Feeling Awful

[Ctate96]

Constant racing heart, hard to catch my breath, also feeling like I have to make myself breathe as if I don’t constantly tell myself to I’ll just stop breathing (this can’t be true because I slept for an hour today, light headed & just a complete mess. Starting to feel like this will never get better

[Dana38]

It will get better. Is this new for you or has this been going on for a while?

[Ctate96 in reply to Dana38]

About a month I’ve been dealing with anxiety. But the feeling like I have to force myself to breathe thing is new

[Dana38]

Yeah. I’ve been there. It comes and goes. Have you been to a Dr?

[Ctate96 in reply to Dana38]

I’ve been to countless hospital visits and my family doctor. They always say it’s just my anxiety. Trying a new medication now so I’m hoping this will help & also going to a psychiatrist.

[Jeff1943]

You will start to get better and you have taken the first step towards recovery by seeing various health care professionals who have assured you that your symptoms are due to anxiety. You are also trying medication and are seeing a psychiatrist.

So nobody can accuse you of being just a spectator watching your symptoms and hoping they will magically disappear. You are taking active steps to bring about your recovery.

Remember meds can take several weeks before you get the full benefit so do give the meds a chance to kick in.

You do not have to make yourself breathe, nobody does, this is done for us automatically by what is called the involuntary nervous system. It never fails us: you can be sleeping, eating, walking and it will always make sure you breathe.

So forget your fear that you will stop breathing unless you consciously make yourself breathe, our bodies do not work like that.

For some reason known only to yourself your nerves have become stressed. Maybe by worry, over-work, grief, disappointment, the causes are many but the effect is the same. Your nervous system has become overly sensitive and this is what is causing all your symptoms including the breathlessness.

As a result of your frightening symptoms you react with fear and this releases fear hormones that flood your nervous system and keep them sensitised.

If only we can break the vicious circle of symptoms causing fear causing more symptoms causing more fear then we would give our nerves a chance to recover and we regain our quiet mind.

Meds are helpful in providing a period of respite and you need that right now but when you stop taking the meds the anxiety can return.

It is good that you are seeing a psychiatrist, if they are good they will bring you understanding, reassurance and coping strategies that can greatly help you.

You will also benefit by reading a good self-help book written by someone whose method has been successful in helping people to recover: such as the Acceptance method advocated by Doctor Claire Weekes in her books.

You have made an excellent start in exploring paths that will lead to your recovery. It will help you greatly if you leave the breathing to your involuntary nervous system and concentrate on the cause(s) of your anxiety which is fear and the fear of fear.

[Ctate96 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you so much this really helped

[Amarie37]

I’ve been going thru some of those same symptoms especially the breathing part and it is awful, hope things get better for us both. Try deep breathing it may help as others have told me.