Can anyone relate? Does anxiety make you numb/disoriented?

[Drausin]

Hi guys, I only started having trouble with anxiety since September of 2010. At first it started by me thinking that I had something wrong with my eyesight. I was in a college class, and suddenly things couldn't stay in mental focus for me. I have never had troubles with my eyes, anxiety, depression, or anything like that at any other time, so I started to freak out. I had one or two full blown panic attacks, and I was constantly anxious because I couldn't put aside the fact that something seemed "off."

I've struggled on and off with it since then, but it's become more mild now. However, I have two main problems. I get anxious about aging and about eventual death, and since they can't be avoided, I'm having trouble reasoning with them. At the same time, I usually don't have the same emotional reactions to things in the way I did before this started happening. It kinda feels like a shroud that's usually over me, throwing my perceptions and emotional states off, and only breaks occasionally when I can relax or exercise or something nice like that. It's weird because this "shroud" kinda creeps up on me, so it's hard to identify when it's on. I think it's anxiety-related, but I can't say for sure, and that consequently makes more upset and anxious. I love emotional highs and I'm usually a very happy person, so it makes me sad and anxious when I can't feel those things the way I usually do and enjoy the people that make my life happy.

Thank you so much for reading that, I just would love someone to try and understand. Has any of these things happened to you? Any advice on how to get out of these funks when I slip into one? They're very frequent, so I'd love any advice on how to work through the anxiety. Thank you all :)

[Drausin]

Hey all, sorry to add on to this, but does anyone have anxieties related to the passing of time? I find it difficult to enjoy moments cause my anxiety just tells my brain that the moments will never last, and I become depressed as the day goes on because I see each moment as one that I'll never have again... :\

[ginaz]

God, do I understand. My time is almost the same, been dealing with this since December 2010. I get the same way, irrational fears that I know can't be, but I am unable to completely convince myself that they are just fears. I also get that shroud. Its almost like my emotions are muted, Im not sure if Im going one way or another. On good days I am so so, but on bad days my emotions are never really correct. I feel like Im not reacting like I should or like I would in the past, even though I couldn't tell you exactly what I should be doing or how I should be reacting, I just know its off. Your not alone, Im right here with ya.