Valkyrie

Thank you for sharing. I was definitely scared and am still trying to get rid of all the anxiety physical symptoms. Just when you think you've got anxiety figured out, am I right?

Earlier I opened the fridge door and there are some glass jars on top and one fell down and hit me on the head. I'm basically having a full blown anxiety attack because I'm just very afraid to die, and I'm finding it hard to differentiate anxiety symptoms and anything else. I'm trying really hard to stay away from googling but I'm feeling incredibly scared.

In my personal experience, I used to suffer an incredible amount before I finally started medication. When I tried to mention it to my original doctor, she brushed it off as menstrual hormones and mood swings. But it continued to be an issue, especially physically. I would have body pains that would migrate my body just when I started to figure it out, and when I started having chest pains that is when I decided to see a different doctor to get another opinion. She decided to start me on 10mg daily of citalopram hydrobromide (Celexa). She said the therapeutic dose was 20mg but I have always been horrified by swallowing pills so I was willing to try the smallest dose to minimize the anxiety of swallowing a pill every day. I had tried counseling previously and it helped my emotional/mental symptoms but my physical symptoms still were wreaking havoc, but I will swear up and down and all around that my life is so much easier after starting that medication. I still try to implement better self-care for the emotional/mental side of my anxiety/depression with things like exercising, mindful meditation, and hobbies. But I always thought I needed just a little something to keep my serotonin levels more "typical" If you want to avoid medication I'd recommend trying mindful meditation (there's lots of free apps and free clips on websites) as well as a counselor/therapist who is trained with CBT. CBT is proven effective for anxiety and can also combat negative self-talk, if therapy/counseling is something you can obtain. No one body is the same so it's okay if you're still trying to figure out what works best for you. The important part is not giving up Good luck!!

Perhaps you could contact your doctor and express your concerns? They might be able to put to rest your concerns a bit. Also consider other reasons for the little blister on your hand. Maybe you gripped your bike handle in a way that caused it?

(Possible tw mention of overdose death) For those who are more experienced in medicine... I'm currently on 10 mg of citalopram hydrobromide. During the winter break between semesters I was my average self. Since school has started, with the added effort of my internship (which is dealing with victim rights and social work) I'm wondering if there is an "adjustment" period for anxiety or how I would know when to ask my doctor to up my dose. My doctor has told me she was comfortable upping my dose to the therapeutic 20 mg dose, but up until now I did not think it was necessary as I'm also afraid of over medicating. Recently for my internship I went on a call-out to an overdose death where I saw some difficult things for the first time. It has been a handful of days since but I still feel off. I know I have to give myself time to recover but how do I know when it's been long enough and I need to try other things?

It's great that you reached out to this website. Hopefully it'll be of some help to you, there's plenty of experienced users who makes a ton of sense when it comes to anxiety. It's hard to understand when you haven't lived through it, thought I'm sure your family tries to help. Reach out if you need anything definitely browse the topics as well for any information you can use

I absolutely agree with your statement that this shit sucks when it sucks. I'm currently going through a rough patch myself but that is what this site is for I've never been on AZ but glad to have you here.

Welcome! I too have health anxiety. Take a look around to site to find lots of resources Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need a little extra support. It's what we're here for!

There are lots of different things to try but I strongly recommend seeing some sort of counselor to learn what can be best for you. Generally, deep breathing is something that helps me when I feel an anxiety attack starting. It is hard to believe but breathing has A LOT to do with anxiety and if you can get your breathing to be controlled it won't completely fix anything but it can lessen the intensity. My college/university offered free counseling sessions to students (within limits) so perhaps see if you can find anything through school that can help you if you don't want to ask anyone around you for fear of being criticized, though I am in the US so it may be different in the UK. Please know that it's really great that you're reaching out to get help and don't let anyone make you feel like you don't need help if you truly believe you do.

It's great that things have improved for you to recognize that it does get better! Sometimes it's hard to remember that we don't need all the answers Take a look around the website to find more useful stuff. This website has been particularly helpful to me because when answering other posts I get a sense of perspective to my own issues. Hope you continue your path, and take it easy on yourself when it gets hard. We've all been there before!!

That makes so much sense. Thank you for replying with that info It definitely takes a lot of brain power just to get through the day.

I sometimes experience the same feeling, like new foods or combinations of foods will cause an allergic reaction. I don't experience it as severely as you have described however it is such an inconvenience (to say in the least) because, you know, we need food to survive. I agree with Joy's recommendation of slowly adding things to your safe list, even just a few.

Does anyone have experience in health anxiety and feeling more anxious when you get sick? My throat has been itchy for a few days with no other symptoms yet really but I've begun to feel increased anxiety. I know it's anxiety but my body is still reacting negatively and I don't know what to do about it. It feels like every time I get a cold or sinus infection it's like the sky is falling.

One of the things I had to come to terms with was that my sense of "normalcy" was forever changed when I realized I had anxiety. Yearning to go back to the past may be a sort of trigger for you, feeling like you have to go back to a point in time that you may not be able to go back to. I know for me for a long time it felt like there were two sides of me, my "normal" side and my "anxiety" side. At some point I realized I had to mediate between the two to find a balance for my sanity, if that makes sense. The only way you can fail yourself is by not taking care of yourself. If that means moving back in to your parents', then so be it. You know how you're feeling best, and I personally believe one of the most important things with anxiety is self-care, taking care of yourself even though the anxiety is so hard on you. Good luck, and don't hesitate to reach out when you need someone.

It's great that you found the strength to reach out to a website like this. Browse the subforums and don't be afraid to start a thread. We're all here for community around our common factor. Hope this forum helps you