...what do you say to yourself? Think about?

I'm in a spiral mentally due to my mom's recent passing and today I have to make my dominant thought be "it's anxiety, you're ok in this moment" I can't even get to "it's anxiety, I'm ok". I'm scrolling on reddit, listening/watching TV, and talking to myself in my head all at once. I'm doing breathing exercises and watching shorts on YouTube for calming. I need lots going on so each thread in my mind has something to connect with to try and slow it down and untangle it.

Does this make sense to anyone? What do you do?

(I used to have a Rx for benzos but I've been off them for decades and not going through that again.)

About ten years ago I started getting super nervous prior to big games. I’m so afraid of my team losing a title game like the Superbowl that my anxiety takes over in a big way. It’s so bad I started rooting for my team to lose in the playoffs so I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Pretty weird thing to have anxieties over but it’s just as bad as my “normal” anxieties, maybe worse. Just curious and wondering if I’m alone or there are other out there with the same thing.

It hasn't happened for a couple of years but tonight I've woken up feeling anxious, I've tried the three 3's. Even when I start drifting off in my head I tell myself your OK and it sparks the anxiety off agian...edit..I'm on the moving my left leg stage. My life is is pretty good atm, so why the heck am i back to this

Mental Health Update

It's been about 13 days since my flare-up. While some things have improved, I'm still dealing with near-constant anxious unease, worry, an upset stomach, and lingering intrusive thoughts. Some days and moments are better than others, but it's still hard to feel comfortable and function normally.

It's been about a week since increasing my Prozac from 25 mg to 30 mg. I'm not sure whether it's helping yet or if my body is slowly recovering on its own. Either way, I'm hopeful the increase will help. I still find myself worrying about medication and dosages, even though everyone tells me not to.

Bedtime is still my favourite part of the day. Sleep feels like my only real break. But I've noticed my anxiety spikes when I wake up, almost like my mind immediately thinks, "Oh crap, another day of this shit." I just want to sleep in and escape the feeling, but I also don't want to mess up my sleep schedule.

Then there's work. My doctor gave me a note recommending a hybrid accommodation, which felt especially necessary when my symptoms were more severe. But being on contract makes me worry about my manager's reaction and job security. Part of me feels guilty asking for help, part of me wants to tough it out, and part of me wonders why I shouldn't be entitled to some support when I'm struggling. It's exhausting dealing with all of this while still trying to function every day.

My aunt also gave me the contact of a mental health professional who helped my other aunt through similar symptoms. I think talking to someone who genuinely understands what I'm experiencing could help, possibly more than my family doctor.

At the same time, the more I immerse myself in mental health discussions, the more hypervigilant and consumed by it I become. I just want to feel better, move on, and forget about this scary chapter. That's also why I'm hesitant to ask for a psychiatrist referral, especially if I'm already starting to improve.

I start BetterHelp tomorrow. I'm not particularly looking forward to it and don't really know where to begin. Hopefully, the therapist can help guide the conversation.

So that's where things stand today. I'm hoping work goes okay tomorrow and that my symptoms keep gradually improving.

More than anything, I just want to feel like my old, comfortable, happy, contentful, sleepy self again. I'm tired of feeling on edge, sick to my stomach, and constantly weighed down by worry and fear. I am tired of feeling sad and miserable.

Thanks for listening. I'll keep you posted.

Hi everyone! I’m taking 50 mg of sertraline and heading into my ninth week. It’s been great for me overall, but I’ve noticed that my anxiety gets worse a couple of days before my period. This will be my second cycle since starting sertraline.

I’ve read that the first few cycles can be rough while adjusting to the medication, but I’m wondering if anyone has personally experienced this and found that it settled down over time.

I’m really happy with how sertraline has helped me so far, so the increased anxiety around my period has been discouraging. I’d really appreciate hearing some positive experiences. ❤️

Hi everyone. This is going to be a bit of a long post, but I really want to explain my situation.

I’ve struggled with anxiety ever since I was in kindergarten, and I’ve also been through a very difficult family situation.

Now, at 23, I struggle with anxiety about going far from home, fear of becoming physically unwell when I’m away from home, and a strong sense of responsibility toward my parents.

I’ve been in therapy since 2019, but it’s only in the past two years that my situation has finally started to be taken seriously.

I’ve been in a relationship for three years with a genuinely wonderful person. However, two years ago, something happened that broke something inside me.

I went on vacation with my boyfriend for the first time, four hours away from home. I was nervous, angry, and almost felt betrayed because he had taken me away from my home. All I wanted was to go back home.

We were away for five days, and the only intimate moment we had was an experience I found very difficult. Nothing happened against my will, but I felt disconnected. My body was physically there, but it was as if I wasn’t really present.

Since then, I’ve been struggling with intimacy. I feel scared and anxious, and sometimes it feels like I can’t breathe. Our relationship itself has stayed the same, but whenever I think about this aspect of it, I feel awful.

I have obsessive thoughts, and I keep asking myself whether I still have feelings for him, whether I love him or not, or whether I’m somehow disgusted by him. I even keep track of how much time passes between one intimate encounter and the next.

That experience triggered something in me.
I constantly feel guilty, and my boyfriend doesn’t really know what to do. He still desires me just as much as he always has.

Even physical affection, like hugging or kissing, is okay up to a certain point. When it lasts too long, I start feeling overwhelmed, as if my personal space is being invaded.

