Health Anxiety After Effects

[CM97]

Hi all,

I have been suffering anxiety on and off most of my life.
Unfortunately it has been different triggers near every time.
The last one was a health scare and I was a wreck for a week. All the normal things fatigue, lack of appetite etc.

Normally once I have gotten thru it I feel quite normal.

This last one I am over the hump. But my stomach is still a mess. Bloating one minute hungry next.
Also I feel short of breath sometimes. But if I stop take some deep breathes
it feels normal again but could happen again in 30 minutes.

Is this normal? I have heard of anxiety hangover. But trying to stay away from Google.

Cheers

[Soberlicious96]

Dear CM97,

Welcome to Beyond Blue, and well done on reaching out for help and support.

I should start by saying that in no way am I a health professional, so please don't take what I say to be the be-all-and-end-all ..... But I do know that for me sometimes anxiety has caused me to 'over-breathe' (as a doctor once said to me). I'm also an asthmatic so I know about breathing difficulties. But what I mean by over-breathing is that whenever I got stressed, I would get reminded to 'breathe in deeply' ....... but not so much reminded to also breathe OUT as far as i could. Breathing OUT is where and when, I have found, the anxiety is released. So maybe, if you wish, try the following; breathe in for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 8 seconds. ..... it worked for me. My belly ache would disappear, my heart rate slowed, and chest felt opened up and my body relaxed.

Of course, there may be more things that need to be done, but deep breathing - both deeply in and all the way out could be a great start. It can be done at any time, and without using Google!

Also, remember just to keep it simple and focus on just this day only. No need to fix your whole life problem at once. I have found many times that if I work on fixing just one aspect in my life, then other things also have the tendency to improve.

If you have to work in 30 minute increments, then that's fine. Hope you feel better soon. And perhaps too, if you haven't already, talk to your doctor about the bloating one minute, and hungry the next. It could be that a change in eating habits is required? I don't know. But I do know that healthy eating and regular exercise have made a MASSIVE difference to my health - both my mental health and physical health. and far more to my mental health than I ever could have imagined.

All the best. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts. xo

Anyway, hope that helps at least a little. Take care. Beyond Blue is here for you 24/7.

[CM97]

Thanks for the reply.

Today was good regarding the breathing. I feel pretty good as well. But the stomach still feels a mess. Bloat, gassy, intergestion. They things hardly existed a week ago but start when the anxiety wound up a notch. Now it well down but the stomach is continuing. Not sure how long I leave it before I consult the doctor.

[anxietyalien]

I feel similar frequently. The past couple of days have been pretty difficult (haven't felt this unwell in many weeks). Sometimes I might have a QuickEze lolly, (only 1, as I don't like taking them too often - maybe 1 every week - not sure if they're bad for the kidneys/organs). I let it dissolve in my mouth for 30 mins or so, and it usually helps with the digestive system feelings I get. It's hard to cope with sometimes, and so difficult to manage - but hopefully time will heal these things.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi CM97,

Thanks for your post. Yes, it absolutely sounds like an anxiety hangover. I get them too sometimes. The idea behind it is that the body is basically overwhelmed with the stress response, that it needs time to recover and go back to it's homeostasis (normal state). So it's normal and healthy, even though it's hard sometimes.

Soberlicious96 gave some really great advice about breathing. It's funny that breathing is so simple but we often forget how to do it - so whether you're focusing on the out breath, trying breathing techniques or doing mindfulness meditations - it's going to be great for your recovery and hangover.

Digestive wise, the best advice I could give here is to try and eat regularly, even if you don't eat a lot. There's some idea there that by doing this it's not overwhelming the stomach as much as three big meals a day. Of course, it's not for everyone but I've found that it helps me. Things like dark chocolate, almonds, chamomile tea/green tea, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, spinach, eggs, pineapple and bananas are also really good for anxiety too.

I hope this helps,

[CM97]

Thanks for the replies it nice to know others are out there. It's been a strange few days. I practiced the breathing and things felt good. Today after a rough night with sick kids I am feeling off again. Not a full blown attack like last time just a numb useless feeling and shortness of breathe is back. At least the tummy has settled. I know I need to try and not concern myself but it's hard I'm thinking there is something wrong health wise with the breathing.