Anxiety is taking over

[NannaJ]

I'm a long time sufferer of anxiety. I have had it under control for many yrs but the last 12 months I have felt it getting worse and worse. I always think the worst of every situation. I always Google diseases because I believe I have the symptoms. I have my self convinced that something terrible is going to happen to someone I love. It's now starting to affect my sleep. I don't have a regular Dr so going and seeing a stranger to discuss this is a little daunting. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Nannaj

[Doolhof]

Hi NannaJ,

Sorry to read your anxiety seems to be increasing. Welcome to the community here. If you have a look in the section titled Anxiety, by skimming through some of the posts, you may find some ways to help yourself with the anxiety.

The Beyond Blue website has information on Anxiety as well you may find useful.

Even though you don't have a regular Dr, having a chat to a GP may be very beneficial, they may be able to tell you where you can receive some help and assistance.

Would it help if you spent some time a couple of hours before you go to bed to take out a pen and paper and write down everything that is bothering you, then write down 3 things to be thankful for and concentrate on those for a while.

It helps me to write stuff down, gets it out of my head!

Hope you find some answers,

Cheers for now from Dools

[baet123]

Hey NannaJ,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for posting.

Sorry to hear that you have been struggling particularly over the last year or so. I am sure that you are aware that when someone is experiencing anxiety and mental health concerns, their views/outlook on life is negatively skewed. Things do get better and what your experiencing isn't permanent and there are plenty of amazing services out there available for you to use!

I experienced severe health anxiety for 4-5 years. I too used to search my symptoms on google and I found that was never helpful. It was super hard to resist the urge to do so but it would be a massive help to you and your concerns if you could limit this!

I believe that once your mental health concerns are having a detrimental effect on your quality of life, this is the time to seek professional assistance. Your concerns are genuine and it does seem like your quality of life has been negatively impacted due to your condition. Speaking to any general practitioner would be a great first point of contact. Talking to someone can and is daunting for most people however the benefits of talking to someone and expressing how you feel are endless!

Doolhof mentioned keeping a journal and writing down your concerns. This is a great idea as it allows you to express yourself and getting your emotions out is always better than keeping them in and bottling them up! Keeping track of your feelings and seeing if there is a pattern of thoughts/behaviours will be extremely beneficial and helpful to your health professionals, should you decide to seek assistance.

Hope this helps and look forward to hearing back from you.

Nick.

[Anon64]

Hi! I too have suffered from severe anxiety attacks and depression and last year diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Fun mix hey. I understand the google thing, my anxiety has caused me to become physically unwell and when I get bad I’m convinced I have something seriously wrong I’ve even presented to ER twice in the last month. Severe anxiety has such a strong physical response on your body and weakens your immune system. I have been nauseous and vomiting and diarrhoea. Have you tried calling beyond blue? They helped me immensely. Also try and get to a gp ASAP and get a mental health plan to see a psychologist. First steps in healing are these. Immediately you could try a really great app I found called ThinkUp. It’s all about calming meditative music and positive affirmations you can listen to when your head is telling you bad things. It’s really helped to calm me. Beyond blue also has some great mindfulness and calming exercises to try. It’s really hard to reach out so well done pat yourself on the back. Try talking to beyond blue it may help you take the first step before talking to a doctor because I get it - it’s confronting.

[NannaJ]

Hi all thank you for all your suggestions and support. My anxiety started with my last baby 23 yrs ago very bad post natal depression. It took 12mths to get it under control. During that time I was very detached from my baby and to this day I still feel guiltily. I have decided to see a GP as I want to be able to enjoy my kids and grandbabies but my anxiety is starting to get in the way. I still work full time and I'm extremely lucky to have very understanding work colleagues who can talk me through the tough times. The journal sounds like a good way to address my fears and concerns and will definitely give it a try. Thank you all again for your replys