HELP!!!

[21girl]

Please tell me anyone else has been through this...

i cant feel my chest or arms or legs or anything.. it's like im floating.

i've convinced myself this means im going to faint, but my heart is still beating rather fastly so i know im not actually going to.

what is this?

reassure me please! xx

[Ireni]

I've had those symptoms on and off for ages now and I'm completely convinced that mine are anxiety. In a recent exam, I was writing and it felt as though my arms were moving on their own - like they were a bit floppy and not attached to my body. Have you ever felt that? Apparently it's anxiety, too. Rapid heart beat is also a sign of panic. Does your heart ever feel as though it's thumping, fluttering or missing beats?

[Thumbelina]

when I felt like this forst time - i went to ER - 3,5 years ago.
I was convinced that something was teribly wrong.
I am also sure now at that time it was adjustment period to the new medications and severe anxiety.

Take care

[Jaco45er]

A little lesson in anxiety ;)

The body will respond to an anxious mind. Even though you don't think you are thinking anxious thoughts, subconsciously when you are in a state of anxiety, your mind can trigger the body.

Once this process starts, the body acts be releasing all kinds of "helpful in a dodgy situation" fight or flight chemicals into your bloodstream. The result of this is, well the list is endless but includes:

Sweating
Fast heart beat
Difficult to think clearly (thinking through a cloud)
A floating, numbing almost depersonalisation feeling
Chest pains and pressure
Needing to go to the loo or being sick (you want to be empty if being chased by a Sabre Toothed Tigger)

The list goes on and on, but it is all just a few harmless chemicals whizzing around your body when in a state of anxiety.

What exaggerates anxiety though is, unlike "fight of flight" when we would be so busy dealing with the danger to think about anything else, with an anxiety sufferer, there is no danger, so all thoughts look inward to how we are feeling, and no prizes for guessing what happens then ;).

Try and accept these as just another symptom of anxiety. Trust me, when you accept these feelings, they don't half start scaring you less.

Good Luck

Jaco

[Thumbelina]

Jaco,

Are you reovered?and how long you have been suffering?

[Jaco45er]

Recovered? good question lol

I am 42 and had a panic attack at 19. Anxiety wasn't an issue though until I hit 30, then struggled with high anxiety for the next few years.

After trying many things, I ended up buying a Claire Weekes book at the same time a GP told me to exercise. This combintation got me to a stage now that bad anxiety days are few and far between.

I do tend to over worry when I have a problem (work mainly) but I am a million miles from where I was 10 years ago.

Lets remember though, you do not "cure" anxiety, you merely work to put it back in it's place. Anxiety is a natural response to a threat or danger, that anxiety sufferers have allowed (indirectly and not knowingly) to become exaggerated and uncontrolled.

My own belief is that if you can accept the physical symptoms and not dwell on them, then anxiety attacks become less bothersome until they almost diminish.

Obviously if the anxiety is caused by a specific problem (abuse spouse etc) then anxiety is less likely to be controlled until the problem is rectified.

But with my anxiety, and so many other people, there is no obvious cause, or the cause is no longer relevant.

TC

Jaco

[Thumbelina]

Thanks for explaining.

I understand now as well that you cannot possibly learn everyhting about panic attacks, extreme anxiety and depression when it starts. I beleive it takes years to do so.
I am trying to do it, though with every relapse I have different centre of attentions for my anxiety, and i dont know how many there can be to run through them all?

[21girl]

thankyou everyone, i thought i was going mad and was about to keel over.

i just feel like im floating and not really here if that makes sense, i even get it when my heart isnt thumping wildly.

thanks for the reassurance :) x