Dont you hate it when...

[autumnbee123]

Okay, I'm not sure if y'all get this but. All my symptoms happen to me when I'm not even panicking. Years ago when my panic attacks started, it was purely just panic attacks. But now, I get the dizziness, blind spots, chest pains, numbness in limbs, fatigue, vertigo, feeling like my heart COMPLETELY stops for a few seconds then I get a hot feeling flushing thru my body. That's the only time my heart kicks in and starts to beat fast and hard. Honestly I would much rather feel my heart racing and hard than feeling weak all the time and like its not even beating. It's the scariest feeling in the world to me. Even now my heart won't beat as hard or as loud as it used to. Like, I'm used to hearing/feeling it beating when my head is resting on my pillow for sleep, and now I can't hear it or feel it at all. Not even when I put my hand on my chest. I can barely feel my pulse on my neck anymore so I try not to even check it because it scares me too much to think my heart is barely beating.

[angieproc1977]

Im exactly the same I can feel fune then wham I get the symptoms I too get that feeling that my heart has stopped the thud it gors again and it makes me feel very weak and shaky but I get th we pounding chest and am aware of it a lot of the time depending on what im doing.. most my anxiety is heart related anf I hate it.. even if I get dizzy its becausr my heart isnt beating properly. . X x

[angieproc1977]

Fine not fune lol x

[itsloulou]

I have exactly the same thing. I have all those symptoms daily, without panicattacks, but the symptoms on their on freak me out enough already....

[lalouba_jane]

I get the exact same thing. I used to feel my worst after a nap for some strange reason, and having a young child, when she naps, I nap! Worst thing was that I used to feel worse after a nap than I did before I laid down as I'd wake up feeling dizzy, my heart all over the place and feeling sick and short of breath. I'd normally have the shakes a bit too.

Other times I'll just wake up feeling anxious, or I'll feel totally calm and then the slightest odd sensation in my body and within seconds I'd feel rotten again.

The reason for this is as follows:

Everybody, anxious or not, experiences slight changes and sensations in their bodies all the time. In a "normal," non anxious person, those sensations would either go completely unnoticed or would be subconsciously acknowledged and then ignored. People with anxious tendencies have an overly heightened sensitivity to their bodies because they are permanently in a state of fight or flight (although sometimes we may not feel it because we're having a "good" day.) When a person is in fight or flight mode their brain becomes much more sensitive to subtle changes in their environments, meaning their senses are all heightened to best cope with the "threat" (which in our case is normally potential illness or something to that effect.) Because of this we notice even the most subtle changes in our bodies without even realising. This could be, for example, a tiny gas bubble passing through out stomach, located near our heart. We take it to be a heart problem in a split second and then our bodies throw us into a state of mild-extreme panic depending on the individual person.

I could go on and on but hopefully this helps!

[autumnbee123]

Wow! It's reassuring to know that other people feel the same exact way. And yes that helped a lot. I'm to the point where I can't even sleep because I'm scared ill die in my sleep. It's been this way for months and months.

[MissyTone]

Everybody, anxious or not, experiences slight changes and sensations in their bodies all the time. In a "normal," non anxious person, those sensations would either go completely unnoticed or would be subconsciously acknowledged and then ignored. People with anxious tendencies have an overly heightened sensitivity to their bodies because they are permanently in a state of fight or flight (although sometimes we may not feel it because we're having a "good" day.) When a person is in fight or flight mode their brain becomes much more sensitive to subtle changes in their environments, meaning their senses are all heightened to best cope with the "threat" (which in our case is normally potential illness or something to that effect.) Because of this we notice even the most subtle changes in our bodies without even realising. This could be, for example, a tiny gas bubble passing through out stomach, located near our heart. We take it to be a heart problem in a split second and then our bodies throw us into a state of mild-extreme panic depending on the individual person.


WOW! - that sure made me understand a little better, lately ive been sitting here trying to remember how i felt when i was normal lol how did I react before, and its blank. all I can remember is how I feel now. hahah

[autumnbee123]

I remember when I felt normal. Lol.

