View Full Version : What causes your blips?
Hi all, I'm wanting to start a Research Initiative thread about "Blips" as these are things we are all going to go through and I think it would be helpful if we could have one single thread containing everything we know about the whole thing.
I'd be grateful if people will share information about their blips - what triggers them, how long they last, what ends them, how you feel (physically and emotionally) while going through them and how, in your opinion, you think and feel differently while going through a "blip" compared to how you are normally.
My aim is to find physical, mental and emotional patterns, so we can look for ways to actively avoid or counter-attack blips rather than fearfully sitting there waiting for them to strike.
I'll start!
I tend to find blips are triggered by: over-tiredness; physically feeling cold; remembering how I felt when I first became ill; exploring negative thoughts that I used to have; feeling ill, e.g. stomach bug or bad headache. (Headaches are usually the number one cause of health anxiety for me.)
I feel cold, headachey, sick and short of breath while going through a blip. My thoughts become anxious, depressed and generally tinged with hopelessness. However when the blip ends I become positive, upbeat, playful and optimistic (most of the time). The blips usually last for a few days to a week, often with several happy weeks in between them.
Normally my blips are "cured" by socialising with friends and family, taking part in hobbies and generally not thinking about my feelings or problems for a while.
Hi, I used to try and work out what caused them, hormones, dehydration, tiredness, feeling cold however most of the time they just happened for no reason, they also tended to happen after a stressful event, not when it was happening......they would generally happen when i sat down and was calm, or sometimes at work after lunch, sometimes when bending over, when i lie on my left side in bed....also i noticed them more when i was angry. They could just be a one off or they couold be on and off for a long period, sometimes I could go weeks and they werent bad, other times they could be around for months and months at a time...had them for many years. Just some thoughts for the now :-)
So you think it's fair to say that as soon as you were no longer occupied with dealing with these stressful events, you found yourself going into a blip?
That is interesting, cos I find myself practically cured when I am with friends these days, but as soon as I get back home I tend to find my anxiety returning. If I've been doing something all day, I tend to feel deflated and a little bit down or depressed afterwards.
Maybe it's a reaction to knowing we are going back to our normal lives, which at present are a bit anxiety-focused?
Without a doubt I'd say my blips come after the event. I can go into auto-pilot when something stressful is happening and cope admirably!! It's afterwards I feel like an emotional wreck!! It's as though when it all calms down your body is still full of adrenaline and it's got to go somewhere!! That's me anyway.
Myra:)
Yep Myra so true, however I do no there are alot of other factors, ie hormones etc plus I always remember standing at the side of a footie pitch when its cold and they always kicked off...also rushing around when the weathers cold......x
I can go into auto-pilot when something stressful is happening and cope admirably!!
I have been thinking for a while that this may be one of the most important - and overlooked - aspects of clinical anxiety.
We spend a lot of time fearing things that, let's face it, are not going to happen. Then as soon as something does happen, some of us seem to come to life and deal with the situation in a manner which we would not have believed possible. Then once the event is over, we go back to our anxious state.
It does seem like adrenaline is a powerful antidote to anxiety. Unfortunately, giving everyone adrenaline as a treatment would be ridiculous, cos we'd all be running round like action heroes blowing stuff up and roaring at the sky.
Oh I forgot!! About 3-4 weeks into my course of citalopram I remember commenting that I noticed a new feeling of unease and fear creeping in. It wasn't too bad at first but it eventually became a major symptom of my anxiety. I have just realised -- maybe these constant blips are actually being caused by my medication??? This is making my head hurt!!
Does anyone find that they experience headaches when suffering from anxious or depressive blips? They seem to be a major factor in mine. Anyone else got anything to share?
Hi all, my 'blips' usually happen when I'm alone. I get very anxious and scared that no one is there if anything happens to me and I panic. I cope better when around people and not on my own.
I cope under pressure very well and don't freak out at all, but I see from the above posts that we are all similar when it comes to 'real life threats'!
Most of the time when I should be calm and relaxed I'm anxious, and when I should be panicking I'm in control - It's all totally the wrong way around!
I'm lucky and don't get any headaches, I just get very nervous and agitated, very fidgety, constantly in need to take a deep breath. Nothing calms me down until I’m around someone else and feel ‘safe’ again.
PsychoPoet - how long have you been on Citalopram. I've just passed the 9th week mark and still wandering when the occasional side effects will go. Your question above about medication has made me think again!
