Do you? Help needed!

[danny22]

I am a 22 yo male who if I was honest would (in my current state of mind) consider myself quite healthy.

HOWEVER, For the last year or so I can not shrug the feeling that I am going to die.

This can envelope me in any situation and I suddenly feel very short of breath and I feel I need to take huge breaths to fill my lungs otherwise my body will stop working. I often get this in the evening when laying in bed and trying to go to sleep and find myself 'listening' to my heart beat worried it may have missed a jump or sometimes stopped altogether!

I feel like I am going crazy with this so if anyone has any thoughts they would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards.

[ecc09006]

Danny,

I have very similar feelings to what you described. My anxiety definitely culminates most when I am lying down, left in silence to focus on my body, feelings, and breathing patterns.

I am a 19 year old female, also healthy, and I can totally relate. I saw a doctor this morning, and he said it is really common to have these intrusive thoughts.

I have always been pretty against taking medication (that causes anxiety for me too...) but I just recently got started on Xanax. Tonight, I had my worst panic attack ever, and I took one pill and felt 90% better within a half hour. It helps me sleep at night to just take one before bed, but you can also take it during the day if you feel anxious then.

If you don't like taking meds, I would recommend learning some breathing techniques. For example, inhale and hold it in for 2 seconds, then exhale and hold it for 2 seconds, and keep repeating. It even helps to count out loud.

Also, maybe listening to music quietly with lyrics that you can focus on. That helps me sometimes.

Hope this helped!
-Liz