Not doing very well….

[Chlobo]

They’re unusually large, really dilated and it takes a couple of hours for them to go back to normal. It’s only when I wake up as I get up about 6/6.30am
But it scares me

But I was told it’s due to SSRI’s. I take mine at night. But it’s made me too scared to take them. I worry my eyes won’t go back to normal, and I panic about them reacting to light and I can’t stop shining lights in them.

[BlueIris]

Still nothing to be scared of. Chlobo, you need to start acknowledging your thoughts as irrational or you really will be stuck like this.

Acknowledge, and move on.

[Chlobo]

Still nothing to be scared of. Chlobo, you need to start acknowledging your thoughts as irrational or you really will be stuck like this.

Acknowledge, and move on.

That’s the hardest part, to acknowledge and move on would be a dream. I just don’t know how people do it.
This feeling in my eyebrow is really worrying me tonight. It’s one thing after another and it’s constant, it’s one thing one day and another the next

[Chlobo]

Guys I feel awful.
My forehead feels so weird, like above my eyebrows where I had them waxed.
They feel alien, like my skin is sort of bulging. It feels numb. And I keep getting a hot face. I keep having thoughts where I’m going to have to go to A&E. my forehead feels really tight as well like a band is round it. I’m scared

[Chlobo]

Is anyone available to chat?
I’m worried about this eye brow feeling. It’s been like this for about 3 days now. Just feels numb patch and odd when I move it. I told my mum and she said stop focusing on it and forget it. But I’m really struggling

[BlueIris]

What good do you think chatting will do? I'd be happy to make conversation as a distraction, but I don't know whether that's what you want.

[Chlobo]

What good do you think chatting will do? I'd be happy to make conversation as a distraction, but I don't know whether that's what you want.

I don’t know, I guess when I say chat I mean reassurance :(

[Fishmanpa]

I don’t know, I guess when I say chat I mean reassurance :(

Appreciate the honesty. Hope you feel better soon.

FMP

[BlueIris]

I'm with FMP; hope you can get past this. Unfortunately, the only reassurance that sticks is the sort that comes from within.

[NoraB]

I’ve really been trying to stay away from articles and anything triggering, but I just seem to get these random symptoms that send me down a hole regardless. I’ve moved on from my mouth now because I’ve got this numb feeling on a patch above my eyebrow, it’s really odd. I get like a pulling feeling when I move my eyebrow too, it just feels numb and weird. I had my eyebrows waxed on Tuesday and it came on soon after that so I don’t know if it’s related.

So this sensation came on AFTER you'd had your eyebrows waxed (which I presume involves a 'pulling sensation as the wax comes off) and you 'don't know if it's related'? Of course you don't. You have health anxiety!

I feel completely exhausted as well.

Anxiety creates & uses up a LOT of energy..

I’ve stopped taking my Citalopram because In the mornings I’m waking up with huge pupils and it scares me. I’m not sure I can cope with that as a side affect.

Dilated pupils is a side effect with some people. I recall I had that as a side effect when I was taking them years ago..

Also, it's not a good idea to stop taking meds without your GP's guidance..

Today I’ve tried to use distraction but my brain just keeps going in the background, I’ve put some washing away, and tidied up but I can’t help the thoughts of panic sneaking in. It’s everyday at the moment, the uncertainty of everything is just making me worry constantly.

Those thoughts are going to keep kicking your @rse until you learn to challenge them but moving about sure as hell beats sitting (or lying) around because at least you are discharging some of the stress hormones which are responsible for so many of those unpleasant symptoms..

I’ve got some PTSD relating to brain issues as my brother had a brain tumour when I was in my early 20’s. He’s all good now but it was traumatising at the time,

Try and remember this the next time you think that illness = death..

I don’t want my body to keep throwing these weird sensations at me that make me panic, I just want to feel normal. I’m just a constant state of anxiety and worry.

I'll re-write this for you..

I'm in a constant state of anxiety and worry so my body is throwing out weird sensations at me that make me panic.

The latter half of what you've written (as in your thoughts) is actually the cause of all those weird (and normal) sensations and symptoms. Your thoughts are triggering your fight or flight response (normal) and releasing stress hormones including adrenalin & cortisol (these are STIMULATING hormones) Now imagine adding these stimulating hormones to an already over-stimulated system? You're going to feel like shit, right?

Even if you start to put the work in now, it will be a long time before you feel anything like 'normal' Chlobo. It's taken me 4 years to recover from mental breakdown and that's involved working my @rse off on a daily basis - especially on my shittest days. I'm still not back to how I was before I broke down and maybe I never will be? But I'm no longer controlled by health anxiety, and that was the goal..