Sudden Anxiety about my health

LegacyUser

Hi all,

I'm sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong spot.

I wonder if anyone can relate to this. It's so very bizarre to me.

I'm 36, Fit (training 3+ times a week in the gym), Healthy (Eat very clean 80% of the time) Happy, I feel like I've a good job, which I enjoy, it can be stressful but I've never let it get to me. I love my apartment, have good friends and a good relationship with my family. I've never had any psychological or mental problems before.

So, in the last 3 - 6 months I've started having really bizarre anxiety episodes where I basically convince myself I'm dying or in dnager of dying despite it being completely ridiculous and over the top. I think on some level it's stemming from living alone - although I've lived alone for the last 3 years.

Basically - about twice a week now; If I feel my heart racing, or if I get a twitch, or if I feel any kind of weirdness (and I mean, really minor stuff I'd probably never have noticed in the past) I can full on convince myself thati've ingested some kind of poison (cue frantically searching google for symptoms of food poisoning, heart failure, any random disease that meets my symptoms).

I then feel like there is no air in the room which I now understand to be an anxiety attack, of course then I really do think I'm dying..... At one point I was driving over a bridge to go to work (it's been there about 200 years, solid structure, thousands drive over it every day) and because there was a truck in front of me I convinced myself it would probably collapse. Nightmare.

I know I sound like a mad person and I haven't realy confided in anyone other than my mum as she's taken a few phonecalls from me and I've gone to stay in her house when I've been afraid to go to sleep in case I don't wake up.

I'm also triple checking plugs and switches to make sure my home doesn't go on fire, whereas before (6 months ago) I was kind of careless leaving chargers plugged in for months with nothing attached.

I kind of hate this new me and cannot think of one thing that's brought it on. I'm not looking for medical advice but wonder if anyone knows does this wear off or go away. It's kind of getting to me now

Thank you

zoobizoo

Have you thought about going to talk to a professional about it?

Have a read of The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr. Robert someone or other....

There are some good exercises for confronting certain thinking styles...

seefin

goinganon8765 wrote:

Basically - about twice a week now; If I feel my heart racing, or if I get a twitch, or if I feel any kind of weirdness (and I mean, really minor stuff I'd probably never have noticed in the past) I can full on convince myself thati've ingested some kind of poison (cue frantically searching google for symptoms of food poisoning, heart failure, any random disease that meets my symptoms).

Sounds like panic attacks/OCD. Try find a good Cbt counsellor. Can you go to your GP for advice. Don't ignore , try knock in the head before it takes over your life totally

B0jangles

3rding the panic attacks/anxiety suggestions.

I have had very similar sorts of things - completely irrational fears about very unlikely things that seemed to come out of the blue. You say your job is stressful but up 'til now that hasn't been a problem- is it possible that your job stress has been building up in you subconsciously?

I ask because I remember when I was in a very very stressful job situation I had something similar occur; one day, out of nowhere, the possibility that -something terrible- was about to happen to me (no details cause I don't want to risk feeding your anxiety!). It turned into a horrible phobia that took over a year to fade and which still pops up occasionally when I'm stressed, but in a much weaker form. My own theory is that what is happening is that a mass of unfocused anxiety builds up and up in us over time and eventually finds some kind of focus, some fear to latch onto - the actual focus itself is pretty random, it's the anxiety that needs to be dissipated.

From my own experience I would strongly recommend that you get help with this as soon as possible; these things tend to get stronger and more controlling over time. I admit that I didn't but it took ages to get rid of it and it would have been a lot faster and less unpleasant if I'd just gone to the doctor.

pinksoir

I've been there. Don't leave it to sort itself out. Go to a doctor and arrange to meet with a counsellor/therapist. Anxiety is often your subconscious telling you there's something wrong in your life. Find what it is.