Help really needed

[lg123]

I really need your help, quite urgently. I had a problem with my ears last week and from that has arisen some terrible anxiety and thoughts. Because my hearing was affected last week, I was - and still am - worried that I wouldn’t be able to hear or understand people. The anxiety, fear and dread still plagues me even though my ears are now better. While I was ok yesterday, spending time with people I like and having an anxiety free day, since arriving at work the anxiety has become really bad, worse than any anxiety I had with my ears.

Now all I can think about is not being able to understand people or concentrate on what they are saying. I am listening to every single conversation in the office to make sure I can still understand what people are saying, but this isn’t making things any better and isn’t lowering my anxiety. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on what people are saying and I don’t feel like having conversations, but obviously this is something which I have to do. It’s all really scaring me. Has anyone got any tips on how I can calm down or what I can do in this situation? I’m trying to concentrate on work but I’m having to reassure myself every few minutes that I still can hear and so I’m struggling. And then I get involved in conversations and feel dreadful and depressed because I can’t concentrate on them and am not enjoying them.

[gypsylee]

Hey there,

I saw your other post about the ear thing. I actually had really badly blocked ears because I live next to a freeway and wear earplugs a lot.. Well I ended up seriously half deaf. It was just ear wax though and I got it out myself using eardrops and then a syringe in the shower. Anyway, I did get a bit worried that maybe it was more serious than just earwax and I might go deaf but health anxiety isn't really my thing (much more social anxiety).

I think in your case your anxiety has "honed in" on the whole hearing thing. Sometimes when I'm extremely anxious I feel like I will forget how to speak. It never happens but the fear is still there. So what I'm trying to say is that when we are super anxious our brains just choose something to freak out about. My anxiety is that severe that I need benzodiazepines (Valium etc) a lot of the time. Deep breathing can help but yeah when I'm bad I need chemicals. But the other thing that can really help is just talking to someone about how you feel..

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Saldav]

I really need your help, quite urgently. I had a problem with my ears last week and from that has arisen some terrible anxiety and thoughts. Because my hearing was affected last week, I was - and still am - worried that I wouldn’t be able to hear or understand people. The anxiety, fear and dread still plagues me even though my ears are now better. While I was ok yesterday, spending time with people I like and having an anxiety free day, since arriving at work the anxiety has become really bad, worse than any anxiety I had with my ears.

Now all I can think about is not being able to understand people or concentrate on what they are saying. I am listening to every single conversation in the office to make sure I can still understand what people are saying, but this isn’t making things any better and isn’t lowering my anxiety. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on what people are saying and I don’t feel like having conversations, but obviously this is something which I have to do. It’s all really scaring me. Has anyone got any tips on how I can calm down or what I can do in this situation? I’m trying to concentrate on work but I’m having to reassure myself every few minutes that I still can hear and so I’m struggling. And then I get involved in conversations and feel dreadful and depressed because I can’t concentrate on them and am not enjoying them.

It's all just your anxiety making you feel like that, your hearing is fine. Your anxiety is just making you think that way. Your not alone. Message me if you need to talk.