[raggamuffin]

Panic attacks rob you of a sense of safety. But not about surroundings like "I should get out of this dark alleyway" it makes safety and confidence within yoruself shatter. Usually in an instant. So after panic attacks comes the searching.

Where's the safety?
Why do I feel so alienated within myself?
When will I get back to normal?
When will it happen again?
What's wrong with me?
Am I going to die?

With enough of this worrysome and stressful thinking your logical thinking side is slowly thrown on the backburner and in comes the instinctual method of thinking. This is the basic means to keep you alive. It allows the fight or flight response to kick in more readily as you constantly search within yourself and your life to find the cause of these panics.

Usually you wind up more panicky, more on edge and you feel like normality has literally slipped through your fingers. Angry, scared and upset you fail to find the issue but the attacks continue. Then you probably start to fear something sinister and the questions and searching continues

What if i'm ill?
Is it a heart issue?
Maybe I have cancer?
How will me and my family cope with this illness?
I'm scared, will I ever feel normal again?

More and more, day by day you feel more helpless. But then the body starts to exhibit symptoms. Aches and pains from your chest, shoulders and arms to your neck head and stomach. The fears and questions continue. You start to think you are seriously ill. Why else would I have aches and pains?

Here's the reaosn, stress and worry. It's piled up so much that what started with a panic attack (no doubt a reaction to months/years of stress beforehand) has now snowballed into secondary stress and worry piled onto a body already trying to repair itself from previous worries and stresses.

The body gives out these attacks, these aches and pains as a signal to say. Ease up on the stress and please let me repair myself. Your body is amazing at repairing itself and truth be told it will get you back to your old self if you let it. But when we ache or feel dizzy day in day out the worries pile up. We respond with emotion or fear or we're at the point where it's gone on so long you feel angry or want to fight or cry from the aches and symptoms.

So try the approach which is the first and most important (allbeit hardest) step on the road to recovery. Acceptance.

Every morning you wake up, sure you might wake up and instantly feel sick, dizzy or aching. Heck you might even wake up due to aches or a panic attack. But guess what? It didn't kill you?

The aches and pains you've convinced yourself for so long are going to be the death of you don't kill you.

So let's drop the fight, the fear and panic. 'Cos you know full well what they do?

That's right...nothing! If anything it makes you feel worse. So look back to times when the pains weren't there? OFten when you're busy eh? Or just after you wake up before the realization and worries of anxiety take over. When you're fully engaged or distracted or given a clean bill of health from Dr checks you feel happy.

It's a nice break from all the fear and worry and negativity right?

Here's the thing, if it was something serious like all the horrid medical conditions you've no doubt read about, it wouldn't come and go. You wouldn't have dizziness for a few weeks then move onto say a stomach ache. Pains wouldn't come and go, chop and change or just disappear or dull when you're very busy and have no time to think about them.

Here's the other thing - time. How much time we dedicate to thinking about symptoms. So here'sa the next part... don't fight it. Let the pains and aches come and go and abpove all remind yourself "it's JUST anxiety and it will NOT kill me."

It takes practice. Your instinctual side of your brain has been working over time as has your fight or flight response filling your body with excess levels of adrenlaine for months or years. This does take time to undo even when you've reached the stage of fully, 100% accepting it's anxiety.

Yes you'll still initially react emotionally "Oh no it hurts" panic panic. So say to yourself in your head, or shout it out even, STOP! Begin to rationalize the situation in full force. Don't succumb to emotions or wanting to fight. Let the pains come and go. Remind yoruself you've woken up every single day during this horrid anxiety ridden time. It hasn't and cannot kill you.

If you don't respond with emotions the anxiety has less to feed off. It thrives on fear and worry and that's exactly what we've given it for so long. So it's literally got stockpiles to work it's way through.

That is why even when you feel fine you can get symptoms and if you still react in the wrong way when they occur the anxiety can still keep on burning. So learn to accept and rationalize. If you're a google addict when you feel a pain type anxiety before every symptom you search. Soon you'll start to see it and piece it all together.

