bad week

[kuroe]

My health anxiety is going crazy currently, I know I’m generally not feeling good as I have a chest infection and I’ve started Sertraline back up again but I keep on convincing myself I’m dying. My temperature is fine but I feel so hot, I need to find methods to stop myself going in to a full blown panic attack when I feel this way. Does anyone have any advice at all?

[dizzychar]

Hi kuroe, I’m currently feeling chesty, and also feeling panicky I’m sat on the edge of my bed at the minute because I’m too on edge to lay down lol. Methods to try and stop you going into panic,first off try that your completely fine you’ve just got a bad chest and it will get better, maybe run a bath? Read a magazine, play a game, anything really you enjoy that could distract you from how rubbish your feeling. Sometimes just writing on here distracts me for a moment x

[Vt1988]

Closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing helps some. I also tell myself “you’re ok... everything will be ok. This is a moment and this moment will soon pass and everything will be fine”. I also try to imagine my favorite place (the beach) while breathing.

[Hidden]

It took me a while, but I learned that one thing you should stop doing right away is trying to stop a panic attack, you can stop an anxiety attack, but panic attacks are unstoppable, even if you tried to stop it they will happen sooner or later and even can happen days and days later.

As far as dealing with an infection while having health anxiety, it’s super hard and scary, but your body is built to handle infections and will heal itself l, try reading up on improving your immune system, try improving your overall strength in your body mentally and physically, diet changes, self help books, maybe medication if you don’t mind taking that route. Anxiety feels like it’s our own body working against us, but in reality anxiety is built into us to help us! There is no way to get rid of anxiety because it’s apart of our nervous system.

Sorry this was so long but the bottom line is, stopping a panic attack is not the right way and will only make them worse.

You can however talk yourself out of an anxiety attack, for example let’s say your sitting/laying about and you start getting these terrifying thoughts about your current infection and all the things that can go wrong, you start getting that uneasy dreadful feeling about those what-ifs, first thing you should do is not try to stop the thoughts, that does not work, try NOT thinking of a pink elephant, see how hard that is ? Lol second, don’t run from the feelings and thoughts by trying to do something else to drown out the what if’s, face then head on, talk to yourself, ask yourself how likely is it that those what if’s will even happen? Not likely at all.

Trust that your body is handling the infection, your immune system knows exactly what to do to handle these situations, having health anxiety on top of an infection definitely does make it so hard to trust in your body though I understand ❤️ I feel for you because I’ve been there, luckily I am making progress, try reading the book “DARE” - Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks amazon.com/dp/0956596258/re...

This book helped me on where to start, it’s like he wrote this book just for me lol and I’m sure you will feel the same, you don’t have to live in fear like this, overactive nervous system is 100% curable , anxiety is a life sentence and will be with you forever, it’s just that you’re is out of wack a bit and needs some mental resetting, good luck ❤️

[Khonkaen]

Look at the data!!!! That will tell you the truth, your mind is telling you porkies.

Next, deep breaths, think about breathing in and out, then some sort of exercsie where you can concentrate you mind If it is walking, count steps, hum a song to yourself.

Whatever you do needs to consume your thoughts and start thinking about this illness will pass. I was told my first year is the worst and I am 7 months in a mixed bag of days, so I am not only looking forward to month 13, but working towards it.