New to anxiety

I have always had a touch of anxiety, but not as severe as it is now. For the last 2 months I've just been feeling off...hard to explain but sometimes I feel like I'm not myself or inside my own body. Like I am watching myself... I question everything I do, even if it is completely normal. Does anybody else feel like this?

I've been reading about derealization, but honestly it is starting to scare me a little bit. I believe that I also have OCD (pure ocd), and have began therapy. I know it's just my mind overthinking everything per usual, but I am so afraid that I have an underlying issue such as schizophrenia/BPD/bipolar and once that gets into my head it just wont go away. I don't know what else to do at this point.

[chinaandback]

It can be scary when we convince ourselves that we have something more serious but that just may be the anxiety causing you to feel that way. I'm happy to see you've begun therapy! Hopefully that will help ease your mind. Just be open with your therapist and try to find things you enjoy doing and do those.

[cortisolqueen]

I too have OCD. I have had it since I was a teenager. I dealt really well though but in the last 3 years it has turned into hypochondria. It started with panic attacks that scared my so bad, I convinced I have something terribly wrong with me. I would not wish this on my worst enemy. It is debilitating. I will pray for you and everyone on this forum.

[Hidden in reply to cortisolqueen]

Thank you for the prayers! It is definitely a struggle, I wish I could go back to how things were before. I also, would not wish this on my worst enemy. Any tips on coping with the OCD?

[cortisolqueen in reply to Hidden]

My OCD over the years has manifested mostly in contamination and counting. It really was pretty much manageable and I had just accepted that my mind would obsess. It did not become such a big deal until I started having panic attacks. It then changed to hypochondria. I didn't even realize that OCD was a type of anxiety until I started see a therapist. I had no idea that I had suffered from anxiety since I was a teenager. The Lexapro seems to help with the obsessions and rituals somewhat, but I will still get caught up in a cycle of over thinking when ever I feel symptoms of anxiety. I have a lot of nausea which really triggers the anxiety and OCD. The therapist said OCD was life long and that the intrusive thoughts we have are really no different than those of a normal person who does not have OCD. It is just that the thoughts scare us and we won't let them go. They spin around and around in our heads and we are not able to just dismiss them. He also said that to get better, we have to learn to pay them no attention. Also they will attach themselves to things we hold most precious. I pray you get better.

[Lindsey14]

I definitely know how you feel

[aaronm]

I do the same thing with those mental illnesses diagnosing myself with everything and ill never get better.

[cortisolqueen in reply to aaronm]

Oh yeah! I google way to much and I have had every disease out there since the panic and anxiety started. I cannot believe how anxiety can ruin a person's life. 3 years ago I was happy and healthy and then BAM, I got hit out of the blue with panic attacks and anxiety.

It is debilitating.

[aaronm in reply to cortisolqueen]

I agree. It sucks bad!

[cortisolqueen in reply to aaronm]

Yes it sure does.