Hi, I havent been on any meds, and dont associate headaches with the blips, I am currently suffering headaches but I have had blips for 2o years and didnt get them with headaches...so no connection for me x
Periods, every time!
About 7-10 days before I get dizzy jolts, hard to explain, but they freak me out.
The nausea goes without question, I feel sick all the time but its magnified for a week before, a week during, and then it starts tailing off. No fun. This sets of my emetophobia and I dont want to go anywhere as Im worried I'll be poorly.
I just get down, emotional and I have this doom and gloom feeling, like something awful is going to happen.
Other things that set me off are appointments, when I HAVE to be somewhere or know Ive got to do something. At the moment Im trying to do what I can and what I feel up to.
Illnesses, coughs and colds start of my health anxiety..
Wow, I sound a bit of a mess actually lol
I just realised that my last two blips coincided with illness.
Last time, I had some sort of virus with a stomach bug which left me drained and tired for a couple of days.
This time, I've got a bit of man-flu and another upset stomach, which has meant I haven't been getting the best quality of sleep.
So illness, tiredness and headaches all play major parts in my "blips".
The obvious conclusion is that being ill and/or tired lowers our motivation and emotional resilience, which exposes us to attacks from our anxiety and/or depression.
Youre right, and it does suck!
Im sure, without a doubt, that Id be ok if I didnt suffer with so much stuff.. every few weeks my womens problems come around and I feel like Im back at square one, the bodily symptoms kick in, some mild depression and it all feels a mess (Some periods I feel suicidal!)! It just ends up being so disheartening.. 2 steps forward, 1 back all the time it feels :(
My 'blips' tend to occur when i've hardly slept the night before, I wake up feeling horrid and really anxious and panicky, and lingers until I catch up on the sleep i've missed, and the other one tends to be when I rush to do things and don't take my time, this makes me feel yucky and anxious when I start to go at a more 'normal' pace.
M blips happened after stressful events, never during and people often comment how well I deal with the c**p that has been thrown at my family in the last few years.
Someone even said to me not long ago that they thought I was one of the strongest people they know (hysterical laughter here). What these people don't see is how I react when I'm on my own.
I may be different though as I have other health issues, Fibromyalgia and possible ms and when I have a relapse I'm never sure if the relapses causes my blips or my blips are a symptom of my illnesses i.e. are panic attacks and anxiety a symptom of Fibromyalgia or possible ms or does having the illnesses just trigger panic attacks and anxiety? Guess I'll never really be sure :shrug:
as others have said, my blips tend to happen after one or a series of stressful events. During the stressful time i seem on the surface to function normally and then when i get those 5 mins to unwind...well, all hell breaks loose. I have a very over analytical mind and i dont think this helps as i spend hours analysing what happened, how did it happen, did i cause it, how could i have behaved differently etc etc. For me this behaviour is what separates me from a lot of my friends, as in whilst i cope at the time, its my learned behaviour of retrospective analysis that then brings on the feelings of panic and anxiety.
Lack of sleep, over work, juggling too many plates also contributes, as do pandering to the demands of family members, being all things to all men i guess. Sometimes i suffer a big blip so to speak, if i have ignored the signs of anxiety (i feel that if i am ignoring them, then i am coping...but the reality is i will get bitten in the bum when i least expect it..and always, it seems to catch up with me if i am driving or on public transport in rush hour..)
Another trigger i have only recently realised is if i have been supporting other people; family, colleagues, friends etc through a traumatic time , some weeks later i get very anxious and panicky...i guess this is because i am absorbing myself in helping others and to some extent am neglecting my own needs.
I am not on any medication at the minute, and in fact only ever used citalopram in varying doses for a 6 month period 5 years ago.
My husband keeps reminding me that ignoring my own needs and keeping my own cards close to my chest is what caused me to feel unwell in the first place and whilst i have tried to confide in others and have tried counselling etc, i never feel fully comfortable in talking about my own feelings and this then gives the impression that i am doing ok. Suffice to say, most of the time i am not and whilst i have good support of friends and family, i fear that until i can get over the feelings that i am burdening or bothering people then i will always be prone to these bouts of depression and anxiety.
So i guess i have to sum up by saying my trigger and cause of my blips is neglecting my feelings and not facing up to the things that are bothering me. I would rather be immersed in helping other people even though i know i am stockpiling problems for myself by behaving in this way .
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