What do you think guys?

Im Mark 26 years old living in the UK. I have recently developed a mild pressure in my head at the back and top. Feels like my head is going to explode but doesnt cause any pain just aches. Its also bad at the back of my neck. I Alsonalways feel like im in a dream state and find it hard to think that this is reality.  Now i worry my self stupid over this and I have recently been told It could be due to anxiety. Does anyone have similar issues and could this be a case of Anxiety. If so how the hell do I make it go away!!!!! I have had no scans and went to a doctor about 7 months ago who basicly told me im being stupid.... Issue is its very real to me!

[Julie359]

Hiya...this feeling of unreality is something called deperonalisation..... it isn't harmful, even though it feels awlful, it's a stress reponse.  I get it nowadys and it comes on more when i feel tired, i feel like i'm on a different planet....

It really all depends on how severe it is but if i were you i would go see a diff doc.... I'm in the Uk to and it took me several yrs b4 i got a doc who actually gives a ****.... now he is trying his hardest to get me on the right med's....bless him!!

To make it go away you could try more trational methods such as a good set of massages, reflexology, meditation etc... or a more western med such as a anti-d or anti-anxiety....

[MrGreen]

Derealisation can be freaky once it hits. I remember it well. Nearly got me knocked down once. As you imagine things are a bit further away then they really are. Like you have taken a step back from reality. I crossed a road once. Seriously thought a car was way away. It skidded to miss me. Snapped me out of it quickly. One other time I went to the shops with my mum. Came home. Whilst in that state. Went to my bedroom. Came back down and asked her when we were going to the shops. It was like I had no memory of ever been out. It is just freaky. Used to say it was like been high without having to pay to get stoned. ( LOL ) Just as comes on, it goes. There is no real answer to it. Distraction helps. MP3 player and the likes. No miracle cure for it. Part of the anxiety turf. I used to describe it as like life was going by at 100 mph and I was only at 1mph. Can give you a start when it kicks in. Triggers for it I used to find were like when a place was full of noise and suddenly all went silent. Or the other way around. Just that instant change to the moment we are at. Would bring it on big time for me. Lights would seem much brighter. Sounds louder and the likes. But it will just stop some day. Most probably when you stop thinking about it. Just get on with things. Easier said than done I know. With anxiety it is like something else will take over and what you had been going through just goes away. In other words we find that something new to worry about.

As for your headaches and the pains? They are normal with anxiety too. So much going on for you. It is bound to effect you in some ways. It is all about trying to make sense of it all. Understanding why it came on. Where it all came from. So many unanswered questions in our mind. That's what theraphy is all about. Finding out those answers and teaching us ways to cope with what is going on here and now.

[ukmark]

Thanks for the comments guys, Does it sound like I have anxiety ? Im sure people who feel like me cant help but start thinking the worst case .... I know I have and Anxiety isnt one of the worst cases I was thinking of! I hate this worrying as im such a social person I just want to get my reality back pre Jan this year... Im just not sure how to go about that ? Does anyone have any tips if it does appear that this is Anxiety. The derealisation doesnt sound compleately like my symtomes though. i still see thinks and think as fast just doesnt feel like its me and things appear as if a very very light mist is over everything that happens?
Thank you ever so much so far though!

[ukmark]

Sorry does this sound like anxiety? I know im being a pain but not knowing is even worse :) lol

[Julie359]

OMG ...u know that's the exact feeling of being STONED!!!....  if it wern't for the fact i hated smoking pot i would welcome depersonisation with open arms but sadly pot just made me paranoid to the extreme......and so does this feeling of unreality...ppppffffff

N yeah this sounds like the classic symptoms of anxiety, i think at some point everyone with anxiety severe or mild with get this feeling in one way shape or form... it's seems to come as a package....again ppppffffff!!! lol

[Julie359]

Also b4 i go... Mark i think i have had every test going over the last 16yrs of having this awful illness... i was convinced in the beginning it was everything from a brain tumour to MS to diabetes to heart disease and all the things in between...my medical notes, if laid out one in front of the other i think could reach the moon and back...there are so many!!!

I do think this is partly the doc's fault as he never truely diagnosed me with severe anxiety/depression and panic disorder he would make it worse in a way by humouring me with all these tests. Nor did he prescribe any anti-depressants so for the first three yrs i was left with my head in a total spin.

It was only after registering at a new doc's that he on my 2nd or 3rd visit he precribed me Propanalol 40mg x 2 times a day and Paroxatine 20mg and for the next 12 yrs i was living a 80/90% normal life....

[ukmark]

Yeah thats my thoughts.... Its the pressure inside my head thats just so anoying. I will go to a doctors at some point however, from the last experience i had i think if i can self council myself back to normal that would be best. Just not sure if thats possible.

[MrGreen]

Keep a journal of sorts. Of your moods. If you feel bad write down what was going through your head when you were feeling bad. The exact thought. How it made you react. What feelings it brought on. They are all linked. You will find that if you can change just one there should be some change in your life. Maybe you could have reacted in a different way. Or thought a different thought. Only suggesting this if you want to self council yourself. It's that sort of stuff you have to work on. Can just wish you the best.

[ukmark]

That sounds like a good plan. So with anxiety are all these symtomes self generated? Basicly my head isnt full of pressure but im making it that way as im thinking to much or worrying to much about it?

[Julie359]

It's something called a tension headache, some people don't actually feel pain just a intense feeling of pressure in the skull, it feels like your head is being crushed, it's due to well....tension!!

