Dizziness,can't focus and bad memory.

[Bennyboy10]

Hi Everyone I have felt with health anxiety for a number of years now but in recent years have had it mostly under control. How ever recently I have started to feel slightly dizzy or tipsy feeling and my memory and eyes feel out of focus. I think it is from my anxiety because it comes and goes depending on how aware I am feeling physically. Has anyone had experience with this feeling as it is really affecting my work and life in general.

[Bob_22]

Hi Bennyboy10,

Sorry to hear about recent struggles. I also used to struggle with health anxiety and I know how difficult it can be. As you mentioned, it becomes more difficult the more aware you are of physical symptoms. There is some great information available on health anxiety on thiswayup.org.au.

For me personally, while I was anxious I found it helpful asking "did the physical symptom occur before or after the anxiety?". And i found if I was anxious before discovering the physical symptom (mine was usually muscular pain) it would most likely be due to anxiety. I would then tell myself, if the pain hasn't diminished in a few days I will follow up with a doctor.

My little approach isn't useful for everyone. But there are many helpful CBT strategies like mine that could possibly be useful to you. Definitely worth bringing up with you GP about both the anxiety and dizziness.

Bob

[livi_mivi]

Hi BennyBoy10,

Thank you for sharing your experience, it sounds like this is starting to become

I think Bob_22 made a great point of asking yourself about the onset of your experience and whether it aligns with any feelings of anxiety. Anxiety is often conceptualised as feelings, thoughts and behaviours but often, the physical symptoms of anxiety don't garner enough attention. Even more so, we can become stuck in this cycle whereby symptoms caused by anxiety are recognised and exacerbated due to the anxiety surrounding our newly recognised symptoms.

I think it might be useful to discuss these symptoms with your GP, who will be able to assess whether they are a result of your anxiety and perhaps discuss in greater details what kinds of symptoms are a common result of anxiety. Think back to your past experiences, are these new feelings? Have you felt this way before when you have been anxious?

I've also found deep breathing techniques and meditation to be particularly useful in my own experiences of anxiety. These helped to recenter and slow down my mind, which often felt like it was running at a million miles per hour during heightened periods of anxiety, making my heart race and triggering dizziness episodes. At first, I could not get into either of these and potentially dismissed them quicker than I should have. I then tried out the Smiling Minds app which I found to be a great resource for me. I know this however can change for everyone so I guess it's hard to know whether or not it is helpful until you try it out yourself!

Wishing you all the best!

[bluemoonbluesky]

Hi there, sorry for how you are feeling. I just wanted to let you know that absolutely anxiety can cause dizziness. I had crippling (and oh so frustrating) dizziness for well over a month in late 2019. I did see a GP who diagnosed labyrinthitis but I'm not really sure and he wasn't keen to send me for an MRI or anything with my symptoms. It was frightening and exhausting but it eventually stopped - I didn't even really know I had panic disorder/anxiety at that time. Since that time, I have also had spells of dizziness at times but not to the same effect. Hang in there, and take care of yourself, but please know that dizziness and vertigo are very common symptoms of anxiety.

[Fiatlux]

Hi Bennyboy,

I was first diagnosed with vertigo in 2011. And no, it’s not a fear of heights.

I would be fine one minute and the next I desperately needed to lay on the floor or I felt that I would fall. I felt like that I was falling even when laying down. I would have to wait until the dizziness and nausea passed. This lasted several months until I rid myself of some stressful people in my life. I also left a toxic workplace.

The other symptoms that you mentioned about memory and your eyes feeling out of focus. I have experienced this too recently but I wear contact lenses everyday.

Have you had Covid?

I had Covid in January and still feel the symptoms of brain fog at times.

For me it has been an culmination of lockdowns, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, stress all rolled in together.

That and the fact that I have had 2 appointments with my GP Cancelled this year and I have lost the will to make another appointment. New GP each time.

In the past meditation and yoga helped me a lot.

[Banksy92]

Hi Bennyboy10,

I second the other comments that encourage you to just check in with your GP to figure out if for sure it's related to your mental health or something else. A friend of mine experiences dizziness/faints when he has anxiety so it could be a thing. However it's always best just to find out for sure.