What is anxiety?

[agent orange]

I have supposedly been suffering from health anxiety for many years now. I just wanted to know what and how does true anxiety manifest itself? I do not very often suffer from Panic attacks and the symptoms related to that, however my mind is constantly 24/7 thinking about what illness's that I am supposed to have. My wife calls that anxiety. I have symptoms of dizziness,headaches,aches and pains and many more. As I type my head feels like it is detached from me and that it is not part of my body and often it feelws like this. I suffer from exhaustion, high heart rate, but it's better when i'm resting. Does this sound like anxiety? I have been diagnosed with Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder also. Any suggestions?

P.s I don't even feel anxious now, I just have these odd physical symptoms.

[agent orange]

Anyone??

[Veronica H]

Sounds like classic anxiety to me.:) The overthinking is the clue. Have you tried CBT or mindfulness?:hugs:.

Veronicax

[agent orange]

no i've not tried mindfulness, i am awaiting a blend of cat and cbt therapy, but mindfulness has been mentioned.

[HaiXiJieJacob]

I remember when I first started having anxiety was when I was in my junior year in college (university) and I had my first panic attack while I was driving. It was the worst feeling ever, like I was going to pass out and having a heart attack at the same time. However, a short time after my panic attacks started, I developed an anxiety disorder (GAD -- Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

Your symptoms sound similar to mine, and the physical symptoms of anxiety can be truly concerning. I remember looking into the mirror at times and feeling like I wasn't looking at myself. I remember also feeling detached from my body. I remember the palpitations, the sweating, the tight neck, the strange feelings in my head...worse yet, I remember fearing a brain tumor for the longest time.

That was when I developed health anxiety, fearing a brain tumor. The truth is, your symptoms sound so much like mine before I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, that I am sure your symptoms are all anxiety related. I still worry frequently about brain tumors and haven't quite moved on. But, I know as time goes on it will only get better.

[agent orange]

But my question is, Why is it anxiety if I am not having Panic attacks, but my symptoms still exist. It is a strange situation. I feel all the symptoms are bad health, but my doctor does not see this, yes of course I suffer from illnesses, we all do, but why do i feel so weird all the time, I don't think I'm alone. Thank you to those who have posted.

[HaiXiJieJacob]

From the research I have done, just because you have Anxiety (and there are multiple disorders of anxiety), does not mean you HAVE TO have panic attacks along with it. For some people, they suffer from the mental and physical effects of anxiety and they never experience a panic attack in their lives.

Also, from my experience with anxiety, it doesn't always have mental or physical symptoms at the same time. I remember just when I was working out in the gym, lifting weights, and running I would look in the mirrors that would surround me in the gym and just think to myself, "Why does it feel like I am not looking at myself." I felt disconnected from my body even in such normal circumstances as working out.

I understand you know your body, and you are concerned with bad health. However, it just doesn't sound like anything more than anxiety. Including myself, and all the people I have talked to who have suffered from anxiety (including my mother), your case sounds no different. If it were truly bad health, you wouldn't be here sitting at a computer looking at a forum, you'd be in bed trying to recover from whatever it was that was ailing you. Anxiety is a strange disorder, but it too has physical symptoms much like the one's you've described, despite your absence of panic attacks.

[agent orange]

Thank you for your reply haix, perhaps that is why i have a somatoform disorder, and i have not accepted fully that I am suffering from this debilitating disorder, and yes i think it is disabling (lol).

[HaiXiJieJacob]

I also find it a bit disabling. Best of luck to you.