My horrible battle with Anxiety. Relate, anyone?

[iaspire]

Hi everyone.

This is my first post here :yesyes:

I'm just looking to share my experience with my symptoms but mainly my dizzy spells which are getting me quite down.

I'd say I've had ''diagnosed'' anxiety / panic attacks since I was 20, I'm now 28 years old. I used to be anxiety free until I developed an irrational worry about my heart-beat which used to pound when I had any conscious thought about my heart, heart skipping beats once or shortly after and flutters, which again always made it worse by panicking about it.

After many ECG tests and hospital (ER trips and 1 cardiology appointment) and doctor visits, I was finally a bit more at ease with my heart telling me it's anxiety.

The next symptoms after this was my breathing troubles. I don't mean getting out of breath with walking up stairs or working out, I mean the whole ''trigger''. If I even so much think about my breathing and that it felt ''weird'' I'd freak out and think I'm going to stop breathing, more worry... more breathlessness until I calmed down or my GF calmed me down.

This subsided at the time after a few doctor visits for the good o'l reassurance. A temporary fix to a bigger problem.

I still do get bouts of these symptoms and worries but they are much less frequent now as I tend to shake myself up and try to snap out of it and I notice them much less.

As of today I'm going through hell with my 'lightheadedness''. I wouldn't call it feeling dizzy as nothing it blurred and I can read still but I have the feeling where I feel lightweight, especially my head and feel slightly un-easy. This doesn't help my GAD, at all :doh:

I do have a question though, why is it that a thought, a worry, or an anxious thought can make you feel so terrible and experience these symptoms. Like 0-100mph in under 3 seconds. A thought, really? :shrug:

Distraction is my only method but I know one day I will have to battle it more and face my fears.

That's all from me. Thanks for reading and I hope you can realise if you suffer with any of this, you're not alone and you're an amazing and strong person. :hugs:

[ankietyjoe]

Your fight or flight system is designed to pump you full of adrenaline at any sign of danger, and it's extremely fast (instant in fact) and controlled by what we think of as the subconscious.

The subconscious is a moron, and incapable or rational thought.

If you keep checking for problems, or imagine the worst...the subconscious simply thinks there's a problem and reacts. The more you do it, the more it learns to react...and get really good at it.

YOU....the conscious....has to stop doing those things. And then when you can't do them and think you'll never be able to...use the fact that you're using the conscious mind and decide to keep practising until you can. Eventually your SUBconscious will re-learn how to react properly.

It's...that simple. With practise.

[iaspire]

Your fight or flight system is designed to pump you full of adrenaline at any sign of danger, and it's extremely fast (instant in fact) and controlled by what we think of as the subconscious.

The subconscious is a moron, and incapable or rational thought.

If you keep checking for problems, or imagine the worst...the subconscious simply thinks there's a problem and reacts. The more you do it, the more it learns to react...and get really good at it.

YOU....the conscious....has to stop doing those things. And then when you can't do them and think you'll never be able to...use the fact that you're using the conscious mind and decide to keep practising until you can. Eventually your SUBconscious will re-learn how to react properly.

It's...that simple. With practise.

Really decent advice here, I'll do my best to try not jump to the worst conclusion:scared15:

I think I know deep down I'm being silly but I suppose I have let my self become so self monitoring, my brain is constantly looking out for any uncomfortable symptom and dreading the worst. Awful stuff but I'm still here, living and breathing and nothing tragic has happened yet. 8 years and counting

[ankietyjoe]

I suppose I have let my self become so self monitoring

Bingo

You have to practise doing the opposite. Just knowing it isn't enough. Might take 6-12 months to unlearn the habits you've chosen to undertake.

Anxiety is often the result of the actions of the person suffering anxiety (myself included).

Anxiety is a series of bad habits, reinforced by practice.

There is no external malevolent force trying to make you suffer, its just you not doing the right things in order to escape the loop. That's not to say it's your FAULT, but more often than not it's the actions YOU are repeating that makes things worse (again....myself included).

Given enough practice, it can be overcome.

Take a look at mindfulness, meditation, yoga.....whatever it is that floats your boat as an exercise in active relaxation or calming of the central nervous system. Avoid stress, caffeine, a55holes and junk food etc etc. Exercise more, tweet less.