Severe/Disabling anxiety over mental illnesses

[sedohrrelyt]

Okay, I just woke up and was flooded with anxiety symptoms. I can't shake the idea of me having some horrific mental disease. I feel strange all the time, it feels like my anxiety and panic did at the beginning of my first panic attacks and anxiety. I'm used to being a hypochondriac. I've become familiar with the health fear version of anxiety and that alone made me drop out of school, not be able to work, lose my girlfriend, etc. This mental disease fear just took everything up another notch. It's like whenever I'm not concerned with my health or having a physical disease, I'm in an absolute panic and severe depression over having a mental disease that's making me lose it. Any advice on the mental illness anxiety? Please! Any advice could really help.

[Sparkle1984]

Hiya, I sent you a PM a couple of weeks ago explaining how I cope with my anxiety - did you receive it? Has anything in your life happened recently which could have triggered this episode?

[ankietyjoe]

It doesn't actually matter what the target of your anxiety is, dealing with it is always the same.

Breath, relax, let it happen, ride it out etc.

Remind yourself you've been here before and nothing ever happens.

You'll get over this bout of anxiety and it may or may not move onto something else. Then just do the same thing.

Eventually the severity of the obsessions will fade.

[sedohrrelyt]

For the past two or three months I've been completely controlled by this fear. I get major anxiety and anxiety attacks all day everyday. It's like I can't shake this. I think of everything that has gone on in my life and I think of how long I've suffered and how long my anxiety has controlled me (5 years) & I just fear I have a real mental issue that's causing all of these odd symptoms. I struggled when it was just the health anxiety and that disabled me for 5 years. I'm only 20 and now it's like a double edge sword.