I don't know what's going on. Is it anxiety, or something else?

[TNTOwl]

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great day! I just wanted to say that I haven't really been feeling myself as of the past 2-3 weeks. I've been feeling very...blank. I thought it was my blood sugar (which is 94-99 as of late) but after checking in with you guys and my aunt (who is a diabetic,) we have all come to the conclusion that 94-99 is not considered low like the nurse had suggested it was. Maybe she meant it was low for what I do (I was working out 4 days a week, burning on average 350-500 calories each day, while only consuming maybe 1400-1800 calories each day.)

I have been eating breakfast and I have stopped working out until I feel better...but I haven't really been feeling too much better. I wake up in the morning feeling better, but as the day goes on the feeling keeps coming back...I'll get sleepy at times when I shouldn't, and things have been looking different to me. I haven't had issues identify anything or anyone, I haven't had issues remembering anything, I don't have balance issues...it's just...I don't know, things look different kinda sorta sometimes, almost as if I haven't been in these places before when I clearly have...almost as if my mind is dipping in and out of reality at times.

I am at Job Corps, have been for 2 years now. You are not allowed to leave center. I have been very stressed out since I've been here. I am currently away from my girlfriend...I can't eat like I want to, and I have college classes 5 days a week now, tons of homework everyday, I don't have any friends, and I don't really get 7-8 hours of sleep like I should. I guess maybe it's stress an anxiety? I don't know. But I'm tired of feeling like this.

I miss being able to enjoy my doritos, candy, ice cream, mountain dew, video games, and etc when I got off work at home...I miss mcdonalds, kfc, apple bees, and other restaurants...I don't know I guess maybe I'm just really tired of job corps? Maybe I'm really tired of being away from the real world? I'm tired of not being able to get a hug and kiss from my gf, I'm tired of stressing about how I'm gonna find a job and get a car after college, how I'm going to build my credit, where I'm even going to get all this money from...

I found this website a few days ago, and I just really really love talking to you all, you always seem to know what to say...so...what do you guys think? I'm just tired of feeling strange or as if I'm not in a place I clearly recognize...the scariest thing of it all to me is that I don't really know what's causing it.

P.S: The nurse checked my blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate, and said that they're all healthy. My blood pressure goes up sometimes, but when she checks it a few minutes later, it's low again. Also if it helps at all, I am 6'0, 178lbs, 22 year old black male. This skipping breakfast and eating 1400-1800 (usually around 1700-1800) while working out 4 days a week thing has all been over the course of 2-3 months, so could it also be that it's just going to take longer to get back to normal?

[Hidden]

Hi TNT!

Im so sorry you are experiencing this. Sounds like it is best that you have a doctor's examination as you said before. Are you getting enough calories when you do eat? I can check that out with info you provided if you havent already. I thought it might be symptoms of keto flu but maybe not. You are definitely feeling down and you have anxiety which is probably caused by stress. Were you fasting to lose weight? Doesnt sound like you need to lose weight. Good your vital signs are normal.

How long are you in job corp? I guess the better question is when can you go home for a visit? Do you video chat with your gf?

[TNTOwl in reply to Hidden]

Hidden Wow! I have never heard of this keto flu until you mentioned it, and after I googled it, those symptoms seem EXTREMELY accurate to what I'm experiencing. And it would make sense because I went from eating a ton of junk food and however much food I wanted (at my old Job Corps center) to eating almost nothing here at this new center, in an attempt to lose weight, on top of my workouts and large water consumption.

Yes, I am trying to burn off fat. I am around 20-25% body fat...I look slender with my clothes on, I have well built arms, chest, and legs...but I do not have those abs. And I really want them, but I have a layer of fat over them that I desperately want to get rid of. And there are two reasons why I am desperate for it:

1. So I can finally take my shirt off with my girlfriend and not feel so self conscious and insecure (even though she loves me regardless, and to some degree doesn't want me to get abs because she feels like "I will feel like a rock") because I feel like I will never be able to love her completely until I love myself first.

2. I want to finally be only the 2nd person in my family to have abs. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and anxiety run in my family. My aunt was telling me yesterday that high blood sugar is what runs in our family, not low blood sugar. So the fact that mines seems low to me is actually kinda a good thing. I want to reverse these diseases for the future generations of my family. And my brother is the only one in our family who has maybe 12-15% body fat, and very visible abs (although he smokes and drinks just like everyone else in my family. I am the only one who does not do either.)

I believe anxiety may be contributing as well, but wow I've never heard of the keto flu before. But it sounds almost exactly like what's going on. Cause I have no memory issues, or any trouble controlling my body.

