Is it really anxiety

[Amb444556]

I think I have health anxiety, I started off feeling dizzy and lightheaded then with tingling down my face arms and legs now I feel really weak and have joint pain and I constantly ache everywhere and get headaches and back and neck ache it's really scaring me and I'm constantly worrying about it which makes things worse and pushes my family and friends away I really want to go back to my happy old self I've been too the doctors twice one said virus other did blood tests and found nothing

[Jeff1943]

Amb444556, it's amazing how much doctors can find out from a simple blood test these days and as your doctor says your problem is nothing physical after your blood test I think it is right to assume you have general anxiety disirder. After all, feeling dizzy and lightheaded are two of the most common symptoms of it.

I think there is great significance when you say that you are constantly worrying about it which makes things worse, this is exactly what prolongs anxiety and the symptoms of anxiety that you describe. And while you go on stressing and obsessing about your symptoms there is little chance of recovery - by continually adding more stress and worry to your tired nervous system you go on adding fuel to the fire thereby prolonging the problem.

So as you acknowledge that constant worry makes things worse, why not try the opposite of that and make things better?

What you need to know is that for some reason, most probably a period of stress, your nervous system has become over sensitive. In this state it easily mimics many physical illnesses, it is very good at doing this. It also makes us feel that problems that are relatively small and manageable seem immense and magnified ten fold.

The way to recovery is to stop maintaining the over sensitivity of your nerves by constantly adding fear to them which prolongs the symptoms - and instead start to accept the symptoms for the time being by not addingfurther fear when you experience them. After all, you know they are not the symptoms of organic illness but are merely hiccups in your nervous system that are not life threatening and cannot do you any real damage.

So when you feel these upsetting symptoms come instead of tensing and testing which cause more fear and anxiety, just take a deep breath and let it out slowly (and repeat it again and again) and accept the bad feeling andat the same time imagine every muscle in your body, limbs, shoulders and head going limp and relaxing. Above all, ACCEPT those bad feelings for the moment and just carry on with your life as normal knowing that by notadding fresh fear to first fear you are gradually de-sensitising your nervous system. And if you are persistant in accepting and are willing to let time pass then inevitably in the fullness of time your nerves will return to normal and you will be free of the bad feelings and you will return to feeling the way you were before the nightmare began and all will be well with you.

[Amb444556 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thankyou