Health anxiety

[bumbleflea123]

I'm 21 years of age and although I've suffered from panic attacks a couple of years ago they ceased after a couple of therapy sessions, as I thought I knew where I went wrong,
However now a couple of years later and a terrible two weeks in morocco they have returned, I'm currently on a waiting list for help, but I feel so lost and alone. I had a telephone appointment and was told I suffer from health anxiety where I think I'm getting I'll all the time, I panic on a daily basis fearing something bad is going to happen and I can't help but obsess about these thoughts, I used to be care free but now I have to constantly use hand gel drink loads of water refuse to eat meat or drink caffiene incase I get food poisoning or become dehydrated I feel like something bad is going to happen and although it doesnt I can't help but thing it will,
Can anyone give me advice on this, I'm 22 I should be living my life, not wasting it like I am

[Chiliphil1]

This is all common, you will find that many of us on here have the same issue that you do. My anxiety issues started because of chest pain I was having, I spend months afraid that I was going to die. I feel that I lost that time of my life for pretty much no reason at all.

In the end I feel that I am 10 times stronger today than when the anxiety all started, in a way it was a big benefit to me, but it certainly had its rough spots.

There are a few things you can do, and when getting through this remember, go at your pace don't try to do things too quickly, but keep moving. Even a small step forward is still a step in the right direction.

First, you should look into relaxation techniques, anxiety feeds itself, meaning that you have a symptom so you worry about it, then the worry creates tension which makes the issue worse and this is the cycle. Learning to properly relax can greatly reduce this.

Second, you have to face up go these fears and convince yourself that none of it is real, this is the hardest part. You say you're afraid to eat meat, then have a small piece that way you can see that it's not going to make you sick, it's not going to hurt you. Once you have shown yourself that the fear is irrational then you can begin to conquer it.

Third, ve sure to speak with a doc about this, for me it took a 4 month course of anti depressants which gave me time to exist without the constant anxiety and allowed me the opportunity to see that all the things I was scared of were simply imaginary.

There are many other things you can do, and if you browse the posts on this forum you will be amazed to see how many people are in the same boat that you are, I've been there as well and truthfully sometimes I still worry about health issues, but knowledge is power and it is anxiety's kryptonite, so the more you learn about what you are facing the more ability you gain to conquer it all together.

[dazza]

A couple of weeks in morocco is enough to send anyone do-lally! lol