Has Anxiety made you over analyze everything?

[LoveMeg22]

I've noticed since I got Anxiety, I literally over analyze EVERYTHING now. 😝 especially having Health Anxiety, every little normal thing that everyone experiences like headaches, chest pain, just little things I OVER react to them. It's crazy to think I never use to think this way! I'm a healthy 21 year old. I use to play sports growing up! Being active & fit! I have no history of any health problems in my family & yet I have Health Anxiety! 😂 I'm so paranoid of any little thing that I feel that doesn't feel right. 😝 Crazy what Anxiety can do to us! Does anyone else have this problem?

[Goldfish_]

Quite right. Introspective self analysis is facilitated and encouraged by websites like this. You need to get out of your head and into your life!

Give up your concerns and trust in God to look after you.

[LoveMeg22 in reply to Goldfish_]

Very true 😌 I have noticed if I keep myself busy & be in the moments with Life, it helps with my Anxiety a lot! 😊 I've had no panic attacks for awhile & I've been noticing that a lot of the things I use to panic about are becoming less & less of a problem & focus for me! Also praying to God & enjoying my Life has been awesome as well ❤ I Hope everyone realizes that overcoming Anxiety is among us all. Just have faith & trust in the Lord ❤ anything & everything is possible with him!

[Stoneroses86]

All the time lovemeg it's horrible I constantly have to check make sure everything is OK it's like ocd of the body every pain,im constantly thinking what if or what is this

[Lynl]

Yes big time !! I'm sorry your going through this . Try with all you have not to. I have a doctor appt today and I make a lot of them and it scares the hell out of me. Praying you beat this soon.

[Hidden]

All day every day! I'm always trying to figure out what's wrong with myself when I get pains. But I don't use google! Lol that only makes it seem worse

[Angela15]

Yes, can relate to that, but don't know what to do to stop.

[Katlinma78]

This is a normal effect of anxiety. When our ancestors lived in the wild, a rustle of grass would make them think 'lion' and they would be extra vigilant. Another rustle of grass and they would be prepared to run ('flight') or fight. Whether or not it was actually a lion, because assuming it was helped you to survive. We evolved that part of the fear response was to believe it was a lion even if we couldn't possibly know, even if it wasn't - because responding quickly helped you to survive. And that has consequences to us today that become a vicious circle if we don't understand them.

If we have an experience that triggers the fear response e.g. stress at work, an abusive relationship, a bereavement or even chronic subtle things, this acts like the first rustle in the grass or maybe like actually encountering but escaping from a lion. We become hypervigilant - which is what you are describing.

We then notices other 'rustles in the grass' e.g.bodily sensations, things people say... and our brain screams 'lion' heart attack, cancer, very ill. Even though it may not be at all, that possibility feels very real in the anxiety, because it used to be part of our survival to believe the possibility of 'lion' as fact. So we indulge in fight (checking our pulse, Googling, asking a friend, asking this forum, going to the docs) to try and kill that lion. Or we use flight - distracting ourselves with other things, avoiding the situation where we had those frightening bodily sensations. The trouble is that this reinforces to the brain that lion might be real, that there might really be danger. So the hypervigilance persists and becomes a vicious circle.

So the solution when your brain is screaming 'lion' is to say to it 'this may or may not be a lion, but I won't know until I calm down and think clearly without the fear response. So I am going to choose not to respond with a fight or flight behavior, I am going to do something productive or which is good for me. This is really hard when your brain is screaming 'lion'!! But if you keep doing it then the hypervigilance subsides. There are many things that can help you with this: mindfulness, breathing exercises, medication that reduces the anxiety response. I hope this helps

[LoveMeg22 in reply to Katlinma78]

This is exactly what a Doctor explained to me about Anxiety! 😮 he said something like Anxiety actually helps us in some way! Its like an instinct! It can be a good instinct in some ways! Which makes sense! 😊 But at the same time anxiety can be an enemy... 😔 especially with the type of Anxiety that a lot of us deal with! Basically we need to re-train our brains to think a certain way! It has helped to contantly keep reminding myself of the symptoms I've experienced before & remind myself that this will pass, it's normal, & I won't die. 😝 trust me, whoever reads this comment, please keep reminding yourself during a panic attack, certain symptoms, feelings, etc.. Remind yourself you will be Okay! 😌 Also trust in God. ❤ He is also by your side!

[masteringmyself]

Oh man yes,

One time this guy gave me a package to hold while he went to his car for something.

I heard a beep and tossed the package on the floor because I thought it was a bomb.

It's hilarious but I was actually terrified at that moment I thought I was gone lol