I have been suffering from anxiety for about 3 years now but have no idea why it started. Literally woke up one day and felt strange and uptight and haven't been the same since. I have been diagnosed with an under active thyroid which I thought may have been the cause but have been on medication for 12 months and am feeling worse than ever. In sept last year I had a panic attack in the local supermarket and since then I seem to have acquired a phobia of tills, queues and people. Now getting to the stage where I'm doing all my shopping online as I don't want to go far from home and dread a horrible feeling in my chest where my heart feels strange, I gasp for breath and then panic sets in. Even this morning I opened the door to accep a parcel delivery and had the same feeling. My shopping is due later and I'm already thinking about whether it will happen again. This doesn't help I know but I can't help it. What I want to know from anyone is a) is my thyroid the reason this happened b) are my worsening symptoms because I'm in a cycle I need to break and c) has anyone done cbt that helps?
Sorry for the long blog but my life is horrible right now and I just want to feel normal again. People at work have been amazing but as I look ok on the outside and try and keep going, none of them realise just how hard it is some days to breathe in and out.