.
For what it's worth, slightly unusual test results aren't necessarily indicative of any serious health problem as it could be traces from that food you ate 2 days ago,etc...
About panic attacks though, that is a tricky one. Especially considering you had one public which sure is enough to instill a cycle of fear. The mind loves to play on this by creating alarming symptoms (FWIW, I've read that it's probable that it does not have the ability to differentiate anxiety from legitimate danger) which in turns only fuel this cycle.
ARGH ! How do one gets out of this ? I know it sounds though but once you have recollected yourself (probably with the help of a therapist), I guess there's no other alternative than to 'push yourself'. Obviously you don't want to overpush yourself, but taking a step by step approach like in CBT should gradually dim the fear (walk around a 500-m radius accross your block, talking to a family member, ... I don't know the specifics of your situation but it sould be pretty clear to you.)
Finally, to be honest with you, the only thing that's been helpful to me is to realize that inspite of all the terrible things I've been worrying about, all those unsettling physical symptoms, I'm still here to post on that forum, at least right in that moment.
Take care.
It has taken being introduced to a church, asking and accepting help to feel a little better. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Baby steps. Reach out, if only researching organizations in your State or Federally-funded to help people suffering with the disease of anxiety, depression, grief, etc. I wish you well. Research is how I found resources to help. And, I do not watch the news and unhappy shows. Think about your blessings instead of concentrating on what you don't.
People are all different and this extends to our physical bodies as well. Some people aren't sensitive to any medication and can take anything at all(frankly there are times where I envy people like that), some have a low level of sensitivity,some have a medium level of sensitivity(so they end up having to switch at least twice but usually not more than that), and for others they have full blown sensitivity and have to try out several different ones before they find one that works. This, also, applies to the dosages of the medications. I, for example, am so highly sensitive that I had to go through(and I kid you not),at least,12 before they found one that worked for me. I lost count after the 10th one I tried that failed. Each time I was put on the lowest dosage and each time I had a reaction. Some reactions were more on the severe end than others. So I hope what your on works for you(eventually) but if it doesn't I hope that you do find one that works for you, and with your body, in a quick and efficient manner. Another words if your original one doesn't work out I hope you don't have to spend weeks, or even months, finding one that does.