I need to know if I'm only having anxiety.

[CatoAsAPun]

So, I'm not entirely sure when this started but I do know that it has gotten excruciatingly difficult to deal with over the years. The earliest I can remember was early 2011, I was trying to fall asleep and suddenly I felt like my breathing had gotten significantly worse...to the point where I was genuinely terrified and had to go outside to get some fresh air. Looking back on it now it seems like a cake walk compared to what I'm currently going through. I know that with anxiety having some sort of closure about something won't exactly solve the problem, but I figure it's best to get some kind of explanation from other people that might have the same thing. My symptoms are as follows:

- Light headedness
- Feelings of being removed from reality (kind of like when your under the influence of a substance like cannabis, but more terrifying)
- Extreme difficulty breathing
- Obstructed memory
- Slight pain in throat like you inhaled smoke
- Coughing
- Restless leg syndrome (more shaking the leg than moving it)
- Inability to sit in one position
- Constant thoughts of death or dying
- Fear that if you're confident you feel better, death is more likely
- Going outside and taking a walk increases difficulty breathing and light headedness (at least perceptively)
- Mood swings
- Difficulty swallowing
- Constant need to urinate
- Experiencing a change of environment startles and scares


I think, if it is anxiety, having this irrational fear that being comfortable with how I am means death is more likely to come is probably the worst part of all of it. Whenever i think "Okay, it's just anxiety, i'm going to be fine" I suddenly think i'm completely wrong theres actually something far worse.

[LaFleur3]

I found myself that the what ifs would trigger a lot of my anxiety and paranoia. Often reassurance that it is just anxiety and not a fatal health problem is enough to at least get you back on track so it's always worth going to a doctor of some sort just to get that update. I've experienced almost all of those symptoms and they will often come at different times which is always the worst thing, like just as I come to terms with one symptom something else comes up and the whole cycle repeats itself. Thinking positively and not letting the anxiety and thoughts about it rule your day are always a step in the right direction and you'll certainly feel better about yourself. I'm no means someone who has overcome anxiety yet but I've taken quite a few of these steps on the road to recovering. I wish you the best.

[CatoAsAPun]

Thanks for replying. (also i got your PM, but i can't reply to it yet)

I just think my hypochondria is the biggest enemy here. Hopefully I can learn to get over it better with more support.