Eating Anxiety / Swallowing difficulties

[Lofty2314]

Hi, for the past 6 months if not longer I've developed and really been struggling with eating / swallowing mainly in public, now the thought of going out to a cafe or restaurant for breakfast lunch or dinner terrifies me as I worry about it before I get there, I get set off by everything around me and the different smells, feel nausea come on rapidly, like I'm going to be sick, I can't chew or get my food down and enjoy it like I used to be able to, I've never had issues in the past and always loved food and eating. It's really impacting me as I feel I can't go out to eat or take my girlfriend out to a nice dinner in fear of how I'll react. Feels like I've got a lump in my throat constantly like I'm all uptight and the muscles aren't relaxed nothing just flows down into my stomach like the good old days prior to this. I've also developed really shallow breathing which doesn't help and I've been checked and cleared for asthma and had bloods done for allergies etc and everything come back fine. Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do/take to overcome it? It's getting me really down and taken away a big part of my quality of life. I used to life going to the pub with my mates for a feed now it's a daunting thought, I rather just stay at home and eat in my comfort zone in case I do get that sick/can't swallow my food feeling, it's like I've forgotten how to swallow in public, I feel it must be a severe anxiety i've developed for whater reason.. If anyone can help that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Swan_13]

Hi Lofty,

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been quite stressed when it comes to eating in public over the past 6 months or so. It sounds like eating out socially was pretty central to your life before you started feeling this way, so I can imagine how confusing this somewhat sudden change has been for you. Expressing your thoughts on this forum is a great start to working through them 🙂

From what you’ve explained, it sounds like you’ve ruled out some physical causes to the shallow breathing and to not being able to get your food down like you used to…it makes sense that you feel it might be anxiety causing this.

I hope you don’t mind me asking a few questions just to get a better understanding of what you’ve been going through… What do you feel is the difference between eating at home or eating out - is it perhaps the people around you or not having made the food yourself? Do you fear having a bad physical reaction to the food? Has there been anything that’s happened between when you used to feel comfortable going to the pub with your mates up until now?

It sounds like getting to a place where you can go out and eat and enjoy food again is quite important to you – you’d like to take your girlfriend out and do something special for her, which is really nice. Have you had a conversation with her about how you’re feeling?

Hope to hear back from you soon 🙂

[Lofty2314]

Hi Swan,

It definitely was pretty central beforehand, I've never had any issues like this before and can understand why it started or keeps happening, along with the shallow breathing. I'm at my wits end with it, I just want it to stop and to be/feel normal again and go out without worry, it seems ridiculous and i feel embarrassed that it happens.

A lot has happened over the past couple of years which has led to my stress/anxiety which was never this bad in the past so I feel this is the contributing factor and it's stuck in my head like I'm paranoid that something is physically wrong with me even though I've been checked over and cleared by doctors, it's now a mental thing it seems and I just can't shake it and breath normally alot of the time nor eat in public comfortably without getting into a panic over feeling nausea sickness etc..

It's hard to say, i feel like it's a combination of things, I feel a little Claustrophobic in a lot of eateries, like I can't escape the smells, the noise, the people it's mentally challenging but never used to be an issue. Eating at home i'm in my own space, there's nobody else around but me and my girlfriend or her parents when we are at their house and I feel comfortable and eat as normal without any issues generally. I put a lot of pressure on myself in life and about the future also which hasn't / isn't helping my situation and for whatever reason something comes over me when eating out, I get shaky, sweat a little, heart starts to race, it's horrible.

It's very important to me, I'd love to take her out and go out in general without the fear of feeling or being sick in a public place and getting all the symptoms I have been as mentioned above. My girlfriend know about it yes we are very open and honest with each other, and it upsets her that it affects and upsets me.

Kind Regards,

Lofty