Existential anxiety

[Hzrt]

Hi!
I am an 18 year old male. For the past one and a half month I have been suffering from horrific existential anxiety. It started with a panic attack about dying and then reading philosophy. I feel so scared and powerless and life seems meaningless and pointless. My mind is continuously racing with thoughts of universe, existence, mortality. I can not enjoy anything- I keep on thinking that this is temporary and everything will end. Then I look at the world like a temporary place to visit, like how difficult it would be to say goodbye to sunshine. Suddenly feeling alive feels uncommon and being dead is more common.
This is truly frightening and I feel that I will never be able to be normal again. I feel everything is a distraction and waste. I also feel that I am developing a fear of sky and also of endless universe and time. It is so difficult to be present here and now, even if I tell myself that these are thoughts but then I soon realise that it is the truth only but was hidden from me. I cannot rationally tell myself to stop. I just sleep for half of the day to stop worrying. I cannot eat or study like before.
I am soon seeing a psychiatrist but how can I explain these thoughts? Also if someone was able to overcome them please share how.

[Speranza]

Hi!

Just saw you had had no reply.

I sometimes get this - and I'm a Christian with every reason to be hopeful. I think it's part of who we are as humans that these things hit us sometimes. It's certainly a very old and well-documented condition. The really old name for this was 'Intimations of Mortality' - ie 'Realising we're all going to die'.

On one level it's a hugely normal part of growing up.

But for the sensitive soul it's incredibly scary and it does feel as though it will never pass.

The good news is - it WILL. Great that you are getting help.

It's a LONG time since this first hit me - probably over 50 years! :o

And the most effective way of dealing with it I have ever found is this:
Accept it. Say to yourself, "Sh*t, this is scary!"
Then just allow yourself 5 minutes to feel terrified or whatever.

Then tell yourself, "This is normal, and it WILL pass. I need to trust myself to get back in balance. Everyone has these thoughts."

This is first aid till you see the psychiatrist.

There may be stuff in your life which has triggered all this for you at this time, and someone may be able to help you to work through that - but remember it IS normal and almost everyone you see around you has struggled or is struggling right now with these thoughts and feelings.

Please let us know how it's going.

Gill x

[MOchp]

Hello, I'm 26 years old and have been going through similar anxiety recently. It's definitely not an easy one to beat as there isn't any real easy answer that brings relief. I think the biggest thing is finding ways to not let thoughts like that fill our minds. I do what I can to distract myself and shake of intrusive thoughts. It is scary, nobody wants to die, but then again a lot of people (myself included) find the idea of infinite life just as scary. Being a human is a crazy, weird, scary experience for sure. I feel like our minds can't wrap around the topics like that and it just causes stress. Your psych doc will be able to help you either with meds or therapy or both. I'm on meds and they help a lot but some people only need therapy to learn how to control their thoughts better. I wish you well and hope your psych appointment goes good.

[Brad10]

Hey man I went through this! I started to obsess about something else and it went away and never came back, it will pass man !:)

[beatroon]

Hi there, just wanted to say hang in there till your psych appointment! THey will have seen everything before. You'll be OK!