I hope you feel better soon. When you do learn the above steps you will begin to feel better. But, it takes time/ There is no overnight cure or quick fix for anxiety and it's a road that will take months or more to reach the end of.

If you ever want to talk feel free to PM me or add me to IM.

Ed

[MissyTone]

I meant how i actually felt lol - but how can you remember a feeling you never focused on before. hahah i remember when i last felt normal, but not how I actually was feeling hahah

[MissyTone]

Panic attacks rob you of a sense of safety. But not about surroundings like "I should get out of this dark alleyway" it makes safety and confidence within yoruself shatter. Usually in an instant. So after panic attacks comes the searching.

Where's the safety?
Why do I feel so alienated within myself?
When will I get back to normal?
When will it happen again?
What's wrong with me?
Am I going to die?

With enough of this worrysome and stressful thinking your logical thinking side is slowly thrown on the backburner and in comes the instinctual method of thinking. This is the basic means to keep you alive. It allows the fight or flight response to kick in more readily as you constantly search within yourself and your life to find the cause of these panics.

Usually you wind up more panicky, more on edge and you feel like normality has literally slipped through your fingers. Angry, scared and upset you fail to find the issue but the attacks continue. Then you probably start to fear something sinister and the questions and searching continues

What if i'm ill?
Is it a heart issue?
Maybe I have cancer?
How will me and my family cope with this illness?
I'm scared, will I ever feel normal again?

More and more, day by day you feel more helpless. But then the body starts to exhibit symptoms. Aches and pains from your chest, shoulders and arms to your neck head and stomach. The fears and questions continue. You start to think you are seriously ill. Why else would I have aches and pains?

Here's the reaosn, stress and worry. It's piled up so much that what started with a panic attack (no doubt a reaction to months/years of stress beforehand) has now snowballed into secondary stress and worry piled onto a body already trying to repair itself from previous worries and stresses.

The body gives out these attacks, these aches and pains as a signal to say. Ease up on the stress and please let me repair myself. Your body is amazing at repairing itself and truth be told it will get you back to your old self if you let it. But when we ache or feel dizzy day in day out the worries pile up. We respond with emotion or fear or we're at the point where it's gone on so long you feel angry or want to fight or cry from the aches and symptoms.

So try the approach which is the first and most important (allbeit hardest) step on the road to recovery. Acceptance.

Every morning you wake up, sure you might wake up and instantly feel sick, dizzy or aching. Heck you might even wake up due to aches or a panic attack. But guess what? It didn't kill you?

The aches and pains you've convinced yourself for so long are going to be the death of you don't kill you.

So let's drop the fight, the fear and panic. 'Cos you know full well what they do?

That's right...nothing! If anything it makes you feel worse. So look back to times when the pains weren't there? OFten when you're busy eh? Or just after you wake up before the realization and worries of anxiety take over. When you're fully engaged or distracted or given a clean bill of health from Dr checks you feel happy.

It's a nice break from all the fear and worry and negativity right?

Here's the thing, if it was something serious like all the horrid medical conditions you've no doubt read about, it wouldn't come and go. You wouldn't have dizziness for a few weeks then move onto say a stomach ache. Pains wouldn't come and go, chop and change or just disappear or dull when you're very busy and have no time to think about them.

Here's the other thing - time. How much time we dedicate to thinking about symptoms. So here'sa the next part... don't fight it. Let the pains and aches come and go and abpove all remind yourself "it's JUST anxiety and it will NOT kill me."

It takes practice. Your instinctual side of your brain has been working over time as has your fight or flight response filling your body with excess levels of adrenlaine for months or years. This does take time to undo even when you've reached the stage of fully, 100% accepting it's anxiety.

Yes you'll still initially react emotionally "Oh no it hurts" panic panic. So say to yourself in your head, or shout it out even, STOP! Begin to rationalize the situation in full force. Don't succumb to emotions or wanting to fight. Let the pains come and go. Remind yoruself you've woken up every single day during this horrid anxiety ridden time. It hasn't and cannot kill you.

If you don't respond with emotions the anxiety has less to feed off. It thrives on fear and worry and that's exactly what we've given it for so long. So it's literally got stockpiles to work it's way through.

