Severe anxiety and Panic disorder

[Espinoza38]

Who on here suffers as bad as I do? Meaning that every pain you feel makes you think of the worst case scenario. Thst everything you do makes you feel like its ths last time you going to ever fo it. Example, I have not seen my parents or my mother in law since this pandemic started. I finally went yesterday to visit both and now its 4:35 am and I'm thinking the worst. Who else gets this way? How do you cope? What helps?

[lorianxiety]

Hi,IM hoping your anxiety and panicky feelings ,have lessened to some extent.remember the situation that everyone finds themselves in due to the virus /or avoidance of it increases our overly alert bodies/minds into overdrive....theres no doubt about it and avoiding loved ones and seeing them only briefly ,sparks off the least little pain into all sorts of various things.Last night my anxiety/stress call it what you will would not let me relax and sleep----every part of my body was playing me up i had to take a small amount of diazapam,which I try to use sparingly................I had been improving ,but lately its a cas of trying to accept the worst possible scenarion and thats hard,whenyour minds in over-drive and its so difficult to just get some sleep---------------its still there excess or build up of unexpressed emotions have no family and live alone.In the moments when you cant get your mind to focus ,and try to breathe freely,think of your loved ones and when the restrictions are no longer there,meanwhile keep posting.take care.

[Espinoza38 in reply to lorianxiety]

What do you do when your chest feels off, not tight not hurting just uncomfortable.

[Snicki123]

I know exactly how you feel.

I live on my own and had myself quarantined since March without seeing anyone except virtually. Recently, I've started slowly incorporating myself back into society again, i.e. going out in public (with a mask except for a few times I forgot it), riding my bike outside, visiting my parents and some of my friends (the ones that I trust).

But as soon as I wake up the next morning, I get an overwhelming sense of guilt and the "what if's" start popping in my head.

I try to change my thought process to logical thinking: I haven't been reckless during this pandemic. Chances are slim of myself being infected, therefore, chances are also slim of me infecting my loved ones.

OR if I feel a sharp pain in my chest, my first thought is that I'm having a heart attack. Logical thinking: I'm generally a healthy person, I eat well and exercise, chances are slim that I'm actually having a heart attack, it's probably just gas pains (haha but seriously).

It's WAY easier said than done, I know. And it's hard to think logically sometimes because our brains are SO used to thinking the worst. It takes time and practice. Don't give up. We got this!

[Rosiemarie82 in reply to Snicki123]

I am the same way with the chest pains. It's nearly debilitating even though it doesn't happen too often. It surely paralyzes me for the day when I have chest pain. I just got my labs back, and everything besides vitamin d is in the normal range (got supplements for that, yay!) Even with medication, I have off days.

I will say though, I have taught myself to talk myself down most of the time. I know everyone is scared of this virus, I have used it as my defense to not want to run to the e.r. for any reason.

[Snicki123 in reply to Rosiemarie82]

Yes! I've learned to talk myself down as well. It's even helpful for me to speak out loud to myself because sometimes "thinking" it isn't enough.

What landed me in the ER 3 years ago was a rapid heart rate due to my first ever panic attack. It was up to 165 (thanks to my Fitbit) and I was just sitting on my couch (didn't know at the time that it was a bad panic attack, I thought I was having a heart attack at the age of 25!). Ever since then I've been very hyper-aware of my body in any and all ways possible.

It's so interesting to me to know someone who experiences the same things I do; It makes me feel a little more "normal".

[Rosiemarie82 in reply to Snicki123]

My first visit was the same! I had been having short episodes of palpitations, I didn't know what those were at first. And I am exactly the same way, SUPER sensitive to any changes, especially in my heart rate.

If I wore a fitbit, I would drive myself batty checking it. (I do have a blood pressure monitor though, and when I obsess over it, both bp and heart rate go up.)

(I am 37 )

[Espinoza38 in reply to Snicki123]

Thank you. That's how I am with my chest pain. I keep thinking the worst but I know I'm healthy and I've been checked out more than once. But my brain always tells me the worst and at times I really believe it. Sometimes I just want to sit in the ER jyst to get checked out again.

[MRawPR]

You are not alone! I feel the same way. I married on Feb 14. I’m the happiest person in the world and still I always think that this happiness is not gonna last. It makes me so mad to think and feel this way but I can’t help it. It’s just part of being an anxiety sufferer. I try my best to enjoy plentifully of the good days and make up for the bad ones. Hang in there! Never quit.

[helplessly_hoping]

Go easy. Nothing is wrong with you. I have had severe panic attacks right from high school. It took me almost 15 years to get over it and in the process it almost destroyed my education and career. My panic attacks were related to fear of death, and I went to every possible doctor my parents could think of. There was nothing wrong with me, but I was reacting to some underlying fear in the subconscious. If that panic attack was a result of some physical ailment, I wouldn't be where I am today. As I grew old, I started accepting death so that I could lead a meaning life.

Deep breathing and meditation is a great activity for this.

Yoga classes might help.

First you need to figure out the root cause, and so going to a psychotherapist is a good thing so that you can open up.

Realizing that if something was seriously wrong with you physically, you would be in the hospital. This issue is psychological and so anxiety medications can also calm you down. I take them daily to keep me balanced.

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Hi I understand every time I cough I feel I may be putting my mam at risk I have severe anxiety anyway we me and the cat moved out to protect my mam as she was afraid of him catching virus on his fur I had to move back to my house that still had black flying Beatles it was arful I ended up drinking so I'm now back at my mam's trying to sober up in time for new job start September more anxiety working with school children on buses at least I'll feel worth while there's been no purpose during lock down other than keeping us safe take care x