Anxiety over the floor moving

[Catgrey]

Okay, so I've pretty much had anxiety every day since August 2012. I've always worried about typical things like jobs/money/speeches/relationships (things almost everyone worries about), but it seems like since August 2012 I worry about ridiculous things that no one else I know worries about. I have anxiety/panic attacks whenever someone walks hard and it's like I can feel the vibrations their steps make. I can feel the vibrations whether I am sitting in a chair, standing up, laying on the bed...so basically everywhere. It doesn't happen when I am in a place that has concrete floors, like Walmart or pretty much any regular place of business, only in places where the floors are wood. It's like I can see the floor dip under their feet when they walk and I just can't deal with it. I get horrible anxiety and sometimes it'll go away after a long moment, while other times I have a bad panic attack. When this happens my chest tightens and I feel like it gets really hard to breath, my stomach starts to hurt, I get a headache, and I feel dizzy. It's like I focus on this and can't control my thoughts at all, I can't just stop and think about something else.
I feel like it's better when I am alone in a house because I can control how hard I walk, where if there is someone else in the house I can't just tell them to walk softly. I asked my mother to do this once and she got offended and it didn't even help, I could still feel the vibrations of her walking. There is really nothing i can do to avoid it, after all most houses are made out of wood... Sometimes it gets so bad that I feel like I might pass out, though I never have before. Also if I even think of doing something that will make the floors shake/vibrate (like dancing or jumping) I start to feel extremely anxious. Sometimes even watching a music video or online video of someone dancing can make me feel anxious.
It doesn't happen all day, but rather one little thing triggers it and then I just can't help but think about it for a long time. Recently I've noticed that if anything wobbles when I/someone else walks by it or bumps into it this triggers my anxiety/panic attacks as well.
I feel like this is stopping me from enjoying regular life and it's really frustrating! I've talked to my mother and my boyfriend about it and while they are sympathetic, they just don't have a clue as to how I feel. I've even been to a doctor about it and got no help at all and actually left feeling stupid and even more alone. They basically made me feel like I was doing this for attention or to get pills.
I hate feeling like this everyday and it terrifies me to think that I will have to deal with this for the rest of my life. I've never had this sort of anxiety before and I feel like it came completely out of the blue! I've never been through an earthquake or anything of that sort so I have no idea why I am feeling like this? I feel completely hopeless and have no idea what to do! I'm worried about this ruining my relationship because I feel so anxious/stressed out every day!

Does anyone know why I suddenly started feeling like this or why it won't go away? If anyone has some experience with what I am feeling or knows of anything I could do, I would be very grateful!
Also, if anyone thinks that I could have a more serious problem like OCD or another health problem I would appreciate their help!

[birdie0907]

Only your doc can tell if you have ocd so you shouldn't go thinking that is what you have because it can't be diagnosed from this chat board.  I have had a weird fear of the dark all of my 59 years, but it occurs only when I am alone. It is so bad that I can't walk into my basement or go in the shed in my back yard in the dark alone, but with someone else beside me I have zero thoughts or worries about what might be lurking there. Do I have OCD? Not a chance.
For what it is worth, it sounds like your fear is like mine - seems to require special circumstances but it always exists when those circumstances are present.
I live in a city so wherever I go it is rarely dark so the fear doesn't happen often. I consider it a minor annoyance although being terrified is not what I like. Your situation is much more of a problem,. I would seek professional help if I were you. If mantras can get rid of your problem then great, but my fear is so great and I am too weak-willed to be able to mantra my way out of a terror if I get stuck alone in the dark somewhere.

[Catgrey]

Thank you for your insight into my problem and for answering so quickly! After doing some research and some hard thinking I don't believe that I have psychotic episodes. I've thought about your suggestions and i think that either i have a minor form of OCD or just general anxiety that gets transferred into these unreasonable thoughts about the floors. I have a different doctor now and might bring it up again sometime just to see what can be done about my problems. Oh, and i'll be sure to try out the mantras!
Thanks again :)

[BluCrystal]

Oh, you poor thing!  Hugs!  Yes, repeated unwanted thoughts are a sign of OCD, and can also be a symptom of anxiety as well.  I hate to use the following words, but I don't know any other way to put it: psychotic episodes can be exactly what you describe.  I have a different form of these, where I see things out of the corners of my eyes that are not there.  Since I know what they are, and that they are not real, and just something my brain comes up with, I am no longer scared by them.  I like to use 'mantras' in situations that make me nervous.  These are simple phrases of truth that comfort me.  For me, it's things like 'There is no one over there, no one will hurt me.'  This changes my thinking onto a positive spin.  I repeat my mantras (I have alot, lol) for as long as it takes to become calm again.  You might use mantras like 'The floor is not moving' or 'This building is strong enough to hold people walking' or 'This floor is made of STRONG wood'.  Try it.  It can't hurt. :-)  Blu