That is why even when you feel fine you can get symptoms and if you still react in the wrong way when they occur the anxiety can still keep on burning. So learn to accept and rationalize. If you're a google addict when you feel a pain type anxiety before every symptom you search. Soon you'll start to see it and piece it all together.

I hope you feel better soon. When you do learn the above steps you will begin to feel better. But, it takes time/ There is no overnight cure or quick fix for anxiety and it's a road that will take months or more to reach the end of.

If you ever want to talk feel free to PM me or add me to IM.

Ed

You are Awesome, thanks again for sharing exactly what needed to be understood.

[autumnbee123]

I guess i remember never thinking that something was wrong with me. How I never felt lightheaded or anything weird. Like I never had heart palpitations or chest pains. Nothing. I remember having fun and being happy all the time without any worries. That's what I can remember.

[raggamuffin]

Sucked into a world of anxiety certainly can spoil memory. In fact it can affect short term memory quite badly. BUt dizziness is a common complaint of people with anxiety. Try some neck tension stretches. It can often be the cause of dizziness. Also correct your breathing. Dizziness and hyperventilation. People often reply with "But i'm not hyperventilating". Quick question, do you yawn a lot? That's when it struck me that I was doing it without realizing. Funnily enough when I endeavour to practice correct deep breathing it makes me yawn constantly. The body takes a while to adjust :cool:

Ed

[autumnbee123]

Yeah I yawn a lot. But I can't seem to get enough air when I do yawn. When I try to take a deep breath or anything it always seems like I just don't get enough air. Like my lungs can't and won't take anymore or something

[carissapink]

This thread has helped me immensely so thank you!! In addition to the symptoms you mentioned above, have any of you experienced speech problems or excessive feeling of salivation where you feel your saliva is in the way of when you are trying to speak? And then you feel this so when you are speaking you feel this is all people are focusing on when you are talking and it just makes it worse??

[autumnbee123]

I have problems remembering words a lot. I make up words in my sentences sometimes because I will forget everyday words. I don't really know about the saliva thing I usually have dry mouth a lot.

[Jude84]

Panic attacks rob you of a sense of safety. But not about surroundings like "I should get out of this dark alleyway" it makes safety and confidence within yoruself shatter. Usually in an instant. So after panic attacks comes the searching.

Where's the safety?
Why do I feel so alienated within myself?
When will I get back to normal?
When will it happen again?
What's wrong with me?
Am I going to die?

With enough of this worrysome and stressful thinking your logical thinking side is slowly thrown on the backburner and in comes the instinctual method of thinking. This is the basic means to keep you alive. It allows the fight or flight response to kick in more readily as you constantly search within yourself and your life to find the cause of these panics.

Usually you wind up more panicky, more on edge and you feel like normality has literally slipped through your fingers. Angry, scared and upset you fail to find the issue but the attacks continue. Then you probably start to fear something sinister and the questions and searching continues

What if i'm ill?
Is it a heart issue?
Maybe I have cancer?
How will me and my family cope with this illness?
I'm scared, will I ever feel normal again?

More and more, day by day you feel more helpless. But then the body starts to exhibit symptoms. Aches and pains from your chest, shoulders and arms to your neck head and stomach. The fears and questions continue. You start to think you are seriously ill. Why else would I have aches and pains?

Here's the reaosn, stress and worry. It's piled up so much that what started with a panic attack (no doubt a reaction to months/years of stress beforehand) has now snowballed into secondary stress and worry piled onto a body already trying to repair itself from previous worries and stresses.

The body gives out these attacks, these aches and pains as a signal to say. Ease up on the stress and please let me repair myself. Your body is amazing at repairing itself and truth be told it will get you back to your old self if you let it. But when we ache or feel dizzy day in day out the worries pile up. We respond with emotion or fear or we're at the point where it's gone on so long you feel angry or want to fight or cry from the aches and symptoms.

So try the approach which is the first and most important (allbeit hardest) step on the road to recovery. Acceptance.

