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View Full Version : Anxiety as hypochondria



oliveoil424
11-14-2012, 08:35 PM
I'm online all the time but for some reason never thought to look up an anxiety forum. I've been dealing with anxiety for 3ish years now, and it's been the worst the past three or so months. My husband and I just moved. It's been much harder than expected for me to find a job. Currently we are both working for his parents, which is awful. I keep getting so close to a job (interview, second interview, rejection. sigh), and then get let down and it's taking it's toll. I think my anxiety manifests as hypochondria. A quick recap:

I moved here from another state, and after a year my allergies kicked in. It never occurred to me that it would be allergies, since I've never had that issue. I would have terrible pressure behind my eyes. It was allergies; I thought it was a tumor or something and made myself panic.

We moved, and I can't find a job. So, I am stressed and nervous. My heart pounds and pounds and I thought I was having a heart attack or some weird issue so I went and spend $240 at a clinic, got an EKG, and everything was fine, but still I get nervous about it. And it feeds into itself: I'll feel my heart pounding, focus on it, feel like it gets worse, make myself more nervous, my heart rate increases, on and on and on. I constantly feel like I'm about to die and I am terrified of dying. Since we moved, my allergies are back (sinus pressure headaches), so I got an RX for antibiotics today and read the side effects and they're terrifying me. Plus now I feel like I have this pain at my hairline--it kind of feels like my hair is being pulled? It's weird. And it's making me panic.

I don't know how to reign myself in and not drive myself to more panic. I need ways to manage this. I tell my husband and he is sympathetic but he doesn't really understand. I don't know what to do.

falconlady
11-14-2012, 09:18 PM
I would suggest that you read some of the stickys right over these topics to start with, they have some great advice. Many people have had the exact same feelings (physical and mental) as you- including me. CBT has helped me more than anything. Feel better!

oliveoil424
11-15-2012, 03:15 AM
Thank you both for your replies. I've been working my way through the stickies, but just wanted to say hi and get to talking with some people.

Forwells: I use the word because I don't know how else to describe how I feel. God knows there are people with much worse health habits than me, who smoke and drink and eat bad foods and on and on, so I know that I shouldn't worry, I just don't know how to control that. But you are right, I am just trying to get out of this.