Am I losing my mind?

I am 20 years old and I have been extremely anxious in the last few months. I play sport 3 times a week eat pretty well and I dont smoke.
I have an extremely over active imagination and in the last few months I started to worry about my father dying of a heart attack as he lives on his own and he has smoked a lot for years.
One day in work I couldnt get through to his phone for a few hours and I started to have an anxiety attack. I felt helpless parylyzed scared. (it was awful) When I finally spoke to him I was so incredibly relieved even though there was nothing to worry about.
However my mind then started running overtime and I couldnt stop thinking about losing him and what if I died and all these thoughts started polluting my mind,I became a bag of nerves.
I noticed a funny feeling around my left brest area but I did not take any notice of it (a heavy strange feeling,doesnt feel normal)

Yesterday in work weeks on from noticing this feeling I suddenly fixated on it and had an anxiety attack I convinced myself it was something terrible like lung cancer and I believed myself. I had to leave work immediatly the feeling was I had to GET OUT. My mum took me to my doctor and he listened to my chest and gave me the all clear and said its probably due to stress.

I thought I would feel better after hearing that but I dont and I had an anxiety attack again in work today about this strange feeling but I couldnt leave this time because they would have thought I was messing around.

Does this make sense to anybody will this feeling go away?
Many Thanks! Jason

[karatekid123]

it makes alot of sense to me jason, i had the same problem. i had to leave work quite a few times just because i felt this sudden urge to just GET OUT. the problem is, where do you run if theres nothing to run from? my advice is to face your fears. if you think you have to leave work, STAY at work. if you think you have to call your father, DONT call. eventually that prolonged exposure will change the scary feelings.
as for the heavy feeling in your chest, im suspecting that it was muscle tension, a common symptom of anxiety. the thoughts about lung cancer and things like that are also common. i get those too. the best thing to do is to get a complete physical from your doctor, just make SURE nothing is wrong.
but all i can say for now is that it sounds to me like your experiencing anxiety, and it does get better...just remember to stay positive and try not to obsess over things like lung cancer.
good luck with everything, i hope it all works out

[karatekid123]

also, i forgot to mention this one..another good way to get yourself out of an attack is to distract your mind. distract it away from the things that are bothering you. occupy your mind.  some things that i found useful are doing crosswords, playing sudoku (that really gets you thinking), and saying the alphabet backwords in your head.

[bagonerves]

Thanks mate I really needed to hear that! It is amazing how ones mind can create problems that don't exist but you truly convince yourself they do.

Before this the last time I had an anxiety attack was when I was about 11 years old I couldn't be left alone without some kind of supervision or I would freak out and panic. This feeling was identical to the one Ive had recently and it really isnt pleasent but I suppose if you face your fears they will go away.thanks again mate really appreciate it. Jay

[karatekid123]

yeah it really is amazing. the power is the mind is so huge, it amazes me every time this happens. just disect every fear you have. ask yourself, does it really make sense that im afraid of this? when we get anxious we get IRrational thoughts. just try to think RATIONALLY...think logically. it helps. good luck!

[bagonerves]

thanks for your comments. I was feeling great after finding this forum yesterday and reading all the advice but today for the second day running im feeling very fatigued my chest discomfort is still there along with a pain in my left shoulder blade.I was supposed to go out tonight to see friends but im feeling so tired i dont think i can even though i got a great 12 hours sleep last night. I feel too weary and tired to do anything. Im startin to worry about the fatigue as I have never had it before. Does this sound normal for someone with anxiety?

[suzi-q]

I know that "I need to run away" feeling.  What you are doing in your mind in regards to your father is called, "awfulizing"  You have horrible things happening before they even happen or will happen.  I've  done it, I KNOW!  You are also dwelling on your health quite often too....BEEN THERE, DONE THAT....

I was diagnosed with depression/anxiety.  Seems like you may be there too.  Don't just accept it.  Get to a psychiatrist and see what is going on.  There are many things that can be done today to help you feel normal again.  No one should have to go through it.

Good luck to you sweetie, and please post if you have any more questions.

Sue

[suzi-q]

YES!  Fatigue is definitely a symptom.  The less you do the less you want to do...I want to say, go out with your friends, but I know how stifling that feeling can be!

Go onto www.anxietycentre.com and click on anxiety symptoms that is on the tool bar at the left...they will all be listed!  DON'T DRIVE YOURSELF CRAZY THOUGH AND START THINKING THAT YOU ARE DEVELOPING OTHER SYMPTOMS!!!  WE, ANXIETY PEOPLE, TEND TO DO THAT!!!  LOL!!

