How do you know?

Koby16 · ‎12-09-2018

I have been suffering anxiety and panic for as long as I can remember. I don't recall a time where I felt 'normal'.

It has started to impact my wellbeing - where I used to manage it, I now can't seem to get a handle on it.

I have physical symptoms all day and am at a point where I can't tell if it is real or anxiety driven. I find myself going is this real chest pain, is this numbness real, do I have a cold? The truth is I can't tell..it all feels the same - debilitating.

I am writing this now in the early hours of the morning because I have woken up with anxiety and can't seem to get it under control,

How do I know wha is real. How do I manage the anxiety? It seems once I get one symptom under control, a new one pops up to take its place...

Peppermintbach · ‎12-09-2018

Hi Koby,

I hope it’s okay if I extend a very caring welcome to you to the forums 🙂

It sounds like you’ve been having a particularly rough time. Waking up in the early hours to intensely anxious thoughts must have been horrible...you must have felt so on edge and overwhelmed plus anxiety can be so emotionally draining.

I feel not being able to differentiate between anxiety driven physical reaction and physical reactions would be so confusing and unsettling. As you said, it leaves you with lots of questions about what is “real”?

I have a couple of gentle suggestions that I would like to share with you. You can read them and see what you think...maybe they will suit you or maybe they will not...

I’m hoping it’s okay for me to suggest perhaps seeing your GP and asking for a full check-up. The reason that I’m suggesting it is maybe it can help you get to the bottom of your physical symptoms. E.g. if you’re given the “all clear” then you’ll know that anxiety is possibly playing a huge role...

Also, there is a BeyondBlue thread that you might find useful. It’s called self help tips for managing anxiety, which you can find either by typing the name in the BeyondBlue search bar or by visiting the Anxiety forum where you’ll find it pinned at the top. Basically, it has a range of suggestions for managing anxiety (as the title suggests) by many forum members.

It’s lovely to meet you here, even if it wasn’t under ideal circumstances because I do realise you’re struggling. There’s no pressure but if you find writing here helpful, feel free to check in again.

Kind and compassionate thoughts,

Pepper

baet123 · ‎12-09-2018

Hi Koby16,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for posting and allowing us to learn a bit about your situation. Really brave of you.

Sorry to hear that you are going through a lot and that its overwhelming you.

I used to suffer from health anxiety and for a long time I experienced physical symptoms that were very much real to me and felt like I had many things wrong with me but that was all my anxiety so although there was nothing physically wrong, the pain and feelings were certainly real.

You say you have managed it well. Is this with consultation and advices from health professionals or you yourself have been managing it? Medication really helped me so maybe you can consult your GP about this.

What your feeling is normal and it will get better.

Hope this helped.

All the best.

Baet123