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...
I had my first panic attack four weeks ago completely out of the blue. I was in my friends car heading to a lovely dinner out and started to feel a bit peaky/unwell. I quickly began to feel light-headed and dizzy and that I was losing control. I asked her to pull that car over and got out and on to the pavement where I sat scared. My hands and face were tingling and my mouth went so dry. My friend parked and came beside me and told me that she thought I was having a panic attack. It calmed right down and I felt completely normal until watching tv later in the evening when the feelings came on again.
Since then I have had several attacks most days and very high anxiety. I came home to Scotland from London for a few weeks to work on CBT to feel better. It has helped me understand the panic a bit but I'm now suffering from low mood, loss of interest in things and sleeping really badly. Most of everyday I have physical symptoms which seem to change week to week. This week I feel a bit dizzy literally all of the time and nauseous/a bit unwell. Are these common symptoms of high anxiety? It's most of the day.
i have spoken to my Dr who is starting me on Sertraline to help with the low moods and anxiety but was looking for some reassurance on here about my ongoing symptoms (dizzy, a bit spaced out and sicky)
another really strange one to me is feeling sick when I become aroused since last week. It makes me feel really nauseous!
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I haven't written in my diary on my computer since May because I thought that my computer was dying. I got away from writing but my computer is hanging in there. I think that I will start writing in it again. It's so therapeutic.
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Years ago, I won a mirrored armoire from my job. It's in my bedroom but I rarely stand in front of it. Yesterday, I had to have a dexascan done so I had to change into a gown. There was a full length mirror in the changing room. I'm aware that I gained 5 to 7 pounds over the last year from cheating on Keto but I didn't know what it looked like. It was a reality check.
You've taken the important first step in writing it out.
Stay hydrated. Practice even breathing. Stop, pause, breathe, choice, and find the calm.
With the changes in symptoms, it's common as you adjust to the better balance for those to change and you're recovering fast naturally to your normal range. Your anxiety helper will be back to comfortable before long.
I am a chronic anxiety sufferer and, yes, the symptoms you describe weave throughout the story of my life. The good news is that those symptoms can be managed to allow for a full, rich life, despite the anxiety overloads. A safe place to vent and sort my anxieties as they arise is critical to my own anxiety management. This very forum is one of my safe places. I hope it serves you as well as it has served me.
Welcome aboard. You are not alone.
Here are a few techniques I use to help me through my struggles.
1) Understanding that healing comes from the inside out. It starts with letting go of the things of the past, forgiving and changing our focus and behavior. Becoming aware of what you need through self-care and personal nourishment. Take time for yourself - you are worth it. Like taking walks, baths, massages, mani/pedi/, listening to uplifting music/sermons and anything that makes you feel refreshed and renewed.
2) The 557 breathing technique is take 5 deep breaths in while thinking good thoughts about yourself like I matter, I am special, I am strong and then hold the breaths for the count of 7 focusing on those words about yourself, then let out the breath slowly for 5 seconds letting go of any anxious, self-defeating, unhealthy thoughts. I do this one to three times a sitting.
3)The gratitude journal is writing down something good every morning and night something that went well in the day, or something I appreciate about myself. Taking our focus off of the anxiety and depression and focusing on positive uplifting things really helps. What you think is what you believe. So thinking uplifting things you believe those things but the reverse is true - thinking negative self-defeating things, you will believe those.
4) Emotional Freedom Tapping - Look up the actual pressure points that you use, but you tap on those points while you repeat positive uplifting things to yourself.
I will be praying for you. Feel free to pm me if you'd like to chat. Hugs and God Bless