[bagonerves]

Its very hard to stop thinking about it. I have only developed this since I had an anxiety attack about a strange uncomfortable feeling in the top left hand side of my chest. The feeling has been there for a while but because its not painful I didnt take any notice untill two days ago I fixated on it in work assumed the worst and started freaking out. Since then I have been feeling fatigued during the day even though I slept great and I find Im taking deep breaths more often than normal. All these things are freaking me out because im not used to them. I dont know what to do because my doctor said im fine but its hard to believe when you feel these things.

[karatekid123]

i take deeper breaths as well, and i get the discomfort in my chest. just keep reminding yourself that nothing is wrong and eventually it will go away. i dont feel the chest discomfort at all anymore, and i rarely take big breaths. practise breathing techniques, they will help you keep your breathing normal. just remember, your body knows how to take care of itself. if you find yourself hyperventilating, calm down and just breathe slow and deep.

[karatekid123]

anytime, we're all here for eachother. let me know how it goes, and definatly let me know if you have any more questions!

[karatekid123]

i have had chest discomfort and pain. sometimes it's a shooting pain across my chest, sometimes it's in one specific area. and sometimes the tightness or uncomfort is in one area too. what your experiencing is completely normal.

and yes i do have the fatigue, last night i got 13 hours of sleep and i still feel like i could sleep all day. i feel like all i want to do is just lie down and rest. but when im done resting im still enhausted. i have a tip for you. go out, enjoy life, dont let the fatigue stop you. once you take your mind off it, it will go away. another good tip is to work out. when you feel tired, then go for a run, or lift weights...so pushups...the physical activity helps. and good distraction techniques are doing things that really make you THINK. not like watching tv like a vegetable. crosswords work well. and so does the sudoku number game. and saying the alphabet backwards works when your in situations where you cant always get acess to crosswords and such. reading a good book also helped me.
let me know how it goes!

[bagonerves]

Im definitly gonna try some of your suggestions.thanks a million!

[bagonerves]

Thanks for your help again mate. What kind of chest discomfort did you have was it in one area specifically or all over and was it a pain or just an uncomfortable feeling?how long did it take to go away and what did you find the best method of taking your mind off it?

What worried me today was the fatigue again which I have experienced everyday since my anxiety attack 3 days ago.Have you experienced this aswell? thanks

[justlookingforanswers]

Is the chest pain you both feel LEFT sided only?  I would accept that it wasn't my heart much more readily if my pain, discomfort and aches were not left sided only.  Even when I don't feel the craziness of anxiety-the pain is there and then it all goes down hill from there!!

[bagonerves]

yes it is left side only.and its not a pain just a discomfort (it doesnt feel the same as the right side) the thing that has been scaring me the last 3  days is my constant fatigue.even after a great night sleep im am drowsy all day,almost like a hangover.

[justlookingforanswers]

Do you have trouble sleeping on your left side because of it?  I find that I get a little "jittery" inside is I lay on my left side too long.  About the fatigue, are you sleeping well?  I went to bed at 10:30 last night and got up at 7:45 with my kids.   I don't think my sleep was good sleep and I am totally exhausted today.  Wiped out.  My kids were wrestling on the floor while I was on the couch and I still nodded off.  They were LOUD.  It is a weird feeling to be this fatigued.

Are you doing better today?

[bagonerves]

I am 20 so this is all very new to me. I was still very tired again today but I find that you need to keep yourself occupied to take your mind off the fatigue. I sleep great,its the only time I feel ok. As i say its not a pain in my chest just an uneven feeling which annoys me.The more I think about it the worse it gets and the more panicked I get. Talking to my parents has helped a lot but it has not gone and i dont imagine it will for a while. The worst thing that I have found is that you cant just sit and worry about it because it makes it 10 times worse. I have no reason to worry about it but it is funny how powerful the human mind can be sometimes.

[hahahaha]

This is just a TEMPORARY phase in the lifes of a lot of people! This feeling will repeat a few times daily weekly or monthly...but ultimately it will vanish.you al DO NOT have disease which has to be cured and you DO NOT have to live with this.and im not writing it this just to make u feel confident or get over this phase.it WILL go away!                    

