Generalised anxiety disorder

[Emmametcalfe1]

Hey guys. I'm new to this but here goes... About 4 months ago I had a sickness bug and I was only sick twice, but I had a fear of being sick before being ill, now ever since I was sick it's becoming worse and worse every week. It's got to a point now where I can't even go out for a alcoholic drink with my friends because I'm too scared I'm going to be sick or feel sick. Also little things like I don't like brushing my teeth because It leaves a nasty taste in my mouth which can make me feel I'll. I find it difficult going place I don't know also. This feeling restricts me from doing day to day things now, and is really interfering in my life. Now I find if difficult to eat. When I'm hungry it makes me feel sick, but because I feel sick I won't eat. So I eat the bare minimum, I've nearly lost a stone due to this. Also with this anxiety now, I always feel fatigued, no matter how much I sleep, also I get headaches a lot. Also I wind myself up so much I end up feeling sick, I start to panic, I start to shake and I go really hot and cold, most of the time I manage to calm myslef down, but this happens all the time, atleast once a day, when I'm out or jut in the middle of the night. Went to the doctors to have a blood test and everything came back fine. Which means it's a mental problem. Hopefully they will be able to sort this problem out, anyone else suffer with this? Or anything on the same lines? Or any tips?

[Hidden]

Dang. This sounds like me. My entire anxiety is centered around this. But no doctor can solve the problem for you; what causes anxiety is your behavior. It is a learnt behavior. The core fear with people who fear getting sick is usually:

Fear of loss of control

Fear of pain and suffering

Fear of death.

Mine are the first two. Apparently, A way to overcome your fear is to change the way you perceive it. For example, when you remember that incident four months ago, do you use the words awful or horrible or something? Try to....switch one of those words to unpleasant. "It was unpleasant, but I'm fine."

I know that this is very hard to do, but what is it you actually fear? Really dig deep. I also recommend the thrive program.

[crest74]

Ho, what you have is "health anxiety" not neccessarily GAD (general anxiety disorder) speaking to a counsellor/psychiatrist/psychologist and/or having hypnotherapy aswell will help you lots! Ask your doctor to refer you for help. It is there for you to take and get on enjoying your life. It's just a phobia which can be overcome, but if it getting worse then you just need a bit of help getting over it. All the best.

[smallsteps]

You could turn to Mind for support. Local groups may offer coping strategies. A local group has certainly helped me manage my anxieties x

[hairyfairy]

My biggest fear is catching one of those stomach bugs that are always doing the rounds, so winter is a very anxious time for me. I havn`t had a sickness bug since 1970, but my luck could run out at any time. I always have some type of anti-emetic on me wherever I go, because I`m determined to be in control of my body.