1st ever post. Can anyone offer any help? Anxiety/Low Mood/Fear of Panic
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi guys,
My name is Amy and it is my first time posting on a forum like this. I have had various anxiety and panic attack problems since my late teens (i am now 26) and I was doing really well up to the pandemic.
Long story short, since Christmas I have struggled more than ever before and I don't know what to do.
I seem to constantly suffer with derealisation, I feel like I am not me and I am not real and everything is just a dream? The derealisation makes me panic which just makes it worse and over time I have just started to shut myself away. I hid away with the lockdown and now I am struggling to do anything, I am too worried to meet friends because I am barely hold a conversation together and I am always worried about having panic attacks and feeling uncomfortable.
It just feels relentless at this point. I rarely stop thinking about it (I manage to sleep well somehow) and I struggle most in the mornings 😦 The feeling when I wake up every morning is of utter dread, I don't even want to open my eyes.
I see a counsellor but feel like all I do is repeat myself and luckily, I have a great GP who has given me propranolol for when I really need to curb a panic attack. We have spoken about Citalopram and I wonder if anyone has any experience with this???? I was apprehensive to take it for anxiety but now I am suffering a lot with feeling depressed, I wonder whether it might be a good idea.
Any reassurance or advice or anything would be so appreciated. I just feel so rubbish now, it is consuming me and I don't know who I am anymore.
Thank you everyone xxxxx
0 likes, 4 replies
mike24933 amy40820
Posted
I am sure that all your symptoms are caused by fear, as are all anxiety issues. You fear having panic attacks and you fear that the derealisation is going to get worse. It is a vicious circle. Your symptoms cause fear and fear causes the anxiety and the symptoms. To reduce the fear you need to realise the truth that all these symptoms, although very unpleasant, will not do you any harm. When you feel a panic attack coming on, don't try to stop it or resist it, but "just" let it happen. It will wash over you like a wave and fade away. Your heart will speed up but then it will slow down again. You feel as though you are going to lose control but you won't. It is "just" an adrenaline rush and it won't harm you. If you let this happen and see it through you will start to become less afraid and the whole problem will start to fade. The same is true of the derealisation. If you accept the physical feeling for what it is and just let it be there, you will gradually lose your fear of it and it will fade away.
If you are worried about looking stupid to your friends, is it possible to tell your friends about it? If you could do that it would stop you worrying. A panic attack feels scary to you but doesn't look much to others. I know all this is easier said than done. It needs a bit of thinking about. It is definitely possible to recover from this problem. Thousands of other people have had these issues and been OK.
amy40820 mike24933
Posted
Thank you so much. In the past I have been better at just accepting it and saying it is just anxiety but recently it has become more intense and like you say, I fear that I am going crazy or something and 'it can't just be anxiety'. It is absolutely crazy what your mind can do to you!
nathan29183 amy40820
Posted
hi amy, this is only something recently i have suffered with due to a bad viral infection with effected me physically and mentally. ive been on fluoxetine for 8 weeks now and can say has helped a lot and got me to back 80 percent myself unit my resent blip which is normal. still a long way to go but meds do help also have you tried meditation this can help calm the mind
mike24933 amy40820
Posted
Hi Amy. Thank you for your reply. You sound a lot better. You are right in realising that your mind is playing tricks on you. It is an unfortunate side effect of having a brain that can project and imagine. Don't worry if the symptoms persist by the way. Remind yourself that they can't do you any harm and they will eventually lose their hold over you,
This lockdown has been difficult for a lot of people because its given more time to worry about things.
Best wishes,
Mike