Really upset & worried... :'(

[87sal87]

I'm going through hell at the moment, my whole family have been ill for the past week or so. They've had flu & I'm worried it's been swine flu. My Mum & Dad seem to be getting round but my sister is still really ill & I'm really worried about her. Last Christmas was horrible because of my anxiety & I really didn't want anything to ruin this one. :(

I even had a dream a few weeks ago where someone/a voice told me that 'one of you will be dead by boxing day' that was even before any of us got ill. Which has scared me out of my wits'!

& I'm really worried about my sister, we're really close & I couldn't live without her. I don't want to lose any of my family or see them in hospital so near Christmas. They're all I've got. I've been crying for the past few hours & I just snapped at my Mum & told her to take the decorations down because it's all going to be ruined :weep: I feel so bad but I can't help it, I'm terrified.

& Not only that, I haven't caught it yet & I'm waiting with baited breath for my symptoms to start...I'm so frightened. :weep: & I've just read that being overweight can be a risk factor for Swine flu, which I am, not severely but still classed as overweight.

I just want everyone to be well & okay...I don't know what to do...:weep:

[andrew]

Hi 87Sal,

Not sure why your post didnt get any replies yet but I'll try and write something. Hopefully you are feeling better today.

About not knowing what to do - this is all your anxieties messing with your feelings and thoughts. Do try and reassure yourself that this is your anxieties escalating your fears or talk to people that you feel safe with or trust to help you find some serenity. And it was just a bad dream, it'll be okay. Try not to spend too much time on your own, talk alot, try and stay busy doing stuff you like.

Im well, I hope your well, keep your chin up.

[harasgenster]

Hi 87Sal
I'm sorry you're feeling so bad. Just try to remember that all of this is just anxiety. Do your family know you feel this way and suffer from anxiety? Do you feel comfortable talking to them?

Sometimes I find it helpful to just confess what I'm thinking (even if it's completely mad!) to someone who knows me well. Generally we have a good laugh about it, especially if it's something very irrational.

I don't know whether it would help you to view it as a joke or whether it would make you feel worse, so I don't want to suggest it wholeheartedly, but I do often find it helpful to step back from irrational thoughts - I'm sure that you can appreciate that, although it was extremely frightening for you, the voice you heard was not real - and see them for what they are. Realise that your mind is playing tricks on you and think about how that voice is just the same as seeing pink elephants. It's a hallucination. It's scary but you shouldn't let it get to you.