Health anxiety has returned with avengence...

So I’ve been feeling ‘off’ the last few day and I’m scared. Again I’m so scared. Here’s how I’ve been feeling:

- fuzzy feeling in my body
- face aches
- headache
- nausea and vomiting
- weak
- chest has been tight

I thought maybe it was my period? Or anaemia? But I went to the doctors and they said I had a virus and I just find it hard to believe?

I feel dreadful and I had been doing SO well with my anxiety and I’m due to go away this week so I don’t know if it’s all from anxiety.

How can I fight this, I have no idea but I’m terrified about dying while I’m away 😭

Please help me

HI there, How long have you been like this ? yes it might be anxiety symptoms , chest symptoms probably due to ur breathe pattern ? if you feel severe headaches it's normal to have nausea as well. Ur psychological state can disrupt nervous system function. And if that's the case then...
1. Define to yourself and rationalize what make you fear.
2. Expose yourself to things that trigger the symptoms so you become braver and so that your brain learn how to deal & adapt with these monster.
3. Stop saying/think about things that make you weak ! keep telling yourself positive things that are possible.
4. Distract yourself from the fear by doing yourself favors like hang out with friend , vacation to somewhere quiet.
5. Breathe control , take a slow but deep breathe and breathe with ur stomach.

Other suggestions :

1. Reduce caffeine consumption
2. Vitamin B12 , B6 ( usually beef are good source of it )
3. Anti-inflammatory diets like vegetables
4. Simple exercises

One of the things I hate most about anxiety is that it causes such scary symptoms. My husband has Stage 4 Lung Cancer and I have many of the same symptoms he has. I told my doctor that the last time I saw him. He just looked at me sort of patronizingly and then gave me a hug on his way out of the exam room. (He's an awesome doctor. I just think sometimes he doesn't know what to do with me. I don't blame him. Sometimes I don't know what to do with me either. :blush:)

Anyway, if you are trying to get away, my money is that these are anxiety symptoms. So many times I have thought that what I was feeling had nothing to do with anxiety. It couldn't. I wasn't feeling enough anxiety about what was happening for these symptoms to be appearing so dramatically. Then, voila, the event or whatever ends and my symptoms magically disappear.

I've felt all the feelings you are currently feeling with my anxiety. I've also had them with a virus. Worst case scenario is that you have a virus. It is highly unlikely you will die from a virus. Unfortunately, health anxiety is not usually rational.

So, this is what my therapist tells me to do in situations like this. I am supposed to acknowledge and thank my health anxiety for trying to protect me. Then, I am to at least try to make peace with my fear by saying something like, "It's true. I could die. We'll see." Then, I tell my anxiety I'm going on my vacation anyway.

I hate the trying to make peace part. I want so much to reassure myself my fear won't happen, but just like Daniel Nugraha said, we have to be brave and face our fears if we are ever going to get better.

You can do this!! Let us know how your get away was. :bighug1:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daniel Nugraha

HI there, How long have you been like this ? yes it might be anxiety symptoms , chest symptoms probably due to ur breathe pattern ? if you feel severe headaches it's normal to have nausea as well. Ur psychological state can disrupt nervous system function. And if that's the case then...
1. Define to yourself and rationalize what make you fear.
2. Expose yourself to things that trigger the symptoms so you become braver and so that your brain learn how to deal & adapt with these monster.
3. Stop saying/think about things that make you weak ! keep telling yourself positive things that are possible.
4. Distract yourself from the fear by doing yourself favors like hang out with friend , vacation to somewhere quiet.
5. Breathe control , take a slow but deep breathe and breathe with ur stomach.

Other suggestions :

1. Reduce caffeine consumption
2. Vitamin B12 , B6 ( usually beef are good source of it )
3. Anti-inflammatory diets like vegetables
4. Simple exercises

---

Thank you very much for your reply, it was really helpful xxx

---------- Post added at 11:40 ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cptdebbie

One of the things I hate most about anxiety is that it causes such scary symptoms. My husband has Stage 4 Lung Cancer and I have many of the same symptoms he has. I told my doctor that the last time I saw him. He just looked at me sort of patronizingly and then gave me a hug on his way out of the exam room. (He's an awesome doctor. I just think sometimes he doesn't know what to do with me. I don't blame him. Sometimes I don't know what to do with me either. :blush:)

Anyway, if you are trying to get away, my money is that these are anxiety symptoms. So many times I have thought that what I was feeling had nothing to do with anxiety. It couldn't. I wasn't feeling enough anxiety about what was happening for these symptoms to be appearing so dramatically. Then, voila, the event or whatever ends and my symptoms magically disappear.

