Health anxiety spiralling

[izzybizzy]

I’ve done pretty well with health anxiety for maybe a couple of years, I’ve still had my moments but haven’t spiralled like this in a long time, it started on Tuesday, I had covid but didn’t realise that I had it, my symptoms came on and I mistook them for anxiety as I’d just had an important online meeting and even though it was good/nervous news afterwards I felt pretty on edge, I started feeling freezing and then obviously developed more symptoms, this included a faster heart rate, I ended up ringing 111 and they advised I go to A and E, I ended up calming myself down and realising my heart rate was linked to my temperature, as it went down my heart rate returned to normal.

But since then I’m anxious about so many things, I don’t trust my body as I got covid, I haven’t had a flu or cold properly for years, I feel like my body let me down and I’m so anxious that I didn’t realise I was sick straight away and blamed it on anxiety, one of my fears in recovery was “would I be able to tell the difference between anxiety and real illness”

I’ve had so many random body pains, nerve pain, muscle pain from covid, my fever is actually gone now but I’m still not 100%

Just feel weak and frustrated at myself.

[ErinKC]

I’m sorry you’re in such a state! I would take it I as a good sign that you didn’t even realize you had covid - you body handled it well and you didn’t get severely ill! And you can’t count covid the same as other illnesses - we have far fewer defenses against covid than the average cold or flu that’s been around forever. I presume most of us will eventually get covid and it is not a failure of our bodies, simply the reality of a pandemic with a highly adaptive virus that’s overcoming our vaccines and defenses!

I know getting covid would certainly spark my anxiety, but you seem to already be getting better. Thank you body for the great job it did fighting off this virus!