How many people.....??

[anna66]

Hi everyone.
How many people find it really hard to accept that all the physical manifestations of anxiety are just that?
Do you find yourself battling with your inner self to stop being overwhelmed with thoughts of doom and gloom that it is something else?
I personally find it really hard sometimes to put every twinge, ache, dizzy spell or whatever down to just anxiety, but I refuse to allow myself to get myself into a circle of fear of the 'what ifs'.
How does everyone else feel??
Thank you in advance
A
xx

[cazzmatazz]

Hello!

I find it terribly hard to 'snap' myself out of thinking that everything is something which will kill me! If I am in town with my mates or boyfriend I am constantly reassuring myself in my head so I don't affect them. It drives me mad!

Deep deep deep down I must know that it is ok and I am too young to have most things (23yrs) and that the symptoms of something serious (normally cancer) would present gradually and not just in one wham bam in your face problem but its soooo hard.

It's great that you try to not let yourself get caught up in it all! Wake up and start the day fresh with a job and sometimes the day will pass and the next thing you will know is that you have a week where everything is ok :)

[koola]

yep definitely. its really hard. plus wot people dont understand is that even if it is caused by anxiety it doesnt make it any less horrible or real. A stomach ache is a stomach ache, whatever it's caused by.

Right now i think i have flu, i know tomorrow ill probably be embarrased at making a fool of myself by having such a panic. I really wish i could be more realistic. Stupid hypochondria :(

keep fighting!

[willtheconk1998]

I always found and still find it hard sometimes to accept the physical symptoms are just anxiety.

Now I try hard to do just that tho, especially if it is a symptom I have experienced before. I think well it is the same as before and i got that checked out and it was nothing bad so it won't kill me this time and try to get on with life and let it pass.

It is always advisable to get any new symptom you may not have had before checked out if it is worrying you tho cos it puts your mind at rest and means you don't need to stress about it if you get it checked out and or get it sorted, you can just add it to the list and ignore it next time.

Anxiety.....GRRRRRR!!!!!:mad:

[anna66]

Thank you for the replies.
Unfortunately, I have never been one for going to the doctors (scary) until 6 months ago, when I suffered my first panic attack (I am 42)
I personally feel that going to the doctors continuously to have things checked out would perpetuate my anxiety, thus causing the physical symptoms to stay with me for longer, as every time I go, I have nausea, dizziness, terrible stomach problems etc
I have now adopted the 'this year I will ignore the physical stuff unless I am doubled over in pain' technique LOL
I am also aware that although I now have an extremely understanding doctor, I do not want to be branded a Hypochondriac or 'crying wolf' and be ignored if there really is something seriously wrong with me.
I have one more blood test to have done, and whatever the result, I am going to get on with my life this year!
A
xx

[agent orange]

Anna. I am struggling with this too. I have been diagnosed with a Somatoform disorder and I wonder if I should ever know if it is a symptom of that/anxiety or a real percieved threat-Oh how the mind boggles.

[agent orange]

This ties in about with my thread on Anxiety causing Neurological symptoms

[panelman]

hi anna. yes that would about sum up my situation. but here is the good side of it.... although i know that i suffer from anxiety, and still after over 9 years i think it's a phycical problem, i have survived hundreds of severe heart attacks/strokes. now am i strong or what, because hey, i know people that have actually been kept in hospital with just very slight heart attacks or strokes and have been kept under ovservation and hooked up to all sorts of machines for days or weeks. and however any time ive gone to the hospital (and allways of my own acord as lets face it what the hell does my gp know on the subject) ive been told im strong as a horse and been sent on my way in a very short time with my own personal cure...XANAX. now to win a cookie, which is 1st and last prize here... can any one tell me, DO I NEED TO CHANGE MY THOUGHT PROCESS? :doh: regards henry

[Hollytree]

I know how you feel, I find myself always getting more and more worked up over the physical symptoms of anxiety, it becomes a vicious cycle, one thought leading to another, with me ending up thinking i've got something awful. Rather than realising its just anxiety which my body is reacting to.

Its hard to break the cycle when your caught in it and yes the "what ifs" are a constant nightmare in my head which haunt me everyday.

However i always find some positive energy from somewhere to get me through it, and i'm still here, 33 years down the line :)

xx

[anna66]

Thank you everyone.
I hope that we can all put our physical symptoms down to anxiety for ever more LOL.
I find that I can be perfectly ok while occupied all day, only to suffer twinges and tummy pains upon stopping and being left with my own thoughts. Oh how the mind and body work together on stuff!
All of my anxiety goes pretty much straight to my stomach these days, with a little dizziness thrown in every now and then for good measure!
I have started to keep a diary too, to see if there is a pattern with the monthlies, and to look back and see what made me react in a certain way. Its also good to note how many good days I've had, as they always seem so few, yet in reality are more.
xx

[rainstorm]

The brain seems to play such terrible tricks on people. It gets annoying, gets in the way of my daily life sometimes...I find myself often wanting to just crawl into a little hole and try and hide from the world because I get freaked out so easily. Turns out, it just makes my anxiety worse I guess...

Meh. I want a utopia where I can lie on the softest beaches with warm weather, peaceful sounds of the ocean and nature, and no commitments or obligations, and no health problems (anxiety related or not). But then I come to terms with the fact that something that great just doesn't exist, and I gotta just deal with being less-than-perfect in a less-than-perfect world!

Bah. But what a world that would be, huh? I'd be the first one on the plane ride over there. :D