WOW, long post, anxiety?

[Joe1981]

Okay, its been a tough week for me i must say... I honestly thought i was going to go insane and end up it some mental institution :( I really put a scare into my girlfriend but i did honestly think i was losing it. However today i feel a bit more normal and i think work, money, house hunting and a baby on the way has done it.. The past year i've had constant symtoms of dizziness and 2 months of constant chest pain BUT this past week i had something so SCARY happen to me...

It started when i was at work i started feel a bit "off" shakey, like afraid to be there, just looking at people was strange, i just felt plain WIERD. Then i started thinking, "am i losing my mind or something?" Then that was it, everything went downhill... That night i went home and tried to sleep and everytime i closed my eyes a million wierd things would run through my head, things i couldnt control, i would get up and pace, look in the mirror and say "what is going on?", "I really am losing my mind".. I almost drove myself to the hospital but i found away to fall asleep. That morning i woke up feeling out of it and jumped into the shower where this time it wasnt everytime i closed my eyes i would think wierd off topic stuff it was constant!! Man did i freak out.. I called in sick to work and at this point i was in my head insane! I could not control my thoughts, i would try to do anything, like watch t.v, listen to the radio, talk to someone and every 3 seconds i would zone out and start freaking out.. "am i going insane?" i would think..

Sorry this was not going to be a long post but man i can't stop typing.

So then, i tried to go pick my gf up at work and the whole drive there i was freaking out.. everything seemed to scare me.. i was on edge and could not focus on anything around me but the thoughts in my head...

Anyway, long storey short.. I talked with my mom and dad and they say this is just anxiety!.. Man can this really be? This is scary and i thought u only feel like your going crazy durring a panic attack? I thought panic attacks only last like 10 mins?? WOW although last night i went out and my head WAS CLEAR for 15 mins.. so that really helped.. just that 15 mins of feeling normal has put some faith in me that this may pass soon...

Again sorry for the long post.. replys would be great!

[yeppy]

hi there

First of all dont worry you are definitely NOT going insane! Although it feels like it at the time, nothing bad will happen to you. When a panic attack happens for the first time it is the scariest thing in the world. i actually did get my mum and dad to drive me to the hospital because i was freaking out thinking i was going to lose control and stab them or something!! The hospital could see that it was anxiety and panic but it was so intense and a shock to me i had 2 weeks off work recovering. Although the actually attacks only last for minutes, the symptoms and feelings of anxiety can hang around. I promise you will feel normal again though!!!

[Insomniac]

I really do know how you feel. August 2006 was terrible for me. I had an awful night of attack after attack. Although at the time it felt lke it went on all night, I now realise it didnt.

I got up exhausted and scared of being unable to control my thoughts or body at all even in the safety of my own home! I really did think I was losing my mind.

Since then I have had counselling and trained myself to cope. I had the occasional bad day, but I have gradually learned that I CAN cope with things. Each achievement you make will leave you feeling stronger and more confident about future challenges.

The aftermath of PA is hard to come down from sometimes. The effects of adrenaline on your body do wear off, but can take time. Gentle exercise is helps use up nervous energy, which can make it easier to sleep. Also breathing and relaxation exercises help. There's some stuff about that on the Self-help section. Also I found that the more I learned about anxiety, the more I confident I was that I would ignore the starting symptoms and distract myself or practice breathing exercises instead.

I hope you feel better soon. You are not going insane! :hugs: