"Floods" of anxiety

[Anzie2008]

After a tough end to 2007, and knowing there was more stress to come in 2008, I started suffering with Anxiety. When it started, it was mainly health anxiety as I was suffering dizzy spells constantly and kept feeling lightheaded & kept fearing I would faint. All of these symptoms were incredibly frightening to me & I began to worry I had a brain tumor or something just as serious. I couldn't let go of these thoughts for a long long time, took repeated trips to the doctors etc...

Anyway when I got through this, the lightheadedness eased & I learned to cope with the dizzy spells. However, I have still been left with this underlying anxiety. It doesn't seem to have a particular trigger... it seems more general & I can never really pinpoint what is I'm worried about. The one thing I have noticed however, is that I seem to get anxious days, or sometimes weeks, in advance of a certain event. For example, the week before I went to Horse Of The Year, I seemed to be having what I would describe as "anxiety attacks" throughout the week, but when the event actually came, I was fine & didn't suffer all day. It's like I get anxious when I'm anticipating something;and bizarrely, it seems to be something I'm excited about rather than worried about!!! Is this completely abnormal?!

I have never *touch wood* had what I would describe as a "panic attack". My main symptom these days, when I'm suffering, seems to be these "floods" of anxiety... hard to explain. Basically, a flood of adrenaline seems to come over me and I feel odd for a few seconds, almost as though I'm not sure how to react. It comes out of the blue half the time, and on one hand it can feel quite scary, like I'm about to have a proper panic attack, but on the other hand it feels as though it could be excitement... like an adrenaline rush when you're on a rollercoaster or something!!! Some people might think it's like a panic attack, but I don't really feel scared when it happens and I don't get any other symptoms such as shaking or palpitations, lightheadness, feeling sick etc... It's really weird.

It's still quite difficult to cope with though,there's always the fear I will have a full blown panic attack, although if I was going to have one of them, I think it might have happened already with all the stress I've had the past year!!!! At the moment, things are looking up; it's my birthday in 3 days and I'm having a meal with friends, so I'm really excited about that, and I'm wondering if that's why I'm getting these floods of adrenaline again !!!

What does everyone think?
xxxx

[Nechtan]

My anxiety and panic attacks started exactly the same way. I had what I believed at the time a bout of illness. I was light-headed and having dizzy spells while having the same fear as yourself so had the same repeated trips to the GP. After numerous blood tests, an ECG, nasal sprays and all manner of other things it was not until I had my first big panic attack that I realised what was happening- even then it was never really explained to me.

I cannot say with authority what you are experiencing but I personally think it is the fight or flight system. The reason though you are not having a panic attack is because of your own reaction to the symptoms. You are not fearing them. If you did fear them then that would lead to a panic attack and from what I have read that is how it happens. That can only be a good thing.

These fight or flight symptoms are no doubt as a result of your constant worry about your health. As I said that is how my own panic started with the difference being that I started to fear and recoil from the symptoms you are experiencing. If I had the knowledge I had now then I may have been able to react differently like yourself.

I hope this is of some help.

All the best

Nechtan

[Allye]

Adrenaline and anxiety are very closely related as you well know. Often the body will intepret an adenaline rush as an anxiety rush. I always stop and ask myself - am I anxious or am I actually just excited?

The mind is also a very funny thing. I still get feelings of anxiety even when I am not anxious - my counsellor told me the feelings are the last thing to go - unfortunately you have to just get on and do whatever it is you have to do. Eventually the mind will recognise this and the feelings will die down.

Take care

[Natural Mystic]

The mind is also a very funny thing. I still get feelings of anxiety even when I am not anxious - my counsellor told me the feelings are the last thing to go - unfortunately you have to just get on and do whatever it is you have to do. Eventually the mind will recognise this and the feelings will die down.

Take care

Is that why anxiety just floods me when I'm not anxious?

Mine don't go to panic attacks now, I think because I'm riding them rather than trying to fight them. Not saying it still isn't scary when it's happening.