Sensitised or Desensitisation I just cant tell anymore!!

[Meewah]

I am going through a higher level of anxiety at the moment due to losing my father and my extremely fit mother having suspected Heart attack.

When my anxiety goes up my thought of dying go up also. I forget how to think rationally and now it has gone on so long that I worry that all this family stress will put me at increased risk of stress related illness like a Heart attack/stroke myself. I have become so scared of the symptoms of anxiety that I don't know if I have become more sensitised to physical symptoms/pains or if I subconsciously talk my symptoms into the "its only an anxiety symptom" pigeon hole, which now worries me as I might dismiss real life symptoms as only anxiety.

Does anyone else feel like this and how do they cope?

Please answer as my last thread was unanswered and its making me paranoid.

Thanks.

Mee

[Meewah]

Ok paranoid it is then or is it that we are all so self obsessed that we dont have time for many other peoples problems.

Oh well thanx for looking.

Mee

[LisaLisa]

I am going through a higher level of anxiety at the moment due to losing my father and my extremely fit mother having suspected Heart attack.

When my anxiety goes up my thought of dying go up also. I forget how to think rationally and now it has gone on so long that I worry that all this family stress will put me at increased risk of stress related illness like a Heart attack/stroke myself. I have become so scared of the symptoms of anxiety that I don't know if I have become more sensitised to physical symptoms/pains or if I subconsciously talk my symptoms into the "its only an anxiety symptom" pigeon hole, which now worries me as I might dismiss real life symptoms as only anxiety.

Does anyone else feel like this and how do they cope?

Please answer as my last thread was unanswered and its making me paranoid.

Thanks.

Mee

Oh hey Mee,

Dont feel paranoid, im sure the reasons for people not answering before is a little about them not knowing how to answer or being a little stressed out and not in a place to give good advice. But I agree its a super horrible feeling if noone answers.

I can feel your anxiety from your post an i really feel for you. Its horrible when your overwhelmed with anxiety , i get like this often. You have a lot to deal with at the moment and im very sure that you can be assured that what you are experincing is anxiety symptoms and not that you are failing to notice important symptoms. You are overaware of your bodily sensations i think because of your circumastances and no wonder. Try and go a bit easier on yourself, everyone has these feelings and symptoms when they are anxious, its just that HA sufferers for some reason 'beat themselves' up about
missing important queues and signs that there is some major health problem that they are not facing up to or dealing with and they have to do something about it RIGHT now!!!! Its the whole feeling of urgency that gives it away as unfounded health worry, promise.

Allow yourself to feel the symptoms of anxiety , they wont harm you and they will pass if you accept them for all that they are, its okay to feel this way when you are upset and totally healthy too !

I hope that makes sense and I hope you realise how much in control you really are

Lisa
xxxx

[Meewah]

Thanx Lisa

It does make sense. You just feel that one day you probably will feel symptoms that are for real and then with cry wolf, I will ignore them and put them down to anxiety.

Thanks for the advise.


Mee

[lauren6]

Hi Meewah, I think about the "boy who cried wolf" thing too but moreso with friends and family who, if I really needed someone to be with me if a crisis occurred, would think oh no, not again.

I also think that with us, they key is persistent ongoing symptoms. You would be able to differentiate the normal aches and pains we all get daily from something that just won't go away. I have IBS and have had pretty bad stomach pains but I would know if it's something gravely serious. I have sen people with conditions that warrant the emergency room. There are times when I am not sure and work myself up into a panic but now I give it a little time (and look up things to see if it could be that, take my temperature, press down certain areas, etc.).

I post here a lot and often say that we shouldn't attribute everything to anxiety..yes, we have this hypervigilant way about us like you said but we're also as human and fallible as everyone else and things can go wrong so we should check things out just like the next person. It's always a judgement call and I think this board is helpful in assisting people to see what warrants a visit to the doctor and what is indeed anxiety related.

I lost my Dad too and it is really hard. I'm sorry you're going through this rough time.

[Meewah]

Thanks Lauren you speak sense. I know its my anxiety speaking with all these posts. Anxiety has this innate way of making you only focus on the current thoughts and pains, it does not easily remember that the reason for this pain or ache is because you were lifting the other day. It just concentrates on the worse case scenario.

Again thanks for your support.

Mee