How to confront impending doom?

Hi guys,

I feel physically unwell most of the time. It can be perfectly explained by the copious amounts of stress I have had over the years and being hypersensitive/aware of my body.
Accompanying the weak and exhausted feeling (e.g: me feeling unsteady, as if I have wobbly legs and the ground not being flat) is the feeling of impeding doom, that my heart will stop at any moment because my body just feels too weak.

I have been trying to confront this fear for quite some time now, but it is still very much present. Does anybody have experience with ways to deal with it?
(I have done cbt, used snri/ssri, and to some extent yoga and meditation).
What I think I am looking for is a mindset that I can adopt, acceptance.

Thank you in advance.

I think that you just have to keep putting the work in. Impending doom is up in the top 20 anxiety symptoms, so it’s pretty common. I’m a bit of a catastrophist (I don’t think that’s an actual word!) so probably think like this a lot too. You’ve had lots of experience with anxiety solutions, which one do you think might give you the answers?


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Originally Posted by Scass

I think that you just have to keep putting the work in. Impending doom is up in the top 20 anxiety symptoms, so it’s pretty common. I’m a bit of a catastrophist (I don’t think that’s an actual word!) so probably think like this a lot too. You’ve had lots of experience with anxiety solutions, which one do you think might give you the answers?


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Thank you for reacting!

I spoke about it with my psychologist today and he straight up asked how many times I have evaded death because of my fears. That answer is obviously ‘zero times’. But still, the thought of me dropping dead comes sometimes at least a dozen times an hour. It is also strongly connected to all the physical symptoms that I have.

To answer your question: I know the things that make my fear worse: sleeping late, drinking coffee, and exerting myself (being really tired) and then going out. But I haven’t really found a healthy coping yet.

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Originally Posted by Perpetual

Hi guys,

I feel physically unwell most of the time. It can be perfectly explained by the copious amounts of stress I have had over the years and being hypersensitive/aware of my body.
Accompanying the weak and exhausted feeling (e.g: me feeling unsteady, as if I have wobbly legs and the ground not being flat) is the feeling of impeding doom, that my heart will stop at any moment because my body just feels too weak.

I have been trying to confront this fear for quite some time now, but it is still very much present. Does anybody have experience with ways to deal with it?
(I have done cbt, used snri/ssri, and to some extent yoga and meditation).
What I think I am looking for is a mindset that I can adopt, acceptance.

Thank you in advance.

---

Health anxiety is exhausting because the mind is never at rest. It's always scanning the body for signs of disease and imminent death, but the human body is stronger than you think, and it will generally take care of itself with a little common sense from us like eating and drinking healthily and addressing our stress levels.

While you are on the health anxiety running wheel - you will always feel ill.

You will always feel exhausted.

You will always feel like you are about to drop down dead. (even though we never do)

Instead of thinking of yourself as being weak, consider the magnificent job your body is currently doing to protect you - as it is you who is constantly triggering the stress response that fires out the stress hormones which are causing all your symptoms. Try and see you body in a different way - in the correct way - and you will regain control of this disorder. And don't imagine that half an hour of yoga or mediating on a teabag for five minutes will do it because it takes a long time for to desensitise the body, and it is very much a case of 'work in progress'. With diligence, the good days start to outnumber the crap ones, but there really is no quick fix - even with medication because meds only treat the symptoms of anxiety - not the cause.

My anxiety ramped up a few months ago, and so did my symptoms, but I've had my struggles with HA and I know how far the mind can take me. Four years ago I constantly felt like I was on the brink of dying. I lived from minute to minute because I couldn't cope with the prospect of hours, so I know what you're talking about. I also know that I will recover from this bout of severe anxiety by practicing good 'housekeeping' of my body and mind, and the most important thing is to accept that I am going to feel shit, but I am going to get on with my day.

You've said it yourself: acceptance, and acceptance is feeling shit, but getting on with your life anyway.

The brain can be stubborn when breaking a habit (and health anxiety is a thinking habit) but it's absolutely doable.

"Mediating on a teabag"..The mind boggles!:DTannin Therapy has always been helpful for me..None of that camomile shite though!

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Originally Posted by pulisa

"Mediating on a teabag"..The mind boggles!:DTannin Therapy has always been helpful for me..None of that camomile shite though!

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I stopped drinking chamomile because I eventually connected it to hayfever symptoms, even in winter when I don't get hayfever. It was back to Yorkshire tea for me.:yesyes:

P.S I have stared at a teabag before now. Draw a line at raisins though.:ohmy:

I drink loose leaf tea! Love the smell of earl grey with bergamot!

Staring at teabags..Is that Mindfulness or inertia?:D Is staring at raisins currant best practice as prescribed by NICE guidelines?

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Originally Posted by NoraB

Health anxiety is exhausting because the mind is never at rest. It's always scanning the body for signs of disease and imminent death, but the human body is stronger than you think, and it will generally take care of itself with a little common sense from us like eating and drinking healthily and addressing our stress levels.

While you are on the health anxiety running wheel - you will always feel ill.

You will always feel exhausted.

You will always feel like you are about to drop down dead. (even though we never do)

Instead of thinking of yourself as being weak, consider the magnificent job your body is currently doing to protect you - as it is you who is constantly triggering the stress response that fires out the stress hormones which are causing all your symptoms. Try and see you body in a different way - in the correct way - and you will regain control of this disorder. And don't imagine that half an hour of yoga or mediating on a teabag for five minutes will do it because it takes a long time for to desensitise the body, and it is very much a case of 'work in progress'. With diligence, the good days start to outnumber the crap ones, but there really is no quick fix - even with medication because meds only treat the symptoms of anxiety - not the cause.

My anxiety ramped up a few months ago, and so did my symptoms, but I've had my struggles with HA and I know how far the mind can take me. Four years ago I constantly felt like I was on the brink of dying. I lived from minute to minute because I couldn't cope with the prospect of hours, so I know what you're talking about. I also know that I will recover from this bout of severe anxiety by practicing good 'housekeeping' of my body and mind, and the most important thing is to accept that I am going to feel shit, but I am going to get on with my day.

You've said it yourself: acceptance, and acceptance is feeling shit, but getting on with your life anyway.

The brain can be stubborn when breaking a habit (and health anxiety is a thinking habit) but it's absolutely doable.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to give such an elaborate answer. I will keep coming back to your comment whenever I feel doubtful again. Thank you.

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Originally Posted by pulisa

I drink loose leaf tea! Love the smell of earl grey with bergamot!

Staring at teabags..Is that Mindfulness or inertia?:D Is staring at raisins currant best practice as prescribed by NICE guidelines?

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I used to LOVE drinking Earl Grey. The bergamot is fabulous! However, my body hates me, and I became sensitive to citrus (migraines) so now I can't drink it anymore. *sulk*

I actually spent ten minutes of my life (or thereabouts) listening to a bloke go into detail about a raisin. :unsure: Now, I'll happily stare at a pic of Tom Hardy for hours...:D

NoraB, thank you for making your post. Though like you, I have mostly gotten a handle on my health anxieties over the years, I've been in a rough patch the past couple of weeks. It came to a head this week as I took a road trip to the northern Michigan wilderness with my girlfriend for a "pandemic-free" getaway. I suddenly found myself in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, (but with wifi at the cabin so I could see this) a far drive from any hospital, and feeling exactly as the OP, Pertinent, described. Weak, wobbly, dizzy, exhausted, hyperaware, etc. And so my mind went all the way down the rabbit hole that here I was, stuck in the wilderness, about to collapse and probably die because there would be no ambulance to even get to me, let alone take me to a hospital in time. The fact that I am far from an "outdoorsy" guy definitely added to the anxiety as I was in a type of environment I was not even remotely familiar with.

It made for a pretty rough first two days as I tried to suppress the panic and anxiety as much as possible so as not to ruin the trip for my gf, trying to smile for pictures and such. What I didn't realize at the time was that fighting it, suppressing it, was the exact opposite of what was needed. Fortunately the gf had taken the first couple of days easy too, and so we weren't very active. But then the third and final day came and we had several things on the agenda and I was sure my body would just completely shut down on me.

I lied awake late that night catastrophizing and ruminating over and over and finally I decided to read the NMP forum and then boom, here was this thread. Reading your post I resolved that my weapon the next day against my fear would be the acceptance and expectation you described. That in my state, there was no way the day would be free of troubling symptoms and troubling thoughts, I had put my body through the wringer far too much for it to just evaporate in a day. I also decided to meet those symptoms with a reframing of my body as you said, that they weren't a sign of imminent death, or doom, but rather they were a sign that my body is putting up with quite a bit of hassle from my brain and soldiering on anyways! That my body is strong enough to go on a moderate hike, etc.

So I went through the day with that exact line of defense, and sure enough, the wobbly feelings came, the sense of doom, the feeling of being short of breath, etc, all came on several times throughout the day...and it wasn't easy but each time I reminded myself they were supposed to happen, accepted that they would continue, and that my body was enough. 17,000 fitbit steps and a lot of wonderful natural scenery later, I had gotten through the day, and it turned out to be quite an enjoyable and memorable day! So thank you once again. I'm continuing that pattern now at home, but it's of course much easier now in familiar territory.

Pertinent, I can't offer any advice better than NoraB did. Accept and reframe. It will be a prolonged battle, not an instant win. But you can do it.

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Originally Posted by jray23

Reading your post I resolved that my weapon the next day against my fear would be the acceptance and expectation you described. That in my state, there was no way the day would be free of troubling symptoms and troubling thoughts, I had put my body through the wringer far too much for it to just evaporate in a day. I also decided to meet those symptoms with a reframing of my body as you said, that they weren't a sign of imminent death, or doom, but rather they were a sign that my body is putting up with quite a bit of hassle from my brain and soldiering on anyways! That my body is strong enough to go on a moderate hike, etc.

So I went through the day with that exact line of defense, and sure enough, the wobbly feelings came, the sense of doom, the feeling of being short of breath, etc, all came on several times throughout the day...and it wasn't easy but each time I reminded myself they were supposed to happen, accepted that they would continue, and that my body was enough. 17,000 fitbit steps and a lot of wonderful natural scenery later, I had gotten through the day, and it turned out to be quite an enjoyable and memorable day! So thank you once again. I'm continuing that pattern now at home, but it's of course much easier now in familiar territory.

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Thank you so much for this feedback!

This has made my day!:yesyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jray23

NoraB, thank you for making your post. Though like you, I have mostly gotten a handle on my health anxieties over the years, I've been in a rough patch the past couple of weeks. It came to a head this week as I took a road trip to the northern Michigan wilderness with my girlfriend for a "pandemic-free" getaway. I suddenly found myself in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, (but with wifi at the cabin so I could see this) a far drive from any hospital, and feeling exactly as the OP, Pertinent, described. Weak, wobbly, dizzy, exhausted, hyperaware, etc. And so my mind went all the way down the rabbit hole that here I was, stuck in the wilderness, about to collapse and probably die because there would be no ambulance to even get to me, let alone take me to a hospital in time. The fact that I am far from an "outdoorsy" guy definitely added to the anxiety as I was in a type of environment I was not even remotely familiar with.

It made for a pretty rough first two days as I tried to suppress the panic and anxiety as much as possible so as not to ruin the trip for my gf, trying to smile for pictures and such. What I didn't realize at the time was that fighting it, suppressing it, was the exact opposite of what was needed. Fortunately the gf had taken the first couple of days easy too, and so we weren't very active. But then the third and final day came and we had several things on the agenda and I was sure my body would just completely shut down on me.

I lied awake late that night catastrophizing and ruminating over and over and finally I decided to read the NMP forum and then boom, here was this thread. Reading your post I resolved that my weapon the next day against my fear would be the acceptance and expectation you described. That in my state, there was no way the day would be free of troubling symptoms and troubling thoughts, I had put my body through the wringer far too much for it to just evaporate in a day. I also decided to meet those symptoms with a reframing of my body as you said, that they weren't a sign of imminent death, or doom, but rather they were a sign that my body is putting up with quite a bit of hassle from my brain and soldiering on anyways! That my body is strong enough to go on a moderate hike, etc.

So I went through the day with that exact line of defense, and sure enough, the wobbly feelings came, the sense of doom, the feeling of being short of breath, etc, all came on several times throughout the day...and it wasn't easy but each time I reminded myself they were supposed to happen, accepted that they would continue, and that my body was enough. 17,000 fitbit steps and a lot of wonderful natural scenery later, I had gotten through the day, and it turned out to be quite an enjoyable and memorable day! So thank you once again. I'm continuing that pattern now at home, but it's of course much easier now in familiar territory.

Pertinent, I can't offer any advice better than NoraB did. Accept and reframe. It will be a prolonged battle, not an instant win. But you can do it.

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I only noticed at the end that you were referring to me with ‘Pertinent’, haha. Quite amazing how a question from somebody on the other side of the world was answered by another person and that answer came to your attention at the perfect moment.
Thank you. It definitely is a battle for the long run, and one we will have to let go at the same time as fighting it. Take care buddy!

Oops, sorry, I don't know where I got 'Pertinent' from 'Perpetual'!

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