Anxiety Symptoms and Panic Attacks

[alliecat_84]

For the past six months I have been suffering from Anxiety and the odd Panic Attack. I'm a 24 year old female. I'm new to this forum stuff so I thought I'd write down all the symptoms that I suffer from and see what advice everyone can give me! All these symptoms I've had on and off and some days are more extreme then others. But almost everyday I will have some sort of symptom. I see my doctor regularly and have just started to see a psychologist. I hoping this will help me break this vicious cycle.

ANXIETY
Physical Symptoms: difficulty in taking a deep or full breath, chest pain, headaches (sometimes feels like my head is in a vice), sore jaw muscles, weak feeling in legs, churning stomache, nausea, loss of appetite, dizziness, giddiness, diarrhoea, extreme exhaustion, rashes on my fingers
Emotional Symptoms: feeling detached from my body, stationary objexts appear to move, fear of dying, thinking I have a deadly disease like cancer or a brain tumor, feeling extremely worried about the smallest of things, feelings of emptiness or lonliness, deep sadness.

PANIC ATTACKS (I only seem to suffer from them at night)
Rapid heart beat, pounding heart, trembling, nausea, hot flushes, sweating hands, fear that I am dying.
My panic attacks last anywhere from 5-30 minutes and I'm only able to stop them if I lay down and do deep breathing. I suppose it's a good thing they only happen at night when I'm already lying down.

[cj29]

Ok..you are definitely doing the right thing in my opinion.  You are seeing a psychologist and confronting the panic and anxiety; good for you!  So many people want to just snap their fingers and forget about it and that is not the way it works. The main thing I will stress for you is patience; I know that is the last thing you want to hear right now, but as you learn about it, you WILL break this vicious cycle.  You will not only learn to live with this, and although you do not see it now, you will become a much more well rounded person because of this experience.  We often learn so much more about ourselves during the bad times than in good times....it is what shapes us and lets enjoy the good times so much more and you will have many more good times...just keep working at it and keep us posted!  This is a great community and we all have been going through or have gone through exactly what you are experiencing.

[alliecat_84]

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I do have good days/weeks where I feel like I'm progressing, but then something happens and it's like taking 10 steps back! I'm really looking forward to the time when this is a thing of the past!

[kalmkidd]

sounds good. not the symptoms but your steps.. we all have these same issues so dont feel worried. i know its hard but hang int here. we are people who can honestly say we know how your feeling. if you ever need to talk message me.

[Gatorade1]

It is likely emotional stress which causes phusical symptoms.  Took me a long time to figure it out, I had the same similar thing happen to me at 21.  Deep repressed feelings from childhood bottled up inside.  See a therapist it will help wonders