topic Anxiety? in Anxiety

Anxiety?

Romani12321 — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 08:11:57 GMT

Hi, this is my first time posting to these forums so hopefully I don't ramble too much.

I'm currently in year 12 and I suppose to an extent, it does not help that I'm under constant pressure in regards to SAC's (assessments), but recently I've been feeling as if I'm 'going crazy'.

It's hard to describe how I've been feeling other than just like everything has been out of control, and it's been at its worst this last week. Everything really started to spiral out of control during the COVID-19 isolation period which is when I first started experiencing panic attacks. These panic attacks were horrible at first, with the primary concern being a feeling of dissociation, or derealization to be more specific, whereby the world around me felts really hollow. It's something I cannot describe.

I've always had problems with searching stuff up online to try and self diagnose, and I suppose it all started to spiral when it came to my mind that I may be developing schizophrenia. I know it's highly improbably, and to this day I don't believe I am going to become schizophrenic, but recently there's been times where I analyse each and every thought as to assess whether or not I am doing stuff that the internet says may indicate schizophrenia.

Some of these symptoms include feeling like I'm seeing stuff in my peripheral vision, however I am sure that this is just my anxiety telling me that something is there, when it is not. Furthermore, I sometimes find myself smelling a smell such as smoke when there is no explanation, known as 'phantosmia', but I also believe this can be attributed to anxiety.

Another concern is a feeling that has come back to me. When I was young, during a period of flu I would rarely experience this feeling where the scale and weight of objects would feel strange and off to me. It happened when I closed my eyes and I felt like I could see shapes changing size which distressed me. However, recently during panic attacks, and potentially at times where I'm extremely tired, I feel this feeling again. It's the feeling of losing control that gets to me and I cannot shake it, recently I have dreaded this feeling coming back to me.

Anyways sorry for the long post, but I just want to know if anyone else has these experiences, and if i should be concerned.

Thanks

Anxiety?

Sophie_M — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 08:27:43 GMT

Hi Romani12321,

Thank you so much for reaching out to our community here. It was very brave of you to do so and we are so sorry to hear what you've been going through. We understand the pressure of school is really tough, especially since you are also worrying about these symptoms.

Our community is not able to offer medical advice, but we can offer some support and advice on how you can get medical advice. There is no replacement for visiting your GP, even googling symptoms yourself. Most doctors will take phone appointments at the moment so you don't need to leave home. We would strongly recommend that you do get in touch with a GP to talk over how you're feeling and discuss options for help.

It also might help to talk it out whenever you're feeling overwhelmed. Kids Helpline counsellors can be contacted 24/7 by young people 25 and under via telephone and also via webchat - https://kidshelpline.com.au/
Headspace is another organisation we would recommend, they are specifically for young people aged 12-25 and they offer a wide range of services including counselling and group programs. They also have a group chat on their webpage - https://headspace.org.au/

We hope that you keep checking in to let us know how you're going, whenever you feel up to it.

Anxiety?

Croix — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:35:30 GMT

Dear Romani12321~

I guess the very first thing I should do is say how much I regret you have been stuck without an answer except Sophie_M. It is good she met you and offered pretty good advice, however by now others who have been in similar places, such as myself, should have answered you too.

Sadly our system does not always behave as we would like.

Actually stress (your SACs) plus the threat of covid19 plus isolation and panic attacks is simply more than most people can handle over time, and further anxiety then tends to give you symptoms that seem strange or unrelated.

I do not think Dr Google can do any good at all, quite the reverse, it will literally get you seeing shadows that are not there.

Panic attacks are horrible , I was frightened out of my wits the first time, I though it was a heart attack or something.

Yes to answer your question I do think you should worry, and unlike me who hung on and on until I got much worse, suggest you go see your GP (or Headspace) in an extended consultation and say exactly what has been happening.

You are not gong crazy, neither was I. It was simply anxiety, which is an illness, taking over. and like most illnesses it can be treated, so the sooner you get examined the better.

Have you told anyone else about how you have been feeling. Is there anyone in your family you can talk to, or if not a friend? Trying tot hang on by yourself just makes it harder. I found talking with another at least gave me a bit of a sense of proportion and worries did not run as wild.

You are welcome here anytime, and now I've seen your thread the wait time should not be as long

Croix

Anxiety?

romantic_thi3f — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:18:08 GMT

Hi Romani12321,

Welcome to the forums. I too am sorry you've had to wait a bit for a reply - I hope that you're still around or lingering on the forums and that you'll come back to chat with us.

As someone who has dealt with these sorts of symptoms/feelings before, I know how incredibly scary it can be. I understand the fears that you have and the sense of losing control - and to have these sensations is one thing, but to be thinking that you're going crazy or trying to shake it off is a whole different story. Between the two I'm glad that you're here because it does sound very exhausting and hard at the moment.

I think that you thinking you may have schizophrenia from googling online may be very similar to having headaches and thinking you have cancer. It's WebMD for mental health basically 🙂

With schizophrenia or psychosis - both of these conditions are 'out of touch' with reality. If a person has schizophrenia, their head can feel a little scrambled - so when people see things (usually in their normal vision not peripheral), there isn't any question if it's real or not - because the hallucination makes it just as real as reading this post.

Anywho this feels like it's turning into a long post, so I'll leave it there for now. I do hope though that it gives you a little bit of comfort. I encourage you to reach out to a doctor or a therapist - it's way too hard to deal with this alone.

Anxiety?

maccaz — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 05:40:20 GMT

I can chip in a bit on this one, as I have very similar sensations. Typical process (happens maybe once every 3-6 months)

1. Get overwhelmingly stressed with something like work (before that it was school, even primary school)
2. Stress builds up over time, even if its not so bad, it all adds to the pile in the back of my brain, even if i dont feel particualrly "stressed"
3. start feeling off, so do some googling, come across a worst case scenario type ailment that is so far fetched and ridiculous
4. become obsessed with above ailment, and start experiencing physical symptoms of it, for weeks/months. I've done this with various physical and mental illnesses, and over time it eases off, until I repeat the process (lol)

My only advice would be to go to the doctor and talk about your worries, do your best to trust them when they reassure you that you are ok, and then work on managing stress a bit better and with time it gets easier. I'm currently managing symptoms from my last fictional illness in december/january, but it def has gotten easier over time!