I know how you feel its like your afraid of being afraid and that something bads going to happen at any moment. I'm like that alot and its hard to relax and enjoy life, I know its hard and I try my best to have a positive attitude, if I can do it anyone can. I'm sorry for your loss and I hope things get better.

That' it exactly. A feeling of doom. Thank You for responding. Sometimes I think I am the only one.

QP

QP you are not the only one. I also fear the next anxiety/panic attack. It happened to me just this weekend. I had a few events I had to attend and I was not nervous about going to the event - instead I was nervous about having an anxiety attack at the event. When this happens I talk to myself and say "let the anxiety attack happen, it can't hurt you". This is the hardest thing I had to learn with anxiety - to just let it happen - but it does help. When I give myself permission to have the anxiety attack it never happens. It's only when I try to fight it that it makes it worse. This is what many people calling 'floating' through anxiety. It does work but it takes a lot of trust to do it and a lot of practice.

Hang in there. You are not alone in any of this.

Yep, let the anxiety work for you. Dealing with loss is difficult.

We have anxiety, it does not have us. So, take the time to let it happen.

No, it will not kill you, and when you have it, you can be you, and keep going. Those strange sensations are actually kind of neat to describe in a journal.

You are not alone, and best wishes.

Thanks for your responses. I do remember being anxious all my life but never this bad. Bad things seem to happen all the time and I know if things would go well for a while it would make me stronger. If I can learn to accept it and not fight it and work with it it would help. It is hard to be positive when nothing positive happens. The trouble is it comes out in my voice and if I could control that it would help. It helps to know that others feel the same way but also I wish no one else would feel this way either.

QP

I know what you mean about trying to be positive. I was always a negative person because I grew up in a very negative household. In my 20's (I am now 46) I worked very hard with a therapist to change my thinking from negative to positive. I made a conscious effort to acknowledge the negative thinking and change it to positive. This is not an easy task. It took me years....lots of years.... But I did do it. I am not a very positive person and much happier too.

Have you heard of the Law of Attraction? What you put out in the universe comes back to you. So if you are positive, positive will come back to you. I'm sure you have seen this. On the days when you are in a positive mood you are probably surrounded by people who are in good moods and positive. On your negative days you are probably surrounded by people who are unhappy and negative. This is like the saying 'misery loves company'. If you are miserable you will attract miserable people to you. Make sense? Hopefully I explained it well.

Take care

Thanks LuckyEmPath,

I guess I am negative but I do try and be positive but it is hard to stay positive when bad stuff happens all the time. I have heard of the Law of Attraction but I still don't know how you use it when everyday is a new disaster.

Like for instance today I felt a bit better but then the mail came and I forgot to pay my credit card bill. I could have sworn I paid it but the last month there were so many problems and I was so depressed and anxious and fearful, I guess I just forgot. And money is my greatest stress. I know it is my fault

So I am sick to my stomach and fearful and anxious and depressed right now when for a brief moment there today I was almost positive.

QP

I also stress about money. It also makes me sick to my stomach. Even when I had more money than I do now, I worried about it. I have also forgotten to pay a bill every so often. It's very frustrating.

I know it's hard to remain positive when everything seems to be going wrong. It took me years to change my thinking and I did it in small doses. You are already doing it, even if you don't realize it, just by the fact that you acknowledge that you may take a negative view on things. But then you try to change it to something positive. That's what you can manage right now and it's a great start. Hang in there as best as you can and keep trying to stay positive. It will reward you one day.

Things will get better for you I can assure you of that. Life is a series of ups and downs. I've learned in my many years that every storm you weather makes you stronger.

Hi. I have had the same fear feeling. Waking up in the morning with that fear feeling. Most times, I didn't know what I was even afraid of. But I was just extremely afraid. I'd turn on the TV to help get my mind off of it. Or I'd listen to soothing sounds CD's to help to ease my mind. I also keep a list of numbers to helplines/talk-lines next to the bed and would sometimes call them to talk about what I was going through. It sometimes would help me to talk to someone. I had gone through a traumatic event before this fear began. So I do feel my fear started from that. But I was able to get it under control. Another thing that helped me was going for walks. I'd get up and through the fear feeling, I'd take a shower, get dressed and go for a walk. I'd get some breakfast sometimes while I was out and sit somewhere usually outside and eat my breakfast, and that helped me a lot.

Sometimes, I'd just want to go back to sleep because I didn't want to have that scared feeling. But I forced myself to get out of bed, make breakfast, take a shower, and do something. Go to the laundromat, Call friends, Watch TV, Clean the house. Anything I could do, and it really started to help me to come out of it. It gets better. It does. :)

I am sorry for your loss. I too have lost people very close to me. It is hard and you miss them. But one thing you have to remember, is that those who we lost are still with us in our hearts. And they wouldn't want us to be sad and stop living out lives. You must continue on and you have the strength to do that. You might not think so, but you do. It is there with you, inside of you. We all have that strength. you just have to tell yourself that you can do this. There is a whole beautiful world out there. You can be happy again. There is so much hope for the future my friend. There really is. And you will find it. But you have to hold on to that hope,and no matter what, don't let that hope go. I hold on to that all the time. And I push myself to do things, and get out there even when I am scared. And I find that once I get out there, even if just to go for a walk, or to the store, I feel so much better. There are usually meetup groups, support groups, etc. and you should google that and see if there are any meetups in your area. Yahoo has some good groups. Check out meetup.com and see if there are any in your area. http://www.meetup.com/

There are also support groups for people who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Look into your local hospitals for that, and check google. I know someone who recently started a group therapy and was very resistant to do it and is now so glad they did. It helps to be around people sometimes and talk to people.

We all go through things. You are not alone. And there is always hope. You just can't give up and you have to try to be positive. Have you ever heard of the saying, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
That's what I do, I take it one day at a time. If I think too much on the past, then I sometimes get too upset. If I think too far ahead, sometimes, I get too overwhelmed. I have plans, goals, things I want to do in my life. And I will eventually get there. But right now, I just need to get through today. And that feels good. And it's less pressure on me. Think of today, and what you want to do today. And you do a little at a time. And eventually, you will get there.

I have lived through this fear and anxiety, and I know how it feels. And believe me, there is always hope. Remember that, hold on to that, and be positive. Think positive. When you wake up with that sick feeling in your stomach, get up and start your day anyway. Push through that fear. It was not easy, but I did it, and it worked for me. And it worked for someone else I know. So I pass this advice on to you, and share my experience with this with you, and I surely hope that I have helped you in some way. :)

Thank You for your kind words everyone. I hope things get better for me. It's been a long time of problems and I need a rest. Today I am not very positive after missing paying my bill. I guess after I get over the shock and the sickness I can try to be more positive again.

Thank you for all your advice prunejuice. It actually made me cry for a bit. Right now I am very afraid but I will do what you said and try and push through the fear. It is very hard to remain positive when everything has been going wrong. I am gonna try and push through the fears. I just wish things would get better so it would be easier. However I did get help from you and that is a start.

QP

You are definitely not alone with that feeling of doom. I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. I can only imagine how it has affected your anxiety. I do agree that distraction is just about the best known remedy for the anxiety. If your mind is kept busy it cannot dwell on the negative or the 'what ifs'. Hugs & best wishes to you.

Thank You SadieFae,

It is hard to stay busy when so many problems pop up but I am trying. Hopefully things will improve for me and you too.

QP

I think that organization is the best way to cope with anxiety. If you know that you have anxiety about doing routines inca. Try to make it a goal of keeping a list of the things that have that need to be done on a regular basis, like which bills need to be paid and when they need to be paid by, and then refer to your list on a daily basis.