Fear of fear

[Trees2357]

Does anybody have fear of fear?

[Beevee]

Anxiety disorder is all about fearing the feelings of fear. I’d wager that everyone on this website fears the feelings of fear. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder - You fear something, like a thought or a physical sensation, add more fear (avoiding, suppressing, running away, worry, hate it etc etc) which creates more feelings of fear, which you fear and so on and so on. You enter the fear-adrenalin-fear cycle, the anxiety intensifies, resulting in having an anxiety disorder. It’s all your own doing I’m afraid but on the plus side, it is also within your power to reverse that process by learning not to fear whatever it is you are fearing. By accepting the feelings of fear and let them be there without doing anything about them, you break the cycle and they gradually fade away.

Phobia - Those who have a phobia fear something specific (e.g. spiders, flying, heights etc). Compared to anxiety disorder, the ONLY difference is those with a phobia do not fear the mind and body’s reaction to that particular threat/fear so the feelings subside naturally because they aren’t bothered by them. Their concern is the spider or the flight, not the symptoms produced by the phobia. If they became afraid of the symptoms, they will leave the door open for an anxiety disorder to develop.

If a person wants to overcome their fear of spiders or flying, what do they do? They go towards their fear, they learn to handle spiders, they hop on that plane. The more they expose themselves to their fear, the less they will fear it until it doesn’t bother them.

The common denominator or root cause of anxiety, ocd, ptsd, GAD, agoraphobia and phobias is all the same. Fear. This means the way to recover from both is also the same.

Exposing yourself to the fear or the feelings of fear which means not avoiding, not suppressing, not worrying, not fighting, not running away. For the anxiety sufferer trapped in the cycle, it’s about not doing anything to rid yourself of those feelings of fear. That is acceptance and if you keep practising, recovery will follow.

Got it?

[Trees2357 in reply to Beevee]

That's so hard. I just start crying

[Lostjoy]

Yes I fear the fear also. I’m not feeling too bad right now. Evenings are always better for me, however I am afraid to go to sleep because I will wake up with anxiety again. I’ve been hopeful that I will wake up feeling good, but I’m losing hope because day after day for months it’s the same thing.

[Trees2357 in reply to Lostjoy]

I have the same thing. But now it's worse. Which. Comes first anxiety or thoughts. Soon as the anxiety comes here come thoughts and fears

[Aliciar]

I have a fear of dieing. I’m so tired of it. I’m sick of feeling a stupid squeeze in my chest and thinking I’m going to have a heart attack. I wish there was a easy way to get over this or to figure out what caused this in the first place

[Ajrea2]

I have health anxiety and a fear of death also! Up until the middle of last year I lived in a constant state of panic! Every day I wanted to call and ambulance or go to the doctor because I thought I was having a heart attack! The pain in my chest and all the other physical symptoms we're so real!! That's all I thought about every day for almost 11 years! I used drugs and alcohol to escape this hell I was living in. I have been sober for 10 months and have thrown myself into healing myself! I'm in groups and therapy. I'm learning to change my thinking and I can honestly tell you I can go hours and not think about a heart attack! I wish you all the best. Just know you are not alone!

[Aliciar in reply to Ajrea2]

How have you learned to change your thinking. That’s one thing i was talking to my husband about tonight. Like i was taking a hot bath and got a twitch or squeeze in my chest first thought was it’s my heart. Adrenaline sets in i get hot and start to sweat. I jump out thinking I’m dieing. It sucks i hate this so much

[Ajrea2]

I used to do the exact same thing! The second I felt a “heart attack symptom” I would freak out and send myself into compete panic! It was when I decided to start educating myself on my disorder and started in c.b.t with a therapist every week that I finally starting feeling some relief! I joined an axiety support group and realized I was not alone! I had never met anyone with my type of anxiety and when I started doing the work my life had completely changed!! Message me anytime you want to chat! Keep your head up my friend.

[Skeeble in reply to Ajrea2]

I have this. I constantly think there is something wrong with my chest or I get a shooting pain down my arm.. I found out I have chostochondritis but the health anxiety is still there. Mine is more situated around my throat now..so I constsntly worry ill stop breathing or my throat will close up it's awful. X

[Trees2357 in reply to Skeeble]

What is chostochondritis

[Skeeble in reply to Trees2357]

It's inflamation of the cartilage in your rib cage so gives u chest pain but it's actually just muscular not heart related

[Trees2357 in reply to Ajrea2]

We don't have support groups around here. And it's hard to find a good therapist or doctor

[73cuda]

The fear of fear is common with anx suffers as said earlier but you environment also plays a part in the cycle. There are many little things that can cause the cycle to start and you never notice them. The news (plays on anxiety and fear big time), friend, spouse , relative can also hinder the relearning cycle and not even realize they are doing it. Something else that might help (it helped me in understanding more then anything else) Who your parental role person was as a child. If they had anx, fears, phobias etc it played a part in your formative years. Aka taught your subconscious many things you never consciously see.

[Trees2357]

Me too. I'm scared. My husband wants me off drugs

[Hidden]

I can totally relate to this.