Anxiety and Fear of dying

Hi

Thank you so much for worrying such a detailed reply I am honored. I have been fighting it for a month now and it is very hard it drains me completely I have also visited a psychiatrist and it felt better. I think I have a history of depression as well as I used to get this feeling when I was about 10 years but maybe the mind at that stage was not able to grasp it completely but I got rid of it completely past 6-7 years have been really peaceful but it had returned with a vengeance.

The main problem I see is that I have nothing to look forward to I don't feel interested in anything I have no interest in earning money be succesful or be happy not even getting married.

I hope you can help suggest something to get rid of it completely.

I have searched a lot about it on Internet and a lot of people say you can get rid of it. But it takes time.

Hi Hassaan,

Anxiety and depression are such individual things that everyone has to find their own path. I managed to break out of a long depression in my 20s by a process of what I now realise was mindfulness, though the concept hadn't been reinvented then, in the 1960s and 70s. In reality, it's as old as time, of course.

What worked for me was trying to be totally honest with myself about my own fears, motivations etc. Not an easy process, as I found myself being faced with all kinds of unwelcome truths.

Mindfulness of this kind is a basic requirement for anyone wanting to break free of anxiety or depression. However, not everyone is able to do it without help. You say you found seeing a psychiatrist helpful. Is there any possibility you can get more long-term support from a mental health professional? CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is often helpful in cases like yours. This is just mindfulness under a different name. I have, however, heard that some CBT therapists are much better than others. I suspect the high demand for this "talking therapy" has attracted some therapists who don't really understand the basics.

In some cases, short-term medication can help, though I feel it's always better if you can manage without it. To be perfectly honest, I think it's preferable to get yourself out of it without any professional help, but that might be prejudice on my part. My experience with old-fashioned psychiatrists 50 years ago actually made me worse, but psychiatry has evolved since then.

On a day-to-day basis, a good way of coping is to make an attempt to carry on as if life does have some meaning, even if you currently feel it doesn't. Simply going through the motions of life can often re-kindle a spark of interest. Also, as jp1992 says, remember that you weren't always as bad as you are now. I know the mind can play tricks, telling you that was all an illusion - believe me, I've been there! - but that isn't true, it's just the depression talking.

Whichever route you decide to go, remember that you are the master of your own destiny. To echo jp1992's words again - don't deprive yourself of life.

I try very hard really hard and it is wrecking my life to a great extent. I am about to resign from my Job I can't really concentrate on my classes. I am fearful most of the times of the day. I have started feeling numbness and tickling in my left shoulder and legs respectivley. Someone suggested me to get a neuro scan done. From then on I have been worried as hell that it is something wrong with my head.

What I was really looking for is that if you can suggest some things as to what I should do?

I always tell myself that here is nothing wrong and I am good but the feeling just dosen't go away.

Hassaan, no one in this forum can tell you exactly what to do. Even a therapist can't do that, but they could help you find your own way to the root cause of all this anxiety. I think at this stage you need to be able to sit down with someone, face to face, and really talk through this one.

Going to see one doctor after another for your anxiety-generated health problems isn't going to help you at all, in fact it will make you worse. You don't need to see a neurologist, you've already been checked in the hospital and been given a clean bill of health. There's nothing physically wrong with you. All your symptoms are being generated by your mind. I'm a former nurse - specialised in neuro as it happens - so I know what I'm talking about here. The mind is very powerful and can produce all kinds of effects in the body.

If you can't get yourself out of it, please go and see your doctor again, but this time explain that you're suffering from crippling anxiety, rather than detailing all your physical symptoms. Doctors are busy people. Faced with someone who's complaining about all sorts of aches and pains, they'll often try and take the easy way out and try and treat the immediate problem. If you explain to a doctor how anxious and demotivated you're feeling, he'll help you address the problem.

Don't be afraid of admitting to a doctor that you're feeling lost and frightened. After all, you've told everyone on this forum how you're feeling, and it's something we all go through sometimes. Please get yourself some professional help. In the meantime, we're all still here if you just want a bit of support.

Hi

Thank you for your reply it really made me happy after a long time kind of given me hope that it is nothing and I can get rid of it completely.

Please do tell me what to do and I'd toy have our had it what did you do to get rid of it.

It's different for everyone, you need to find what makes you comfortable and keep doing that. Slowly push yourself past your limits until you're better.