Every morning you wake up, sure you might wake up and instantly feel sick, dizzy or aching. Heck you might even wake up due to aches or a panic attack. But guess what? It didn't kill you?

The aches and pains you've convinced yourself for so long are going to be the death of you don't kill you.

So let's drop the fight, the fear and panic. 'Cos you know full well what they do?

That's right...nothing! If anything it makes you feel worse. So look back to times when the pains weren't there? OFten when you're busy eh? Or just after you wake up before the realization and worries of anxiety take over. When you're fully engaged or distracted or given a clean bill of health from Dr checks you feel happy.

It's a nice break from all the fear and worry and negativity right?

Here's the thing, if it was something serious like all the horrid medical conditions you've no doubt read about, it wouldn't come and go. You wouldn't have dizziness for a few weeks then move onto say a stomach ache. Pains wouldn't come and go, chop and change or just disappear or dull when you're very busy and have no time to think about them.

Here's the other thing - time. How much time we dedicate to thinking about symptoms. So here'sa the next part... don't fight it. Let the pains and aches come and go and abpove all remind yourself "it's JUST anxiety and it will NOT kill me."

It takes practice. Your instinctual side of your brain has been working over time as has your fight or flight response filling your body with excess levels of adrenlaine for months or years. This does take time to undo even when you've reached the stage of fully, 100% accepting it's anxiety.

Yes you'll still initially react emotionally "Oh no it hurts" panic panic. So say to yourself in your head, or shout it out even, STOP! Begin to rationalize the situation in full force. Don't succumb to emotions or wanting to fight. Let the pains come and go. Remind yoruself you've woken up every single day during this horrid anxiety ridden time. It hasn't and cannot kill you.

If you don't respond with emotions the anxiety has less to feed off. It thrives on fear and worry and that's exactly what we've given it for so long. So it's literally got stockpiles to work it's way through.

That is why even when you feel fine you can get symptoms and if you still react in the wrong way when they occur the anxiety can still keep on burning. So learn to accept and rationalize. If you're a google addict when you feel a pain type anxiety before every symptom you search. Soon you'll start to see it and piece it all together.

I hope you feel better soon. When you do learn the above steps you will begin to feel better. But, it takes time/ There is no overnight cure or quick fix for anxiety and it's a road that will take months or more to reach the end of.

If you ever want to talk feel free to PM me or add me to IM.

Ed

This post is genius. You're right Ed! I feel as though you just described my problem to a tee. Since my anxiety's been on the fritz lately I've gone from thinking I had schizophrenia, heart disease, permanent brain damage, and more. Lately because of my recurring irritable bowel syndrome I thought I had colon cancer, Crohn's disease to an ulcer!

But you're right if I really had any of that I wouldn't have these nicer moments of clarity where things seem fine and I think to myself "I'm back baby!" I had one of those moments after I finally decided on what grad school to attend and I started dancing to music with my iPhone, ears plugged up embracing the music and it felt like nothing was wrong.

Then I had a large meal and in came the IBS and I was again googling all sorts of serious stomach diseases. After drinking chamomile mint tea and writing online I was able to calm down. So your post got me to thinking, would I even be this calm now if I had seriously debilitating stomach issue? Probably not.

The only thing I dread still is going up sleep because I know I'm going to fall asleep proly have a vivid dream and wake up a bit panicky, loss of breath, confused and slightly elevated heart rate.

What can be done about that? I haven't had a full eight hours rest in a week since this mess started! Help!

[raggamuffin]

If you start associating fear or danger with a place or past time it's usually what your focus of fear and worry becomes. If you had a panic attack in a certain shop your mind will try and associate that shop with danger and you might avoid going there entirely.

But avoidance/safety behaviour is not a help, it's a hinderance. We have to realize that symptoms of anxiety can come and go as they please. It's how we respond to them which is what determines how long they'll last in the long run.

Whilst having your sleep affected is horrid you have to remember it's not going to harm you. If you struggle to get your full 8 hours try and fit in a nap during the day (time permitting) and chamomille tea just before bed to calm you down. Remember, the danger or fear around sleep is all in your mind and it will take time to undo.

Ed