Anyone else find it hard to tell if you are imagining symptoms?

[Anxious_gal]

Honestly sometimes I can't tell if a symptom is real or not or maybe I'm just making it out to be worse than what it is.

For example now my arms are itchy - that's real, but I can't tell if they are really itchy or if the panic is making it worse. Then my face got itchy, maybe it's just an itch but my mind freaks the hell out....:wacko:

I have a few pimples on my arms so maybe that's the cause or maybe dry skin even if it doesn't look dry, I know my mind is thinking I'm having some weird allergic reaction....

There's been other times too where my hands looked and felt like they were swelling, that really freaked me out after I calmed down because it felt so real. I wonder if it's like when you stare into the mirror and think your nose looks big and it starts looking bigger!

It kind of reminds me of Hysteria, you know where people panic and it creates "fake" but real symptoms.

There was a really good episode of House, where everyone on the plane started getting ill, - diagnoses Hysteria lol :blush:

[Speranza]

I think most of us probably do!! I guess it's a fine line as they are 'real' symptoms. It's just that they don't always originate in the physical body, hence the 'It's all in your head' thing.

Tough one - but loads of people in the same boat. :)

[xvolatileheart]

I think this is one of the hardest parts of anxiety. For instance I'll think have a twinge in my chest and I automatically panic because CHEST PAIN! But then when I stop and think about it and compare it to other pain I've had, it doesn't actually hurt that bad. I also am always questioning whether I actually feel dizzy or lightheaded, or whether it's DP/DR, or it's just me imagining it? I can't crack that one.

[aggiecuttler]

I think if you are questioning if they are real symptoms or not the chances are that you feel deep down that they are prehaps mind driven and not actual symptoms does that make sense, the more you think about something the worse it can be its a double edge sword blessings

[Anxious_gal]

Ha ha yeah, it can be hard to tell how "bad" the pain really is at times.