Anxiety which doesnt feel like it/ brain is tricking me.

[Decco]

right guys my anxiety got worse after finishing my a-level exams (have been dealing with severe anxiety which is kind of generalised and isnt situational for over 2 years), i was drinking for a few days with my mates at a party suddenly felt like my body had been split in two, after this felt dizzyness and panic which has now gone away. this led directly to the problem in the next week or so (1 month in the past) my appetite was destroyed, i wasnt sleeping and anxiety was eating me alive. right now i am feeling sick very regularly and have a weird panic feeling in my head when i think about anxiety and when i have normal thoughts its like my brain i dectecting everything to be a threat (had a similar thing before which i overcame), however i dont feel particularly anxious which is making me doubt this is anxiety and making me think something is wrong with my brain, i have read article after article, podcasts had CBT tried Beta Blockers and nothing helps. i am able to cope with this at this stage as i have had much worse in the past, its like when i feel positive about the problem my anxiety knocks me back down to feeling doubt, my emotions have been relatively unstable aswell. i have no medical history of any physical problems, blood test came back fine same with ECGs that i have had its like my brain is trying to convince me that its not anxiety when it obviously is and i am able to rationalise with this which is leaving me confused as i know anxiety is the culprit. there is nothing in my life to cause me stress (which i presume is the main cause of feeling sick) which leaves me even more confused, the sick feeling hits me as soon as i wake up.

the conclusion i have come to is that my brain is completely over stimulated looking for threats and it is making normal things in my body feel weird which in turn in causing me to worry (eventhough it doesnt feel like im worrying) which thinking about the anxiety constantly is making me feel sick eventhough i dont feel nervous as i am filled with self doubt. i also think this is caused by fear of the anxiety my next appointment with my therapist is on the 19th august and its obvious that CBT has reached its level of effectiveness and i need to maybe speak to a psychiatrist unpick whats going on and try medications which i feel i should wait to ask my therapist about maybe a referral or should i make an emergency appointment with my GP as this is no way to live life. what does everyone else think/ has anyone experienced this regarding feeling nauseous but not feeling very anxious. also here the anxiety came before the symptoms as i have had moderate/severe anxiety for over 2 years.

[Decco]

i also feel like this problem is going to stop me attending university which makes me feel like i am a complete failure and i have let myself and my family down. i am also different from my mates, they can get on with stuff and go out and enjoy themselves and i cant and its absolutely soul destroying i just wish i could be teleported back 3 years.

[ankietyjoe]

What you're describing is common with anxiety. Anxiety doesn't stop when stress stops. Your body learns to react in a certain way over weeks or months (sometimes years) and recovery from anxiety will also take weeks or months. Anxiety can also present almost any symptom your body is capable of experience as the adrenaline and central nervous system stop other systems in the body from working at their best. This includes sleep, digestion, cognition, touch, smell....anything.

I would absolutely avoid alcohol for a start. Alcohol is actually a toxin and puts your body on high alert every time you drink. Your liver has to deal with the alcohol before it does anything else, and it almost always increases anxiety and depression in the following days.

I would also suggest not going down the route of psychology/psychiatry to try and find a reason for the anxiety, as it's almost always caused by stress. The key is how to react to anxiety, not why it's there. In short, 'ignore it and it'll go away' is the fundamental cure over time. This is how CBT and meditation work, by distracting your mind from the feeling of anxiety and not analysing it into a much larger problem.

[Decco]

yea thanks for your reply, the only thing thats bothering me is feeling nauseous which i dont really have any explaination for as i dont feel overly stressed,i guess it is possible that this symptom ccan be caused by anxiety as it seems to have started just after my exams around drinking in which i was very stressed for as i left my alevels to the last week. this is what i try telling myself but i create self doubt of this and feel a even more powerful nauseous feeling when i think about it which i find weird as i dont feel panic anymore which my anxiety has been around for 2 years which seems to have gone away.

[Decco]

I think that I have subconsciously been oberthinking which I am now targeting on after I Sat down one night I noticed this sick feeling and panic feeling was coming when I am actively thinking about anxiety or have a perceived anxious thought

[ankietyjoe]

Stomach issues and IBS are very common with stress and anxiety, and again, don't have to occur at the time you're under stress. The fallout from being stressed usually happens after the event.

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239