how long do you think you need to be free from mental anxiety b4 the physical anxiety

[meemo]

Hi All

Just wondering, I have good days and i have bad days and just recently i haven't had a full blown panic attack for about 2/3 weeks, however still have that constant internal battle going on about illnesses and constant worry over what terrible illness i may or may not have. Anyway, when i have had a good day i kind of (stupidly) think, oh i am not anxious anymore so why am i still getting pains/aches/tingly sensations etc - this says to me it must be something other than my anxiety. Do other people get the physical symptoms not just only when they are having a panic attack but at other times as well , even on days when they think that they are doing ok? I guess my CBT therpaist would say it is the build up of adrenalin in your system blah blah. But sometimes i can feel relatively relaxed, laying in bed with the tv on and suddenly feel my heart do a whoosh or a thud or feel dizzy. So, please let me have your experiences on this subject as well.

thanks

[LeeBee]

I think that people who suffer anxiety can be experiencing anxiety without even realising it. It can of creep up on you without you being completely concious of it. And also, as you say, it can take a while for stress hormones to clear your system once released.
I'm currently experiencing constant low-level anxiety in relation to a mole on my face. I've got an appointment with a surgeon in 2 weeks to look at getting it removed and I have been trying hard to tell myself not to worry about it but I find myself checking it obsessively in the mirror - has it changed? does it hurt? does it look different to the way it did last week? have I got symptoms that might be CANCER??!! I'm touching it all the time too, which probably does make it hurt . I do this while I'm kind of thinking about other things half the time, so don't really notice that I'm doing it until I notice anxiety symptoms - my heart rate gets up, I feel a bit dizzy, sick etc. Sorry meemo. I'm not sure how helpful I'm being. Anyone else found a way of dealing with this??

[leigh08]

Hi All

Just wondering, I have good days and i have bad days and just recently i haven't had a full blown panic attack for about 2/3 weeks, however still have that constant internal battle going on about illnesses and constant worry over what terrible illness i may or may not have. Anyway, when i have had a good day i kind of (stupidly) think, oh i am not anxious anymore so why am i still getting pains/aches/tingly sensations etc - this says to me it must be something other than my anxiety. Do other people get the physical symptoms not just only when they are having a panic attack but at other times as well , even on days when they think that they are doing ok? I guess my CBT therpaist would say it is the build up of adrenalin in your system blah blah. But sometimes i can feel relatively relaxed, laying in bed with the tv on and suddenly feel my heart do a whoosh or a thud or feel dizzy. So, please let me have your experiences on this subject as well.

thanks

i feel like this at the moment last week i stopped having flutters and thought YES im on the right track yet i had problems this week to do with my vision and my lips becoming more puffy i think like you saying to myself i feel relaxed so why are my problems still persisting

[Miss Alissa]

Hi there

I remember reading on a site about ectopics a while back that people with an anxiety disorder can't react in the normal way to fear anymore - for others when the fear is gone they feel better and the physical symptoms of anxiety will subside. But for us - our signals have become so confused after months/even years of being in that 'fight or flight' state our bodies and our brains are geared up to react in a slightly skewed way. So it just takes a while for us to reprogramme our bodies and getting them working with our heads again. That's why so many people get freaked out by ectopics - because you expect them when you're stressed but not when you're relaxed and happy. But by the time you get to the panic attack stage or when an anxiety disorder gives you physical symptoms, your signals are already pretty messed up because of the pressure they've been under - the feeling relaxed, therefore no panic message doesn't apply to us in the same way. I think it takes quite a lot of untangling and along the way there will be times when it sneaks up and gets you because that's the way your body and brain have rewired themselves to react.

I suffered a few years back with really horrible acne after a particularly stressful and anxious time but it wasn't until months after the worst period that it flared up. My doctor - and acupuncturist - tried to explain that anxiety had put my body through a lot physically - every part of me had been tense and stretched and battered - and although my brain was starting to feel better, my body still had a bit of catching up to do. You'll get there - but just don't panic that it isn't instant - it's like taking a vitamin or trying a new skincare regime - it takes a good few months for your body to get used to it, to stabilise and start to react the way it should do to it.

Take care

A

x

[Blackstar]

Hi everyone,

I am in total agreement, Meemo - I still get physical symptoms even when I'm feeling relaxed (well, as relaxed as I ever get!). Sometimes, if the symptoms are unfamiliar or persistent, it takes a lot to stop myself getting into full-on anxiety state again...a very vicious circle. I read in my self-help book that HA sufferers believe that 'to be healthy means to be symptom-free', so no wonder we worry about every little sensation (and I really do!). It's the way we're made!

Alissa, I think your post was wonderful - it made so much sense to me and was comforting, in a way. I like the parallel between a new skincare regime and a new state of mind...yes, it stands to reason that it takes time to get used to being relaxed, when we've been so tense and stressed for so long! I'm sure I read somewhere that chronic stress makes your brain re-wire itself, so it all makes perfect sense.

Hmm, that was a bit waffly and I don't know how to conclude! Just to say take care everyone

Anna. x

[Rod]

I guess the answer is when it no longer worries you. Its not a very good or helpfull answer. These aches and pains we get, most people get in various degrees but unlike us it doesnt freak them out and thats the problem. Its the reaction to them that escalates the symptoms and causes them to stay.

My partner can get a pain in her chest and she thinks, well I over did it in the garden today and its almost forgotton. I get pain in my chest and think this is it, call an ambulance, I am having a heart attack and it gets worse. It spirals out of control.

Over time I have gotton used to some symtoms and they dont worry me at all anymore but there are usually new ones or more intense versions of old symtoms that come along to test me. There seems to be no reason sometimes but they still come.

I read Dr Claire Weekes books and put into practise her writings as much as possible, but it isnt easy.