anxiety & panic

[Kindgirl15]

ever since my recent health scare that ended up just being a migraine, I cannot shake this anxiety. My body is in a constant fight or flight mode. I am hypersensitive to every little thing that happens to my body, I get anxious now flying (which I have to do for work), I just don’t know what to do to get rid of these feelings and feel like myself again.

[Agora1]

Hi Kindgirl15, when a scare is so deep seated, I would suggest not only a complete

physical exam but also knowing what to do if it should happen again. I think you will

feel more comfortable in knowing this is not serious.

Being in that constant state of fight or flight is wearing as well as keeping you aware

of each and every symptom you may feel. If possible, get some help before your

next flight, be it medication or therapy. Keep us updated on your progress xx

[SayNOtoPanic]

Kind, try meditating at least once a day or doing deep breathing exercises once a hour just a few like three to four times inhale slow hold three seconds exhale slow. You can try mindfulness exercises too. Identifying things u see hear smell and feel around you, and let the thoughts and worries just be. Hopefully they start getting quieter with practicing these things. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. It’s a horrid feeling to feel but you will rise. Lifting your in good vibes.

[punkster]

Do you have some medication you can take to "get you over the hump"? In addition to that, I agree with SaynoToPanic and encourage you to do some breathing/meditation exercises. Also, physical activity helps me burn some of that awful feeling. Listening to music and playing the piano also helps me. It takes time to get out of that kind of state, but it will happen.

[designguy]

I had health anxiety at one time and what helped was learning how to no longer fear the anxious thoughts which perpetuate the anxiety and to allow my body to desensitize it self. Health anxiety comes from a need to control but the reality is that we have little or no control over our body and life itself, only our next breath. Your hyper-vigilance and focusing on your body and sensations is a means of trying to control and just increases your anxiety. Trying to fight or resist or control the fear only results in making it stick around so surrender and acceptance are key. It's also normal to have some fear after a health scare. Basically it's up to you to convince yourself that you are safe in your own body. Sometimes health anxiety can be a part of OCD which helps perpetuate it.

You might check out the youtubes/website of Paige Pradko, she is a therapist who had health anxiety/panic and OCD, healed herself and now helps others. Matthew Codde at Restored Minds is also a therapist who had OCD and health anxiety and now helps others and has good info on his youtubes and website. Also, I found the DARE Book and youtube videos very helpful for learning what anxiety really is and how to best deal with it.

[Bella_lee]

Hi @Kindgirl15 I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this difficult situation and feelings that you can't seem to control. From what you said, it seems like the health scare triggered these anxious feelings you're now having and possibly caused a seed of fear to come into your thoughts or sub conscious that something might go wrong with your body.

There is an acronym for fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) that I came across which helped me in my understanding of how powerful our minds can be. What we think about has the ability to affect our bodies even when those thoughts have no basis in reality. Having this knowledge now make me very intentional on what I choose to dwell on and really helped me to take control of my thoughts.

I don't know what your faith is but for me personally, also taking time to pray, meditate on scriptures and breathing exercises helps calm me when I begin to experience feelings of anxiety.

You could also consider counseling to help you process how you're feeling and the best way forward in shaking off the anxiety.

I hope and pray that the coming days brings peace and strength for your emotions and well being for your body.

[Kindgirl15 in reply to Bella_lee]

thank you so much for your kind words, encouragement and prayers. It means so much to me.