Am I Mad?

[newzie]

Hey All,

I've been suffering a bit from depression and anxiety lately. My depression is lifting a bit, but the anxiety seems to still be around. Theres one aspect of it all that makes me nervous.

So, I have been having a little bit of general anxiety lately. I can be home, and in my room or on the couch and just get anxious for no reason. I kind of fear the fear. It's almost as if I am feeling fine then I can get myself worked up thinking 'what if I had a panic attack right now.' It is not like one thing gives me anxiety it is the anxiety that gives me the anxiety. It is not all the time, it just has ebb and flow throughout the day.

But one thing kind of frightens me. With all of these negative thinking patterns I kind of start to think what if I am losing my mind. I've always been afraid of that and I start to think, what if "x,y,z" happens and I went absolutely mad. Is it normal to think like this when you are anxious? I am also hypercritical of all my actionscwhen I am feeling anxious, and ask myself "was that odd?"

I just wanted to see what the community thought.

Thanks.

[Cobra]

Very typical symptoms. It's the adrenaline. Even when you aren't worried about something, the adrenaline is floating in your system. It takes hours the metabolize. You have to go days in a positive mindset before your levels drop appreciably, and each time you get upset, you pump a little more into your bloodstream. After a point, it becomes a self actuating cycle and feeds on itself. Fear makes adrenaline which makes you more afraid which makes more adrenaline. Meanwhile, your brain is going crazy trying to find where the threat in your environment is, and it starts labeling things dangerous by mistake. Driving. Being alone. That gas in your belly. Eating. You have to break the cycle and become immune to the adrenaline fear. It's not real. Just a byproduct of worrying too much and jump starting the anxiety cycle.

[Slammed Vdub]

Hit the nail on the head^. It is the vicious cycle. A very miserable cycle that can be very hard to dig yourself out of. Be patient and dont feed your anxiety. If you feel something coming on, just make yourself believe that it is anxiety and make it pass. Dont fuel the fire.

[Perses]

I'm glad to hear the depression is lifting. It's definitely normal to be hypercritical of all your actions, at least for me. I become convinced that I can't do anything right, or that I will fail, or that something will go horribly wrong and it will be my fault. Anxiety feeds on itself, associated thoughts lead to more negative thinking, lead to more anxiety.