is this normal?

[trigrodge]

Hi all,
the last few weeks have been an exhausting struggle to keep my nerves together, i have panic disorder mainly about dying and driving, but i've radically changed my diet, i don't eat any crap like sweets and coffee and have probably consumed 3 million tons of fish, the thing i'm having trouble understanding is that my body feels fine and can deal with the physical effects, but my mind is doing somersaults its like waves, one minute im fine the next im convinced im dying of some mysterious problem that has no symptoms, but physically i don't changed,i may get sweaty palms and thats the only change!
sometimes i think "normally i would have a physical reaction to these thoughts but im not, is my body shutting down?"
can anybody associate with this?
kindest regards
leigh :wacko:

[Elle-Kay]

What you're describing sounds like "mental panic", i.e. a panic/anxiety attack that doesn't manifest itself in physical symptoms. This is the type of attack I get most often, and though I occasionally do get the physical attacks too (in very extreme cases) for the most part I don't experience the palpitations, shaking, faint feelings etc. that other people here describe, just the mental panic that you describe.

[trigrodge]

thank you for your quick reply, what do you do to deal with this?

[Mark13]

You could learn breathing exercises, meditation, relaxation therapy. Basically any way to train your mind quickly to stop or empty itself of the troubling thoughts.

I've been having similar symptoms to you but my "calm" body is caused by the drug I'm adjusting to, but I'm still getting the racing / jumbled / obsessive / panicked thoughts.

So I'm basically trying the above - relaxation therapy.

[Elle-Kay]

As Mark suggested, the approach is basically the same as for "physical panic" (since the physical symptoms also come as a result of mental processes) - relax, try to 'float' through the thoughts, and practice believing that they are only thoughts and cannot hurt you, or cause what you're thinking to become true/real.