Anyone else have an almost constant feeling of dread?

[GingerFish]

I've had this on and off every day for the part fortnight while my panics and OCD have been at their worst for a while.

You know that feeling you get in your gut when you get bad news or when you utterly dread something happening? Its like that. Sometimes it only lasts a few moments and other times it pretty much floors me.

I've never had it this long before so its starting to really get to me. I can't work out whether its anxiety or depression as it both scares me and utterly deflates me at the same time.

[Randara]

I think I've been having this. today is especially bad, I just feel like 'something' bad is going to happen and keep filling the 'something' with different things and focusing on them. As soon as I forget one I move on to another thing.

I'm constantly on edge thinking something is going happen now! Hoping its down to being hungry/moving back home today/being tired.

I hope you feel better soon.

[GingerFish]

Such a horrible feeling. It keeps making me feel like something bad is going to happen too. Sounds silly but for days due to this feeling, I keep feeling I'm going to die soon or something. I know that's a common anxiety worry bit its so horrible and unnerving :(

[mikey2695]

I too have suffered from this recently. I was doing incredibly well for almost half a year, having almost no anxiety symptoms. A few intrusive thoughts and depression symptoms later, and I have this feeling of despair that dissipates only when I'm around people. When I'm alone I have this feeling a lot.

[GingerFish]

Sorry to hear you have this too. Sometimes the feeling goes away when I am around loved ones but got the last few days it's gotten worse around them and I prefer to be alone but when I am alone, I end up focusing and wallowing on it more which won't help.

[mikey2695]

I actually can't stand being alone when I'm in this state. Going out with a friend is my ideal stress reliever honestly, which is probably a good thing. But I almost have a fear of being alone at home, not being able to take a nap in the middle of the day and not able to relax. Very odd.

[GingerFish]

The feeling really scares me because it overwhelms because I've never really had it before plus it makes me wonder if anything bad will happen so I'm on constant edge and feel exhausted and deflated all the time. I also feel like I dread every day now. I dread going to bed in case I wake up feeling worse than I did before going to sleep, I dread my bf being at college although sometimes I feel better alone, I dread just being alive with these feelings it feels like. I don't know if this is heightened anxiety or depression.

[mikey2695]

Same problem here ginger. Like, this whole episode started with low mood/loss of interest in certain things, but at the same time I can't sit still/relax. So it might be depression as a symptom of my general anxiety? Could be. Although this afternoon I have felt much better :)

[Randara]

Hope you both feel better soon. I've just eaten a big meal so hopefully I'll feel more energised to fight this feeling. It's so tiring being anxious isn't it!!

Maybe try some distraction techniques? I find crosswords amazing, they usually tire me out from concentrating too so I can get to sleep.

[mikey2695]

I'm fit so I just go on decently long jogs while listening to my favorite music playlist. Really helps the panic portion of my problems!

[SurfingWaves]

I had the same thing for weeks almost constantly. Couldn't concentrate it was really horrible. . Feels like something terrible is about to happen but don't know what and it made my mind think of things to be anxious about to justify why I felt so panicky. It is severe anxiety with no obvious cause, for me it was probably caused by something in my sub conscious. I got on medication in the end and I felt 10 x better within a week

[GingerFish]

I do find I feel a lot better in regards to this dread feeling after eating but eating is so hard at the mo due my OCD being through the roof as I suffer from severe contamination fears due to OCD :(

[Randara]

Hope you managed to eat something Ginger, and are feeling better now?

I had a bit of a breakdown today, I've been focusing on news stories a lot and over worrying about them. My stepmum said something earlier and I just broke down and cried because I was so worried.

I decided I'm actually going to try and get an appointment to see the doctor next week to discuss my anxiety as I haven't spoke to him exclusively about it. This constant fear is getting too much!

