Hi binjyb,
Welcome to Beyondblue. I hope you will find a lot of support here and some good tips on how to alleviate anxiety symptoms.
Our brains are geared to protect us, hence the fight, flight, freeze response, unfortunately it can be difficult for our brain to determine a real threat and an imaginary or unlikely threat. It sounds like your brain is running with the idea that walking around and getting on with daily life poses the potential threat of falling over. Interestingly enough when we are born the only fear we know is falling, and yet look at how many times in your life you would have still got back up again.
A lot of people go with the option of thinking about the worst possible scenario, in your instance falling over, getting injured, and perhaps not being able to get help, once you've recognised this it's about accepting this potential and acknowledging the likelihood of it happening.
I have tried this theory a number of times and it's worked for some situations. The other technique that I practice is mindfulness. This method is about retraining the brain to stay for long periods of time in the present. Reducing ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. It is a skill and therefore you can't just try it once and say it doesn't work, that was me some months back. It's something you need to build up gradually and practice frequently. There are a number of mindfulness apps you can download and also cds and youtube clips. The great thing about mindfulness is you can do it anywhere, anytime.
I was responding to another member the other day and gave him the suggestion of mindfully eating a minty. It was one of my first experiences with mindfulness. You want to approach the minty like a curious scientist, exploring and investigating the surface, the colour, the texture, the weight, then place it in your mouth and focus on the taste, the smell, the sensations, the effect on salivation, the feeling of the minty dissolving etc. It sounds too simple I know, but while you are focused on the minty it's difficult to get the brain to think of other things. If thoughts do pop up (and in the beginning they will) or if you get distracted, bring your attention back to the minty. All I can say is try it! Obviously there are other ways you can practice, I'll leave it to you to google.
Has your Dr ever spoken to you about anti-anxiety medication? This could also be something you could explore.
Hope it helps.
AGrace
