ArfurPint
21-11-05, 11:41
Hi everyone,
I signed up a while ago and haven't posted up until now as I've been feeling pretty good.
Well, the train has come off the rails again and I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself (typical man eh ?).
I've had anxiety for over 5 years now, and in the main, I can control it by being sensible with things like diet, sleep, exercise, relaxation - the usual things..
But after a few months of feeling OK, my good habits start to fall by the way-side and I let the stress levels build up again, thinking : "I'm OK now..I don't need to worry about that anxiety stuff anymore".
I've read an awful lot about anxiety, I know the symptoms and underlying causes, but what frustrates me is that just having that information and knowledge isn't enough to beat it. It is almost impossible to think rationally when having an anxiety episode. In my case, I become fixated on problems with my heart, which I know a lot of people suffer with.
On Saturday and Sunday night, I was very close to getting in my car and driving down to the hospital, thinking the same old thoughts : "No, all the other times, I know it was anxiety, this time I'm sure I've got a heart problem". Its the palpitations that really frighten me...I spend ages just taking my pulse, noticing how often my heart skips beats (even though I know that by doing that, I'm feeding the attack). After a weekend of thinking I'm going to die at any moment, I'm feeling a bit battered today..
When I first started having the issues, my GP was very good and sent me to have checks at the hospital for my heart, including a thorough examination from a consultant cardiologist, and I was given the all clear. My symptoms are the same now as they were then so there is no rational reason to suspect that I've since developed heart problems, but the doubts still persist when I get one of these episodes. I do lots of running (usually three times a week) with no issues at all...it is all in my head !!!
Well, that's my rant over with. I know that a lot of people suffer a great deal more than I do and I should be thankful that I can control my symptoms for much of the time, but I am so sick of losing chunks of my life to this stupid 'illness'. Thanks for listening.
I signed up a while ago and haven't posted up until now as I've been feeling pretty good.
Well, the train has come off the rails again and I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself (typical man eh ?).
I've had anxiety for over 5 years now, and in the main, I can control it by being sensible with things like diet, sleep, exercise, relaxation - the usual things..
But after a few months of feeling OK, my good habits start to fall by the way-side and I let the stress levels build up again, thinking : "I'm OK now..I don't need to worry about that anxiety stuff anymore".
I've read an awful lot about anxiety, I know the symptoms and underlying causes, but what frustrates me is that just having that information and knowledge isn't enough to beat it. It is almost impossible to think rationally when having an anxiety episode. In my case, I become fixated on problems with my heart, which I know a lot of people suffer with.
On Saturday and Sunday night, I was very close to getting in my car and driving down to the hospital, thinking the same old thoughts : "No, all the other times, I know it was anxiety, this time I'm sure I've got a heart problem". Its the palpitations that really frighten me...I spend ages just taking my pulse, noticing how often my heart skips beats (even though I know that by doing that, I'm feeding the attack). After a weekend of thinking I'm going to die at any moment, I'm feeling a bit battered today..
When I first started having the issues, my GP was very good and sent me to have checks at the hospital for my heart, including a thorough examination from a consultant cardiologist, and I was given the all clear. My symptoms are the same now as they were then so there is no rational reason to suspect that I've since developed heart problems, but the doubts still persist when I get one of these episodes. I do lots of running (usually three times a week) with no issues at all...it is all in my head !!!
Well, that's my rant over with. I know that a lot of people suffer a great deal more than I do and I should be thankful that I can control my symptoms for much of the time, but I am so sick of losing chunks of my life to this stupid 'illness'. Thanks for listening.