[Hidden in reply to TNTOwl]

Okay, I understand why you were fasting. It is one of the best ways to lose body fat. However, you have a lot on your plate and keto flu is no joke. Please let the doctor rule out other possible issues. That will be one thing you don't have to worry about.

[TNTOwl in reply to Hidden]

Hidden Yeah...I guess trying to burn so much fat so fast wasn't the smartest decision. I even had one of my friends who's really into fitness tell me that I don't need intermittent fasting to get down to 12-14% body fat. He said if I just workout normally and eat healthy I can still see my abs, and that intermittent fasting is for people who want to get shredded and get down to 10% body fat or less, and honestly I have no desire to do that.

But I really must thank you for that suggestion, I had no idea keto flu existed. I do believe that may be what I'm experiencing..and I saw somewhere that it could take over a month for it to go away, and it definitely has not been a month yet. As I said before I haven't had any trouble with my balance, or remembering anything or even identifying anything, I've just been feeling out of touch with reality, almost as if my mind keeps checking in and out at different times during the day.

I will make sure to mention all of this to the doctor, but unfortunately, they told me I am not allowed to see the doctor until tuesday of next week.

[Hidden in reply to TNTOwl]

Sounds like a good plan! 😊

[stde]

Hi, I read your posts, as you read mine😁...

This can only be taken as an opinion, but anxiety is probably the main cause as when anxiety is present for a length of time you work with an overactive negative thought pattern, when this happens you subconscious can lock onto a subject...

This can be social anxiety, separation anxiety,cleanliness etc etc etc...your subconscious in a bid to put control into your life has chosen health....

Yes get checked out to put your mind at rest, but you may find your health is fine, but inadvertantly your mind has focused on health, when in fact the main problem underneath is Anxiety...

Also the depersonalisation is caused by prolonged anxious state, and people can experience this with depression...

You would be better opening up to your GP, and possibly short term meds would help..

But so would a reassessment of where you want to be, but no drastic change should take place till you've dealt with the anxiety first....

Life unfortunately was never meant to go our way, but if you don't get to emotionally attached to every passing thought you will be calmer...

Be kind to yourself

Check out

You tube....Sadhguru...a clever man

Reading.....Eckhart Tolle....heavy but interesting

Facebook...Seeing through different eyes....food for thought....

Wishing you well on your journey

[TNTOwl in reply to stde]

stde Thank you so much for your words of wisdom! Anxiety actually runs in my family, and I didn't find that out until yesterday when I was speaking to my aunt who is a diabetic. Curving anxiety is very difficult, but I do have a passion for meditation. The issue is that I actually haven't meditated in over 6-7 months. Maybe I should find the time to get back to it, but it's so hard to find privacy here at this center...and the scariest thing is that I can't put a finger directly on the cause like I could with other things.

[Jeff1943]

TNTOwl, you say you don't know what's causing the way you feel. Maybe the fact that you joined an Anxiety Support forum is some sort of a clue. You've had yourself checked over medically and your physical health is fine.

So as they say, if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck then it's probably a duck. Or in your case anxiety. Maybe the cause of it is the fact that you don't like the restrictive life of the Job Corps. You've spent two years there, probably not too long before you finish then? Then you will have some sort of qualification which will help you get a good job in the future. A better job, better pay, doing something you like doing.

TNTOwl, you've invested 2 years of your time in this. Shame to waste all that time and bail out. So I think it would be better to do the hard thing and finish the course. But I would suggest you need to change your perception of things, look at everything different to the way you have until now.

Change your perception of this Job Corps that you don't like. Accept that you're making a sacrifice now that will pay off nicely in the future. You're not doing this work because you have to, you're doing it because you want to and you want to because it's going to give you access to better jobs and a nicer life style in the future. So Macdonalds Signature Triple Burgers can wait a while, KFC Zinger Wings can go on hold a bit longer, plenty of time for them when this is over.

You say you've found the last 2 years stressful, 2 years of stress can lead to high anxiety and I suggest you're showing some of the signs. Best to nip it in the bud. Stop worrying about how you're going to get a car, stop stressing about building your credit, those are tomorrow's challenges, stick with today's.

Every day when you rise say: I am doing this today because it means a better life in the future!

Say: I don't like the way of life here much but I'm too strong to quit, let others chicken out. They're losers, I'm a winner.

Say: I'm going to give my work here my best shot so I have more choice in what job I do after college.

You can't change what you do but you can change your way of looking at it.

[TNTOwl in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you so much for your wise words. I have a really bad habit of doing this all or nothing thing...if I'm going to do something, I usually jump straight to it instead of taking my time. Anxiety actually runs in my family, and I didn't even know that. I was so eager to lose weight that I went from consuming around 2500-3000 calories a day to only getting 1500-1800, which I didn't know at the time is very dangerous. That on top of my loneliness, stress, and anxiety...