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...

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OCD and anxiety.

michiev
michiev
I've been stressed lately, and emotional.. so that probably has something to do with it but back a year ago i used to have the worst obsession about my routine/schedule.. EVERYTHING had to be this way, Family night with my family had to be EVERY night and if we didn't have a movie night or watch anything, i'd freak.. If one thing changed about my schedule.. i'd freak.. My mom usually gets home around 6:30pm which gives me time to get a nap in but today she came home at 3:30pm... I thought my OCD about this was so much better than it used to be but i freaked the hell out over it.. I'm anxious now because shes home and it's all messed up... lately my routine/time/schedule OCD has been through the roof. I don't know if it has anything to do with how emotional and stressed i've been this month, but I think it most likely does.. Is it possible for an anxiety trigger to go away and then come back like that? Also a long time ago my anxiety symptom was way different, now when i get anxious (especially lately) I feel pain in my back, stomach and everywhere.. I get dizzy/lightheaded sometimes.. Can those change too?

Anyone know what i'm talking about when i reference the types of OCD/anxiety I'm having and can anyone relate? I can't find anything about this kind of anxiety online and it upsets me.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi there. Sorry, I can't relate to the OCD part, but I certainly can relate to the anxiety part. Sometimes, I can go for a few weeks with no bouts of anxiety...then all of a sudden...esp at night, my mind starts swirling. I panic, and don't sleep good. It seems simple, but maybe try some relaxing breathing? Also, I find it helps to literally get up, and do something. Flip through a book, look at the pictures, get a drink of water. I try and remove my self from the situation. I sure hope that helps a little...I hope you feel better real soon! Love, HeyBulldog.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi there,
yes it is common for an anxiety sufferer to have a "complete recovery" and then for the symptoms to return in different ways. Back and especially neck pain is common also as is stomach and especially bowel pain. Your ocd is probably your subconcious coping mechanism as anxiety is often centred around the fear of the unknown. In fact i can say with some credence that the fear of the unknown is probably the worst generic trigger for anxiety attacks. By keeping your life as organised in a routine as possible you are guarding against that and i am afraid to say there is a danger in that as (as you have pointed out) any change to that routine can cause anxiety attacks. Try some of the technics outlined by heybulldog and try if you can to slowely accept more change to your routine in a managed way.

cheers

steve
Impylaurie
Impylaurie
I had OCD but am on meds for it. I think it has a lot to do with anxiety. If i did not do something like check things it would bring on anxiety. I felt it was like if I did everything right nothing bad would happen its like being a little kid. The more things my OCD controlled the more anxiety I would get. My OCD and anxiety go together. Prozac stopped my OCD and Klonopin helps my anxiety.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I hear you, I live by routine, schedules, if one little thing changes, i get upset, feel out of sorts. I will call my family to confirm that plans have not changed. they think I need to be more spontaneous, I think they need to be on a schedule. When I go to a planned event, and someone says HEY lets's do something different, I get very nervous, feel trapped. When my dad used to take the family on drives, and he wanted to go somewhere else as planned to explore, I would feel all shaky.
I have been told I have OCD, I do the "checking" thing, although I am much better on that.

I think it is possible for it to go away, come back, go away again. Mine seems to depend on how anxious I am feeling. I used to suffer way more anxiety than I do now, also the OCD, the med I take helps with that, I still get anxious, but not as bad, the OCD is better too.
AND, am much more flexible now too, it is an ongoing process.
mybeach
mybeach
I can totally realate. If the situation has been controlled, you were likely not doing better but just no anxiety because all fit into the plan and then when your mom got home early it threw everything off. It is also my understanding that the longer you stay doing things the "certain way", once it does get messed up, the reactions will get worse. THings that may have only bothered you a little may continue to progress if you always try to stay safe. This has happened to me. I keep my schedule so constant that now I will avoid doing things I even used tdo enjoy just so I don't have to change my schedule. I know that if I keep this up, I will eventually never leave my house.. ugh!