When that "panick" feelings catches up, we may feel we are losing our senses, feel extremely fatigued, have negative thoughts n convince ourselves that we have this cancer and that tumour n what not.u might feel your heart beat faster,loss of concentration or faliure to understand what going on around you or perorm any physical activity.and yes, i had develoved a "strech" in my left arm.....and then later the uneasy feeling ran through all the left hand side of my body....cannot say if it was linked to this but it happned.apprantly my doctor asked me to take vitamin B12 tablets(VITAMIN B12 takes care of the nervous system,the methylated form of which is more easily absorbed by the body).The lack of vitamin b12 in the body gives us symptoms in which u may feel something is wrong with ur brain and u shld get an MRI done.LISTEN! the world is not going to end, ur parents are not going to die, nothing wrong is going to happen,its all going to be OK! ok, just to calm u down, even if something bad happens, we all near n dear ones will meet again in heaven! DONT PANICK!  

Im not a doctor or do not hold any medical qualification but i've been through all this.This feels like hell.i've been through this time and again.From the knowlwdge i have collected about this anxiety thing is that its related to depression(which again is a temporary phase, all u need to do is be happy,which again is YOUR choice).Now what depresses u or what has been depressing may not be obvious....and u dnt need to think deep to recall what it is.....just make sure from now on....laugh more....enjoy everything.....worry not....c'mon whats going to happen? you are not alone.....millions deal with this temporary problem....but they might not tell u or do not post this on the internet.....but this happens to a lot of people.

ok, one more thing,even when u recover from such an anxiety attack....u again mght get depressed with what just happened....what if this happens again when ur driving....or what if this is something serious....will affect or career or not.....dnt let that depression catch on....live life the way it comes...simple....and again....the anxiety attacks WILL go away one day....its not like a disease u gotta live with.....temporary phase, a message from god which says...hey, u gotta smile a bit more often...

work out a bit if u can....let ur heart beat faster....give the sucker what it wants.....drink water....get checked up at a docter once in a while....dont take anything and everything up to the head....depression also follows when ur off from a habbit or addiction u may have ...like cigarettes, coffee, etc.....but again dont get these "depression" "anxiety" or "panick" words and phrases inside ur mind....just be happy....

and yes....dont let the mind wander too much....ake friends....dont drink too much...else the next day the depressing catches on(alcholol is a depressent)....involve urself in something....

As for me...my panick attacks came every 3 days time...then the frequency redced to once in a week ....then once in a month....now just had a really really mild attack after 2 months.....yesterday my heart felt heavy...but i didnt panick....n im fine today n smiling.....also that stifness or tingling sensation in my left side has completely gone....i feel good! and u will too....just relax from deep within....feel happy about what u have and who u are....u'll be fine...

need 2 ask anything fro this fellow ex-patient?  ...mail in at ***@****

Gods watching people.fear not whrere u are, ur being taken care by a power greater than you are!FCUK FEAR!

[sooanxious]

I am so happy to know I am not alone.  This all started for me in October, and it has scared me in a major way.  I have been to the E.R. four times.  Its always the same thing, my heart is fine its just anxiety.  I still find it hard to believe anxiety can cause so many symptoms that mock a heart attack.  That thing that scares me the most still is when I have a heavy pound in my chest (palpitation) then that brings on the attack.  I recently started the gym and taking vitamin b complex.  The sypmtoms seem to be less but they are still there.  Or shall I say they are still in my mind.  I cant seem to stop constantly monitoring my every body sensation.  All my chest symptoms seem to be on my left side as well.  I have never had pain in the center of my chest, I guess as you would in a heart attack.  I just really want this all to go away.  I cant imagine living with this the rest of my life.  Does this go away when the stressor goes away?

[assh]

Hi
I know how everyone feels that's suffering from Anxiety, it's a horrible thing to happen!
Im 17 and i've had it for about 3 weeks now and it seems like i've had it for months. All day i just think about something i might have wrong with me if i feel a pain or anything in my body i think it's something far worse than it is! i've made my mum take me to the doctors 3 times last week and to the hospital over the weekend because i was so convised that i had cancer or was going to have a heart attack, even though the doctor told me i was fine and it was just the anxiety i didn't believe it.
i spend all my time looking up things i may have on the internet. it makesme feel better when i look up the symptoms anxiety cause then i realise that everything im feeling and thinking it coursed by that. But then after a hour or so i think i've got something wrong with me again.
I really do feel for people that are suffering from this, it's changed me within 3 weeks i used to be out with my friends all the time, now i just stay in cause i cant get my mind of thinking i have something wrong with me.