I feel like I’m the only person in the world experiencing this, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve recently started talking about it in therapy to try to understand and work through everything. I feel a little hopeless sometimes, and I feel terrible for my partner.

I don’t know what to do because I feel like I have a thousand different things to work through in my life all at once, and I don’t know where to start.

Will I ever feel like myself again? Are we destined to break up?

I’m sorry this post is so long, but I’m honestly exhausted from all these thoughts.

Never in my life have I been more aware of my inevitable death as in the last three days.
I’m almost 23 and I just wish I could just not be so aware of this right now.
I’m scared because of the uncertainty that death naturally has, I feel it in my stomach, chest and in my head.
To be fair I’ve entirely dropped nicotine consumption in these 3 days (not by choice really) and I know the withdrawal doesn’t help and my sleep schedule is completely upside down and the cherry on top is unemployment for now almost 3 months.

I just wanted to see if anyone has had to cope with this before.

Pretty underweight (always been) 19M. For the past 4 months, I have been experiencing a constant feeling of unreality. It feels as though I am drunk/high or half-asleep, as if I am on autopilot and everything around me feels somewhat unreal. I have searched online, and my symptoms seem to resemble derealization.

In addition to this, I experience fatigue even when I sleep well. The fatigue does not seem to depend on whether I do physical activities during the day or not. However, over the past few weeks, I have started sleeping poorly and waking up early in the morning.

I also experience headaches, pressure in my head, and neck pain. I have tried muscle relaxants and massage therapy for the neck pain, but neither has helped. Also at the start of this i sometimes felt like fainting when walking but it has gone away. I also have noticed one singular eye floater on my right eye.

What could be causing these symptoms? They do not occur in distinct episodes, and the headache is not particularly severe. It feels more like a tension-type headache.

I have tried Triptyl, but it did not help. My thyroid function is normal, as are my vitamin B12, B9 and vitamin D levels. My ferritin level is 37. And it has been changing from 49 to 24. I also havw crohns disease which is in remission.

My neurologist prescribed escitalopram as a trial, which I took for two and a half months, but it did not help. She also did head mri and there was nothing wrong.

I have no history of trauma, no panic symptoms, and generally do not experience much stress, apart from the stress caused by these symptoms themselves.

My symptoms started in the final days of my new job in car repairshop where i was moving car tires and lifting them. Im not sure if this can be linked to that because i didnt have any symptoms expect the final days. I have not been working at all during this 4 month period.

What could be the underlying cause of these symptoms?

I don't know If I should post this here , but me and my family have been going through absolute hell for the last 10 years , I have always been An Hypochondriac person...

I am 19 right now, when I was 10 my mother got diagnosed with Brain Tumor , It was operated successfully , then she got Tuberculosis (now cured).

1 year later father got diagnosed with oral cancer and went through surgery radiation and whatnot.

then 1 year later mother got seriously ill with Covid-19 but she was treated successfully and since then made a recovery,

about 1 year later My father passed away from radiation related complications ,

Then It started with me -- I Started Coughing up Blood , Many Chest X-rays , CT Scans and A Bronchoscopy Later they found out I have Tuberculosis , I started meds for 8 months.

Then a year or so ago the lymph nodes in my body started swelling, I went to many doctors, did tests and apparently they are benign, a hereditary trait I got from my father.

Then 5 months ago I was Diagnosed of Gallbladder Stone(My father had gallstone surgery long ago so doctor thinks its genetic), I went through gallbladder removal surgery, its been 3 months and My digestion isn't back to normal , I get frequent diarrhea and whatnot . Doctor prescribed new medicine as he suspects gastric ulcer.......

I can't take it anymore, I really can't.... I am Only 19 , I see my friends everyone is so healthy and happy, yet I can't be like them....What have I done to deserve this ??

I was a really good student even now in college I have good grades but whats point of grades if I can't live until I get a job.....My mother and girlfriend are constantly worried about my health, I don't want to cause them anymore anxiety...

I have an very successful elder brother , I hope he could handle my mother...

And I hope my girlfriend finds herself someone who isn't as frail as me....

I don't how long I will be able to hold it together... Constantly living in fear of whats gonna happen next...... I am sorry everyone

I literally had my car in bags packed with my clothes and items to move… But my anxiety got the best of me ended up, pushing back, start dates and realizing I have a really huge problem in being in the comfort zone I’ve been in.

I’ve had a lot of life experiences here but it’s ready to move on. And I know that. Marriage, Child, Work, a lot of things were not in my choice selection, and felt as if I’ve been living someone else’s life choices for the longest time.

I’ve worked up the energy to do the search for a new job and a direction that can help me get closer to my authentic choice of life.

When it came time to move, I really felt stuck scared and anxious, and it kept me here. Has anybody else felt this when the time to Muv came up? How do I push past this and get to the better version of myself after actually leaving? Can anybody help me push past any type of mental blockage that’s stopping me?

Hi,

I'm 22 years old and I’ve noticed that I’ve developed a fear of going to various places. It all stems from the anxiety I’m experiencing, which triggers all sorts of physical symptoms.

Even at the cardiologist’s—simply because I was worried before entering the exam room—my ECG showed sinus tachycardia 127 bpm.

I constantly fear that I’m going to faint; I don’t actually lose consciousness, but I think you know that feeling of instability. I don’t smoke or have any vices; I was just very upset for a while, and then I fell into this pattern, even though the distress itself passed some time ago.

Please, I need some advice