Every thought has an effect on ur body, you think of something funny, you laugh and ur body reacts by releasing a hormone in ur body called endorphins, the body's natural feel good/pain killing chemical.  This happens with exercise as well.  Just as when u think of something negative your body releases adrenaline and a few other chemicals into your body that puts the body on alert, producing tension...this can be mild to severe.

The mind is such a powerful entity, we asume because we are feeing these physically it must be a physcial problem, but look what happens when u watch a really good horror movie, don't you feel ur heart going 90 miles an hour...... most of the illnesses we suffer generate from the mind, usually starting with anxiety/stress/depression and lead onto the body becoming sick from this.....

It won't hurt to have a good check up... this will help you to accept it is stress and then u can work on this problem.  Maybe this is ur minds way of saying that something in ur life needs to change!!!

All the best..ohh and the journal idea is very very good, i do this on a daily basis... but also make sure you concentrate on the positives that have happened as well as the negatives.... make a 'i am grateful for' list each day, this will help...trust me!!

[racinrays]

This is a long post but it is a list of  anxiety issues/situations I am not sure if I can post all of it but it is from another anxiety forum that I belong to as well..
Common anxiety symptoms include:
Body (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the body in general):
Allergy problems, increase in allergies (number, sensitivity, reactions, lengthier reactions)
Back pain, stiffness, tension, pressure, soreness, spasms, immobility in the back or back muscles
Blanching (looking pale, loss of color in the face or skin)
Blushing, turning red, flushed face, flushed skin, blushing, red face or skin
Body jolts, body zaps, electric jolt feeling in body, intense body tremor or “body shake”
Body temperature increase or decrease, change in body temperature
Burning skin, itchy, “crawly,” prickly or other skin sensations, skin sensitivity, numbness on the skin
Burning skin sensation on the face, neck, ears, scalp, or shoulders
Chest pain, chest tightness
Choking
Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, super tired, worn out
Clumsiness, feeling clumsy, co-ordination problems with the limbs or body
Cold chills, feeling cold
Craving sugar, sweets, chocolate, usual craving for sugar and sweets
Difficulty speaking, moving mouth, talking, co-ordination problems with the mouth or tongue
Dizziness, feeling lightheaded
Dizzy, feeling dizzy
Electric shock feeling, body zaps
Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax
Falling sensation, feel like your are falling or dropping even though you aren't
Feel like you are going to pass out or faint
Feeling cold or chilled
Feel wrong, different, foreign, odd, or strange
Flu-like symptoms, general malaise, feel ill, like you are coming down with a flu
Flushed face, red face, flushed skin
Head Zaps
Heart palpitations, racing heart
Hyperactivity, excess energy, nervous energy
Increased or decreased sex drive
Infection - increased infections, persistent infection
Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
Muscles that vibrate, jitter, tremor, or shake when used
Muscle twitching
Nausea
Nausea vomiting

Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
Night sweats, waking up in a sweat, profusely sweating at night
No energy, feeling lethargic, tired
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Numbness and tingling, and other skin sensations on hands, feet, face, head, or any other places on the body
Persistent muscle tension, stiffness
Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
Pulsing or throbbing muscles. Pulsing or throbbing sensation.
Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
Sexual Dysfunction, sexual uninterest
Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
Shooting pains in the face
Shooting pains in the scalp or head
Skipped heart beats
Sore or tight scalp or back of the neck
Startle easily
Sweating, uncontrollable profuse sweating
The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
Tightness in the ribs or rib cage area, may also feel like a tight band around the ribs or rib cage area.
Tingling sensations, anywhere on the body, including the hands, feet, legs, arms, head, mouth, chest, groin area
Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
TMJ
Trembling or shaking
Twitching
Unsteadiness, dizziness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded
Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom (similar to urinary tract or prostate infection symptoms)
Warm spells
Weak - feel weak, weakness, low energy, light, soft, like you may faint
Weak legs, arms, or muscles
Weight loss, weight gain
Chest (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the chest area):
Chest pain or discomfort
Concern about the heart
Feel like you have to force yourself to breath
Find it hard to breath, feeling smothered, shortness of breath
Frequent yawning to try and catch your breath
Heart Palpitations – beating hard or too fast, rapid heartbeat
Heart - Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough
Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
Emotions (see mood) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with emotions, mood, and feelings)
Fears (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with fear):
A heightened fear of what people think of you
Afraid of being trapped in a place with no exits
Constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
Fear of being in public
Fear of dying
Fear of losing control
Fear of impending doom
Fear of making mistakes or making a fool of yourself to others
Fear of passing out
Fear that you are losing your mind
Fears about irrational things, objects, circumstances, or situations
Fears of going crazy, of dying, of impending doom, of normal things, unusual feelings and emotions, unusually frightening thoughts or feelings
Heightened self awareness, or self-consciousness
Need to find nearest washrooms before you can feel comfortable
Need to seat near exits
Head (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the head):
Burning, itchy, tight scalp
Dizziness
Dizzy
Dizziness or light-headedness
Frequent headaches, migraine headaches
Feeling like there is a tight band around your head, pressure, tightness
Head, neck or shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
Head zaps, head tremors
Giddiness
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
Shooting pains in the face
Shooting pains in the scalp or head
When you close your eyes you feel like are beginning to, or will, float upwards
Sore jaw that feels like a tooth ache
TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) - clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth
Hearing/Ear(s) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with hearing):
Feel like there is something stuck in your ear, that your ear canal it plugged or blocked, that there is a pebble in your ear that you can't get out