Background anxiety, constantly anxious

[Emma_student]

Hi all,

I haven't posted in a while as I've had some really good CBT sessions over the summer which has really helped with panic attacks/health anxiety (seriously recommend either online or face-to-face, it really makes a difference)

Things have been really good so far in terms of physical symptoms (although i do get them). I just seem to be getting a lot of background anxiety (as if on a scale of 0-10 my normal day to day anxiety would be 6), which means im not sleeping properly (i will wake up at least 4 times a night, jolting awake/ waking up feeling like ive not slept), Im jittery and nervous a lot for no reason, i feel really detached and i cant focus on things/ conversations. My brain is constantly churning and i dont seem to be able to find peace within myself.

I feel like this is affecting me a lot as I've just started teacher training and im already overwhelmed/ feeling anxious about getting everything done. Alcohol and caffeine seem to make things 100x worse when they never used to; im talking a glass or two of prosecco will make me feel anxious or a cup of coffee.

Maybe because I'm not constantly focused on my physical symptoms like before, my brain is trying to compensate by being anxious around little things, until i get used to being more relaxed?

I feel like I've made so much progress but that this is sending me backwards a lot... heck, some days i feel like im going mad!

Can anyone help me out and tell me im not going to have to drop out of my course because im feeling strange.... i really do love it!

[Juggar]

I can relate, I had bad ocd about my breathing for awhile and that’s all I focused on. I was anxious, but the main part of my thinking and anxiousness stemmend from that.

Now that I’ve sort of gotten over that, I just get constant background anxiety. It sucks and in some ways is worse, it’s like I have nothing to focus on except the fact that I have anxiety. Which can lead to a vicious cycle.

It’s so crazy, I think to myself, wow I’ve gotten over the things that initially caused this anxiety. Why is it that I feel SO on edge?

Honestly, I’ve forgotten how to relax. Any moment where I’m not doing anything leads to feeling anxious.

Obviously, stay away from anything that makes you more anxious, like caffeine!

Other than that, I unfortunately don’t have anymore advice. We can retrain our brains, it’s just figuring out how.

[Emma_student]

A good example of this random anxiety is today, I was observing a lesson and suddenly I got this rush of anxiety, almost as if I was going to pass out... this continues throughout the lesson and I can’t pay attention to my notes/ the teacher/ what the lesson is because I’m constantly in my mind about what I’m feeling. Whether I should let someone know, or just sit through the feeling and remain anxious for the rest of the day. I didn’t sleep well at all again, I woke up maybe 5 times during the night and I’ve gone from being a heavy sleeper (who has slept through hurricanes) to waking up if someone turns over in bed

Just feeling deflated and worried tbh

[LAS]

I feel exactly the same way as you at the moment too. I had some acute anxiety for a few months and now I just feel 'lost', on edge, uneasy, mood up and down, not sleeping properly, feel very tense (neck and shoulder aches) and unable to relax. Sometimes I feel as though I wished my physical symptoms were back......! I am trying not to focus on these thoughts and concentrate on work, my children etc and hopefully it will pass in time (I'm hoping)!

[Barnabas75]

Hi Juggar. How did you get rid of the icd breathing? I am glad to hear you are having some relief from it.

[Juggar]

Hi Juggar. How did you get rid of the icd breathing? I am glad to hear you are having some relief from it.

Unfortunately focusing on the intense feeling of general anxiety sort of took away the focus from that. I still deal with it, but it feels like its taken a backseat to other issues.

I get caught up on focusing on one thing, and it moves on to the next thing and so on.

---------- Post added at 10:55 ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 ----------

I feel exactly the same way as you at the moment too. I had some acute anxiety for a few months and now I just feel 'lost', on edge, uneasy, mood up and down, not sleeping properly, feel very tense (neck and shoulder aches) and unable to relax. Sometimes I feel as though I wished my physical symptoms were back......! I am trying not to focus on these thoughts and concentrate on work, my children etc and hopefully it will pass in time (I'm hoping)!

Have you tried a small dose (1 mg) of melatonin before bed? It can really make you quiet sleepy, possibly enough so that you can slip into a deep sleep.

I know ive taken it recently when I want to get a decent rest. It does work.

[Worrywart1234]

Hi Emma,
I suffer from bad anxiety and am a primary school teacher. I actually find being in class to be the best part of the day - so much happens with the kids that I don't have time to think about my worries. You should stick with your course - prac is easier than the real thing because there's another person there to support you as back up...once you face a class of 30 you won't have time for anxiety!

[swgrl09]

For me, any change can rev up my anxiety in general until I feel more comfortable with it. Could it just be naturally part of how you cope with a new routine/being at school? Perhaps try to acknowledge this background anxiety, notice it, and then continue on. Like "Oh, here it is again." Just like a headache that bothers you throughout the day but eventually passes.

[Senior Moment]

I feel exactly the same way as you at the moment too. I had some acute anxiety for a few months and now I just feel 'lost', on edge, uneasy, mood up and down, not sleeping properly, feel very tense (neck and shoulder aches) and unable to relax. Sometimes I feel as though I wished my physical symptoms were back......! I am trying not to focus on these thoughts and concentrate on work, my children etc and hopefully it will pass in time (I'm hoping)!

I am very eager to know what was your secret to getting rid of your physical symptoms ? I am finding that is the worse part of my recovery. My anxiety is far more manageable than the physical symptoms. And ofcourse when I get a physical symptom it starts off my anxiety and guess what, the whole cycle starts again. Any tips. xx

[LAS]

I am very eager to know what was your secret to getting rid of your physical symptoms ? I am finding that is the worse part of my recovery. My anxiety is far more manageable than the physical symptoms. And ofcourse when I get a physical symptom it starts off my anxiety and guess what, the whole cycle starts again. Any tips. xx

Hi Seniormoment
I think my body just didn't have any more adrenaline left! After two months of constant full on symptoms, I really had enough. SO many times I wanted to give up and try medication, but really didn't want to go down that route. I think I just gave in to the feelings, I knew it was all just anxiety and I just let them do their thing. Now they have gone though, I feel it is harder getting over the background anxiety. The constant feeling that you have to be worrying about something now all the physical symptoms have gone. Getting worried about every little niggle in your body, which if I didn't have anxiety, I wouldn't notice. Feeling tense all the time. I really hope this is anxiety gradually disappearing