Dizzy but not.... read on

[Wuboo]

Basically one of my phobias is my vertigo attacks and the silly thing is which contributes to my anxiety is randomly my brain telling me I am dizzy/off balance when I am not and I start to sway which gets me thinking "oh maybe I am unbalanced" when I know I am not but I cannot seem to get logic to kick in. Any tips with dealing with this type of thing?

[beauty2010]

Just tried telling myself I felt dizzy and hey presto - I did feel dizzy, just like that. Are you afraid of feeling dizzy or of the consequences of dizziness?
B

[Wuboo]

Thanks for the reply.

I think it's a mix of both feeling like it and what will happen.

[countrygirl]

I have vertigo attacks due to bad arthritis in my neck and have had them for over 10 years. At one point I was scared to leave the house because I had had a couple of bad attacks while out shopping and it is very very easy to end up like that.

I had one before xmas in a garden centre, I was walking along and felt like the ground was coming up to meet me and when I went into the toilets and bent forward the ground really spun, we were meeting friends for lunch so I had to grit my teeth and I found if I kept my head still and did not bend over I was more or less okay. I was distracted to say the least trying to make conversation while feeing so dizzy and also so panic stricken. By end of lunch I was okay again but everytime it happens I spend weeks having to force myself to go out and about because of the fear of it happening again. At its worst I have had to hang onto tables in cafes and even once sit on the loo floor till it passes so I understand totally how you feel.

I have a reason for mine but just being anxious makes it much more likely to happen even with me as any additional tension in my neck muscles on top of my condition affects the messages your neck muscles send to your inner ear hence plain anxiety can causse vertigo.

[Itsallinmyhead416]

I've been feeling like this lately and I don't know what it is either. I absolutely hate the feeling, it feels like your body is just off balance and your going to tip over! It doesn't really happen when I'm sitting down but definitely while standing...I don't think I have vertigo, I'm only 24 and in pretty good shape. Horrible feeling, my wife tells me its my anxiety and sinuses?