[GingerFish]

I'm recovering from a bad cold and that's knocked even more energy from me and yesterday when I went out for a drive in the car, I panicked the entire time and I was like a zombie when I came home, both physically and mentally. I felt so deflated so I started to re read my Dr Claire Weekes books and audio tapes and yesterday I was so worried about becoming housebound again from panics and today, I ended up going out for an hour with my mum. We went to Asda and Homebase both were mega crowded. They most busy I've seen either shops tbh so I was thrown in the deep end and I did have a few panics here and there but when they came on, I just told my mum to stop for a few seconds while I got my bearings and then we walked around the shop as normal. If you were to tell me yesterday that I would do that today, I would have been gobsmacked.

I was only out for an hour and came home very tired as I'm not fully over the cold but also felt more calm and even managed to cook for myself when I got in instead of eating snacks and I ate my first full meal in weeks. My OCD (I have contamination fears related to toxins and drugs) flared up during and after eating and had me in a state for a few hours but I was expecting that after eating my first full meal in ages. Thankfully when I ate again later on at night which was an hour ago, the OCD was minimal this time.


The best way I can describe how I feel is that, when I am fine (as fine as you can be when you have a nervous illness) everything is colourful. When I was at my worst the last few weeks, everything was black and white but now its not totally black and white, its like faded out colour if you know what I mean?

The dread feeling has still been here throughout the day, most prominent at sunset I noticed as lately I've been dreading night time, probably because lately I've had my worst feelings and panics during the night

[Randara]

That's great that you got out, I hope you feel proud/good about it too!

I know what you mean about colours, Ive been living in a big city all this Year and it hasn't worked out. Have just moved back to my hometown and with my parents, when I think about the city it's like there's a big cloud over it. Everything is dark and when I look back at when I was living at home before everything was so bright and sunny.

Nighttime isn't good for me either for the same reasons. Try to get some sleep, it will help a lot!

[Lan69]

I have woken up feeling like this everyday for months, a horrible feeling like your waiting for something to happen...it's bloody awful and scary. I put it down to my anxiety, it's like anticipatory anxiety but you don't know what your anticipating

[GingerFish]

I've been OK, very up and down but definitely out of the worst of this setback/breakdown/whatever the hell it is. I still don't feel 100% like me yet but every now and then I'm getting moments where I feel like me again. Sometimes it only lasts for a few mins and then last night it lasted for an hour until OCD kicked in full force. I still have an underlying feeling of dread and weirdness but it's not as strong now and I'm managing to get outside again which helps though I'm nervous as hell before going out. I'm also eating and sleeping more now.

[mikey2695]

Same here Ginger, much less panic/despair, still a little bit low mood, but I'm pulling myself out of this hole.

[Randara]

Ditto! Must have been a bad week for all of us!

[GingerFish]

Must have been something in the air last week! Hope we are all on the mend now! I'm not 100% yet but I would say about 75/80%? Which is light years better compared to how I felt last week.

[MarkUk]

It just comes & goes doesn't it.
I have not been on this site for ages which is a good thing for me as it means Ive felt better, but out the blue it can hit you just when you think your doing good.

I guess we have to remember that we do come out of it each time.

[GingerFish]

How have you all been lately? For a few days the dread feeling left me and I was left with just general anxiety if you know what I mean? But for the last few days I haven't slept well and the dread feeling has came back. OCD has been through the roof too. I am putting it down to lack of sleep and then my old worries that caused the breakdown a few weeks ago are back eg money and uni and things like that.

[Randara]

That's a shame, I hope you feel better soon.

I haven't had the dread feeling since posting on here, same as you with the general anxiety. Still feeling ill from my ear problems so that's what has been causing my anxiety. Didn't have a very good CBT session either yesterday so feeling a bit :( to be honest!

[GingerFish]

The dread feeling has been awful today but my stepdad was rushed to hospital this morning with a suspected mini stroke or brain bleed so I suppose any anxiety or panics I feel today are to expected and o shouldn't put too much weight or worry into them...or at least try not to!

[O_O]

I have something similar. Constant, overwhelming dread. It feels so true. Linked to my dying. It has completely debilitated me for the last two months. It feels hopeless.

[wubu]

Yeah and got it now. I am hungover so its amplified x10.

Id suggest trying to keep busy and potter, it usually helps me.