Homesick at home?

[thaolam]

Really often in the week, I get these chest stricken feeling that I need to get home or I desperately need to be home. The thing is that I get these feelings when I AM at home.

Sometimes I get it so strongly, that I get teary, stumble around and find it hard to breathe. Thoughts that 'I'm getting this feeling because something bad's going to happen' pass through my mind.

I never get homesick when I am overseas or anything, so it's really weird. When I get it in the mornings, I feel so shitty for the rest of the day. My problems become more worrying to me and I can't concentrate on anything. 

I've tried googling this, and many people say its a panic attack, or an anxiety attack, or possibly a heartburn? 
I really don't want to go to a GP or anything, because I don't want to make this a big deal for family and friends. I have school and work as well.. I don't know what to do

[Vegetarian Marshmallow]

Definitely sounds like a panic/anxiety attack to me.  It might be possible for heartburn to induce "something bad's going to happen" and "I need to get home" feelings, but that sounds much less likely to me than a panic attack.  And actually, the hypothetical example that comes to mind for heartburn inducing those feelings is that of the person already having some anxiety issue in the first place.

If there's no obvious recent stressor that's appeared in your life that you can point to, I sure would consider the GP.  I think it's only a big deal if someone makes it a big deal.  You surely know at least a few people who've been to a psych, although it might not be public knowledge.  You go to Bunnings to buy some screws, a bird bath, and some WD40.  It's not a big deal.  You simply can't manufacture your own bird baths as easily as you can go to Bunnings.  Same with buying tomatoes from the grocery store for use in dinner tonight, instead of the much more involved process of starting a garden, waiting for the tomatoes to grow, and inventing a time machine so you can come back to tonight with the tomatoes.  Similarly, you go to a doctor or psych or whatever to figure out this kind of stuff.  Stuff often becomes a bigger deal when you leave it and pretend it'll fix itself.

There are breathing exercises, lines of internal dialogue you can have with yourself, and other techniques that can help while you're in the middle of an attack.  Google will have these.

[TJ80]

Hi Thaolam

You may be suffering Anxiety, it certainly sounds that way anyway.

As a lifelong sufferer myself, I know first hand how frightening it is, but I also know it can be managed. Go and have a talk to someone. No-one else needs to know, other than yourself until you feel comfortable enough to seek added support from family and friends. It really will help, or at the very least, help you understand what you are dealing with. Best of luck.

[The_Real_David_Charles]

"I really don't want to go to a GP".  =  I am not important.

Dear thaolam,

Anxiety is a legitimate illness.   It can lead to depression or other mental health conditons, even, if everything spirals out of control, suicide.

I would say a GP can advise or give you some meds to assist short term.  If it's a long term problem then some counselling to look at your life situation and stresses would be desirable.  For work and sick days the word "stress" is often used to avoid triggering the Spanish Inquisition about being "mental".    The way you want to keep up the work and school seems to indicate you want to minimise the problems with your health.   This is just human bloody mindedness !

It's commendable to "soldier on" but, really, your body is telling you something so I wouldn't play it down.   You are allowed to make this "a big deal for family and friends".   That's what they are there for.   You don't think someone close to you has noticed a change ?   People are pretty perceptive these days.   I can even tell when my wife's been to the hairdressers.  Lol.  The catch cry "Why didn't you say something ?" can be heard across Australia as family play catch up with seriously ill members.  Unless you are lucky enough to have parents that work in the psychic business you probably have to spell it out for them.

Adios, David.