I'm Going MAD

[shortstuff]

I've been feeling really positive today - I've managed to get control of my anxiety in less than 2 days when it usually takes around 2 weeks to stop one of my cycles. I even texted the deputy head to let him know I'd be back at work tomorrow.

Then, out of the blue, I became really aware of the noise of car engines on nearby roads. It ended up where I felt as though the engine noises were in the walls of my house, in the radiators and worst of all, actually in my head!!! I tried every distraction I could think of, ear plugs, phoning my mum - nothing worked. In sheer panic I got in the car to drive away from the noise! It's taken me an hour to calm down, but my anxiety levels are way back to where they were yesterday morning.

I was even starting to get paranoid that cars were deliberately sitting outside my house with their engines on, just to send me mad!! I truly feel as though I have crossed the line of madness now, this seems to be going beyond anxiety and incorporating paranoia!

[Trapped]

You know what short, today there was bloody barking dog and a car alarm going and I had to really stop myself from shouting out to all the neighbourhood to you know whatting shut up..... I can so relate, next doors dog ismaking me crazy..........

[shortstuff]

Thing is though, when I went out, there were hardly any cars around!

[tracy.splosh]

You arent going mad darling, it is just the anxiety. I am so anxious at the moment due to something that happened on Fri. You said that you have tried to calm down in a couple of days instead of weeks, so well done there.

X

[Krakers]

Hi there - not mad, just a variation on a theme. I've had songs stuck in my head for days and no matter what i do they just keep coming back.

While the circumstance is unsettling, you almost got what worked for me - not ear plugs, but ear phones. Haven't got the latest gizmos yet, but I do have my trusty old portable CD player. I love music but Slade drove me mad for 3 days last month. So out came the CD player and eventually I forgot all about it.

Its easy to fixate on one thing - I've done it a few times lasting between Slade (3days) and my swallowing which was over a year. I thought I was going to go round the bend hugging a bottle of water everywhere I went - thats when I did go out.

Only mad people don't know their mad, so you are definately sane. We all have blips when its worse than usual. Notice them, acknowledge them, then wave them goodbye. They might be back but if you do something once and get by you know you can do it again.

It might be worth a mention to your doc on your next visit - I tell mine everything and he aint let me down yet.

Krakers.

[Trapped]

Thing is though, when I went out, there were hardly any cars around!

My tinnitus with the tmj issues can do that, today I opened the patio doors to see if there was drill going and it was in my ears....note I didn't say my head.

Yes, it's stress/anxietybig hugs

[NervousNellie]

Well here's some good news.....this happens to a lot of people that I know that DON'T suffer from anxiety and panic!! So this seems like a reaction that a normal person would have! I know it's happened to me before with different noises, songs, and especially at Christmas time when the bell ringers are outside of stores collecting money for charity!! My mom even told me that this year, the bell ringers were driving her nuts because she could still hear them when she went to bed at night!! My mom does not suffer from any form of panic or anxiety!

So I think that your reaction isn't anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes things just get stuck in your head!!

[shortstuff]

Thanks everyone! I'm a bit more rational today after a very rough night. At one point I was ready to drive into A&E to get them to make it stop!! So pleased I didn't :blush:.

I decided not to go back to work today (as was the plan) and catch up on some of the sleep I missed last night. This afternoon I've been reading lots about hypersensitive hearing and everything seems to point to forms of hyperacusis. Even more insteresting is that one strand of this can be physical, i.e. damage to the inner ear, but another strand of the intolerance can be behavioural / emotional. There is a strong link with depression and anxiety and it can be helped with CBT (which I will hopefully be starting soon). It would also seem that my natural reaction to use ear plugs over the last few months has made the situation worse!!! I'm not going to worry about it too much, as I say I'm just relieved to have a rationale explanation for all of this.:)

[LJElson]

Hi,
Your not going mad, i tend to get this alot aswell, except it tends to be scary images and music, when it does though i got a little trick ^^, when it comes the next time, just imagine that the car is in front of you and your looking at it, go over there and start beating it up, it always works for my anxiety, it reallys calms you down, like youve won a victory, try it out it will probably work.

Hope you get better soon :)
:D

[starlight78]

Hi Shortstuff,
So glad your feeling a little better today. I totally empathise. I experience a similar thing when I can become obsessed with the noise of car alarms or revving engines, its particularly bad for me when its repetative. I cant bear ticking clocks when i'm strung out, yet at other times i wouldn't even notice it. Its just another of those lovely symptoms of anxiety!!

You most certainly are not mad, well no worse that the rest of the fab people on this site anyway!
Lots of luck and happiness to you

[rgb76]

Hi Shortstuff

I have recently had this problem with my hearing when places are crowded or more than one conversation is taking place- I 'm okay for a while and then it's like I panic at which one I should be listening to and then hear all the conversations at a louder volume then I have to keep tellingmyself that it's okay but it is frightening at the time...I'm still working on this amongst my other anxieties...Hope you know that you're 'normal' like the rest of us here


take care

rgb