I've felt all the feelings you are currently feeling with my anxiety. I've also had them with a virus. Worst case scenario is that you have a virus. It is highly unlikely you will die from a virus. Unfortunately, health anxiety is not usually rational.

So, this is what my therapist tells me to do in situations like this. I am supposed to acknowledge and thank my health anxiety for trying to protect me. Then, I am to at least try to make peace with my fear by saying something like, "It's true. I could die. We'll see." Then, I tell my anxiety I'm going on my vacation anyway.

I hate the trying to make peace part. I want so much to reassure myself my fear won't happen, but just like Daniel Nugraha said, we have to be brave and face our fears if we are ever going to get better.

You can do this!! Let us know how your get away was. :bighug1:

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Thank you so much for your reply, this was honestly so so helpful to read.

I’m so sorry to hear about your husband and am sending my thoughts to you x

I like the thought of thanking my anxiety for trying to help me, that’s a really good way of going about it maybe? I’ll give it a try.

Well, I was meant to be in London all weekend but I had to come back yesterday because I totally broke down, I went to the out of hours doctors to get checked, again he said it was just anxiety.

I’m still feeling really off and strange today, my body feels weird and achey and my chest hurts but I’m about to get on a train back to London to fight back my anxiety and have fun like I deserve to! It’s hard but I’m going to try my best xxxx

You're welcome , the main reason to rationalize and define your anxiety is that you tear your problem into smaller components which make you anxious where you can challenge each claim/component that make you anxious by doing some reality check wether those fear are backed up by some evidence. But don't drown yourself over the problem.

If it doesn't really help...
You can write down what you find by doing research because writing known to be helpful to ease stress/anxiety.

Surprisingly psychology can significantly affect our health since stress release cortisols that could potentially damage our cells as well as brain structure
, lowering immune system and more vulnerability to free radicals , temporarily increase bad cholestrol levels , blood pressure , heart beat. Excessive stress can disrupt metabolism too.

If you think it's so hard to psychologically control your emotion. Try some foods or drink like chocolates :)

Some diets like potato could also help to enchance the production of serotonin as well as help synthesize other important neurotransmitters. Theoretically it will help you reduce anxiety.
Potato also rich of folate acid which contribute to DNA repair.
To put it in other prespective , you'll increase chance to win againts anxiety thoughts with positive thoughts backed up with evidence + diets/food

Hope it help you even more..

---------- Post added at 04:40 ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 ----------

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cptdebbie

One of the things I hate most about anxiety is that it causes such scary symptoms. My husband has Stage 4 Lung Cancer and I have many of the same symptoms he has. I told my doctor that the last time I saw him. He just looked at me sort of patronizingly and then gave me a hug on his way out of the exam room. (He's an awesome doctor. I just think sometimes he doesn't know what to do with me. I don't blame him. Sometimes I don't know what to do with me either. :blush:)

Anyway, if you are trying to get away, my money is that these are anxiety symptoms. So many times I have thought that what I was feeling had nothing to do with anxiety. It couldn't. I wasn't feeling enough anxiety about what was happening for these symptoms to be appearing so dramatically. Then, voila, the event or whatever ends and my symptoms magically disappear.

I've felt all the feelings you are currently feeling with my anxiety. I've also had them with a virus. Worst case scenario is that you have a virus. It is highly unlikely you will die from a virus. Unfortunately, health anxiety is not usually rational.

So, this is what my therapist tells me to do in situations like this. I am supposed to acknowledge and thank my health anxiety for trying to protect me. Then, I am to at least try to make peace with my fear by saying something like, "It's true. I could die. We'll see." Then, I tell my anxiety I'm going on my vacation anyway.

I hate the trying to make peace part. I want so much to reassure myself my fear won't happen, but just like Daniel Nugraha said, we have to be brave and face our fears if we are ever going to get better.

You can do this!! Let us know how your get away was. :bighug1:

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Hi there so sorry for your husband. I heard that baking soda + honey + lemon and some vegetables as well as blueberries effective on fighting cancer. I hope he'll get better soon , stay strong for both of you ����

Thank you Shannon and Daniel for your kind thoughts about my husband. :)

Shannon, I am so impressed that you are getting back on the train to London. Wow! I am going to remember your example the next time I want to hide away with my fears.

I hope you have some fun, but, regardless, you should be so proud of yourself for having the guts to push forward. :yahoo: