Vicious Circle!

[sunday]

Hi,

I begin to have physical symptoms of anxiety 3 months ago, from the moment i stepped into a caravan we had booked for a weeks holiday. As soon as we got there i felt all 'funny' and wanted to leave. My husband made me stick it out, but all week i felt awful - lightheaded, dizzy, feeling of fear and depersonalised. I spent most of the time in bed! I kept saying to myself that as soon as i got back home, the feelings would pass, but three months on and i STILL feel the same! In my mind, i always thought that you can attribute anxiety to a certain situation eg: I have a job interview, i feel nervous -understandable! so how come these horrible feelings didnt disappear when i returned to my lovely home?! and now i feel its a vicious circle because the more i worry about the symptoms, the longer they stay! I dont have panic attacks, i just feel on the edge of fainting, or something ALL the time. It can be in any situation, weather on the sofa watching TV or in a Supermarket -which then gets me into the circle of 'is this a serious illness' because i cannot attribute it to anything in particular. It also begs the question - how can i get myself better, when i dont know what i am getting better from!!
Any advise would be great! x

[jo h]

Thats exactly it ..how to get better when you don't know what you have ....I am the same ....just want to shake it but am constantly thinking about it :( it is very much a vicious circle ....there must be a way back to normality ?

Jo

[kinnygirl1]

Hi there

Really identify with what you are saying - it just takes over your life doesn't it. I can say that it will pass in time (although I am having a bit of a relapse at the moment). One day you will just find that you have not thought about it so much, and the next day even less and so on. My GP was very helpful so might be worth a chat with yours about how you feel. I am on some medication which is not a cure by any means but has helped a bit I think. x

[jo h]

yes i think the medication does help a bit but i want to get through it without it..i think that worrying every waking hour is not helping me ...i am convinced i have something wrong in my chest ....i do hope u feel better soon too

[sunday]

Thanks for the replies. I'm pleased your the same (well not pleased we have to suffer like this but you know what i mean!) because anyone i talk to seem to think anxiety is just the 'scary butterfly feeling for something in particular' and cannot see what i mean by 'i feel weird all the time' and people aroound you soon forget and i dont like to go on about it too much for their sakes and also mine as well!
i have been to the docs and have been tested for all the usual - anemia etc. The doc keeps saying its the symptoms of anxiety but when you feel so PYSICALLY rubbish its hard to convince yourself that, thats what it is. PLus as i said before, it would be easier, i feel, if i could pinpoint it to something, but i cant - which then makes me anxious that i wont get rid of it - and so it begins again.....!
i'm determined not to go on meds, but understand that it can be necessary. i am still doing more or less the same things as i would normally do, as i dont want it to effect my life, even though alot of things are a struggle. but its so hard to make plans with people isnt it? i find theres always a thing in the back of my mind which enables me to have a back up get out plan for if i feel particularly rubbish. Normal everyday planning, that people take for granted, is a big deal! x

[jo h]

I could not have put it better myself ...I hate planning and if I know an event is coming up I worry I will feel too bad to go and am just glad when its over and i can get back in my comfort zone again ...and yes its hard to talk about it as i too don't really want people thinking I'm making it up etc ....well lets hope we can sort it and at least we can talk on here with like minded people which helps immensely xxx