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[mjh74]

Hi Folks,

It has been almost 10 years since I've had what I'd class as very bad anxiety/panics. As a general rule (if you could call it that), it will kick in when hitting autumn/winter time (maybe S.A.D)?
Anyway, I've had quite a lot of what I'd class as decent years where my anxiety has been in the background and very much in hand. This October saw the beginning of a totally new beast and I've no idea why. I've now been hit with a totally new symptom and it's really making life difficult for me. While having a think this evening, I've come to the conclusion that there has to be "something" to be anxious about.

I watched a series some time ago about a group of people having gastric surgery for weight loss, a lot lost a huge amount of weight but due to not being able to eat as much, took to something else to obsess about. Whether it be pain killer addiction or something else, there had to be something.
I think this is how anxiety works for myself, I can't be symptom free. Once I manage to cope with the anxiety in hand, a new symptom comes along for me to fear.

Can anyone else relate to this?

Thanks for reading!

Mark

[Carnation]

Yes, I can Mark.

It's bloody annoying when you think you have it under control.
Then, up pops something new. The brain will obviously think; "What's that?"
Then the obsessing comes in to play and it tries to work out whether it is in fact anxiety or something else??? :scared15:
So we come on here, see if anyone else has got it/had it to put our minds at rest.
Otherwise we could be at the Docs nearly everyday with our symptoms. :blush:
Crikey, I've had rashes, lumps, unexplained pain, unexplained weight loss, choking, heart bashing through the chest, itchy legs and manic scratching, head rushes, depersonalisation, numbness, fatigue, vibrating, nerves jumping out of the skin, blurred eyesight, flashes of light, hot flushes in the face, neck and chest, shivering, swallowing issues, hair loss, heavy legs, walking on a boat feeling; the thing is to remember the rule of thumb; acknowledge it, understand it and let it pass. You may be under more stress than needed, have something playing on your mind, be overtired, not eating properly or not getting enough exercise.
Try to keep a balance in your life, so if you have too much stress in the day, then reward yourself with something relaxing and enjoyable. x

[toothless]

Hi, I think once a person has anxiety it will always be there to some degree and I think set backs will always occur, 10 years is a fantastic length of time to have been incontrol of your anxiety but it's always hard when it comes back.

Have you been under any stress lately? Both mentally or physically, I get bad if I have repeated colds they run me down. Try not to panic, easier said than done and maybe makes some changes to your life, do you exercise? get enough sleep? try more things which relax you I ersonally like reading, guided meditation on youtube and walking.

Is there some kind of light lamp for SAD? Our winters are incredibly bleak, I find I feel much better in the summer.

Hope you feel better soon

[NM33013]

Same here. I just stumbled upon and found this site yesterday. I suffered with anxiety about 10-11 years ago and coached myself to getting through and over it... now it's rearing its ugly head again all of the sudden and I'm not enjoying it.

[mjh74]

Hello all and thank you for your responses, it really is a comfort.

Both of my parents have been really ill recently so that has been a contributing factor to triggering things off again. I'm terrified of losing them and have no idea how I'll cope when I do!

I did make a strange break through this week though which is pretty much a no brainer where anxiety is concerned really! I knocked coffee on the head and my anxiety dropped massively. I always have a couple of Americanos a day and love them but they just make me feel so ill at the minute, stopping them has been my only choice. I also drank a glass of red wine at the start of the week which sent my heart pounding too!
I've started to go to bed a lot earlier which also seems to have helped a fair bit!

[Jpc7777]

Oh yes! Coffee!!

Yes, that'll surely send you into a spin if you are susceptible to even a small amount of anxiety. I've been forced into an on/off relationship with it ever since my first panic attack. Which is a pain as I love it!

Depending on the day and my mood, one strong cup can raise my anxiety levels to derealisation levels, where my vision and sense of the world changes, difficult to explain, but took me a long time to make the connection. I couldn't believe how one cup of (admittedly strong) coffee, could cause such rapid shift in mood and be accompanied by these strange physiological symptoms.

I think you're right to cut it out.

I can totally relate to carnation's point above in reeling off the many many symptoms that relate to anxiety. Each one arrives unannounced, stays a while before leaving again without explanation, only to get replaced by something new and equally strange!