Good question...equally as good an answer. Very informative for people who may be considering either a medication and or CBT. I am hoping that the use of both will be the answer for me.
Hi! I know a little about increased anxiety during the weeks between ovulation and my period. I actually know too much! It happens alot to women who have PMS...since the levels of estrogen and progesterone fluctuate , it brings all sorts of emotional ups and downs,including increased anxiety. One thing that has helped me is to write down when my period is due, so I keep an eye out for the symptoms...that way I'm better prepared for them... and my reactions are calmer. The anxiety really hasnt changed...but if I accept it then it doesn't take hold of me.
Davit,
What an amazing ability..to be able to change your dream! wow!
Your new picture/art is fabulous.. she looks scared but curious... that's what I read into it....does it represent something personal? I read your post about PMDD...I'm not sure about it changing after childbirth...mine progressively worsened the older I got..not every month, but at times I got so emotional... beyond what I would consider regular PMS. As it turns out, last month..being the first I've been on meds....I didn't have any symptoms!!! calm and cool. Obviously hormones play a huge role in emotions.
Davit,
Hope you are feeling better....maybe there is a connection between the lunar cycles and people's moods? I think so.
I'm here to vent..I have a dr.s appt on fri. It was actually for last week but I cancelled it. chickened out. So last month she had told me to check my BP often and bring my results to her...my BP was high at the last visit but not that bad...I didnt want to hear the exact #'s, so she didn't tell me.
So I thought today I'm getting brave and reading them. I was nervous ofcourse, but I ripped the paper i had covering the display off and looked back. They were all in the 130-140/90-95 range..pulses were ok..about 65-100. that's resting BPs....so i know its high but not that bad. But then I looked further back to last year when I started with my superanxiety and abdomen pains and some of the pulses read 45...39.. my B/P was 150/120...etc.. the super low pulses got to me...that freaked me out...the panic started...its still here...I'm typing a mile a minute. The sweat started...my worry is so high...I regret reading them. Then I am mad at myself for not being realistic and accepting that ok, maybe I have hypertension...ok.. I am going on 47, have anxiety, and it runs in my family. my father died when he was 56 ..he had high blood pressure for years .. ..and maybe those pulses were wrong ..maybe right.....I'm still here..If i had an anueysm last year..it didnt kill me..and obviously i didn't! and I didn't have a stroke...maybe my panic let to shock-like symptoms that caused the low pulse....Why do I worry so much...now I'm thinking about calling in sick and going back to bed. Why do i continue to carry this unreasonable fear of high B/P? Hypercondriac. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. My goal is to take my BP and read it often..and accept the reading without panic. I obviously have not reached that point! But I'm a bit proud of myself..at least I read the numbers..sure, I panicked....but only at the ones that really indicate something is wrong...and I'm starting to feel better...the sweating has decreased..my head is not spinning..mind you i'm sitting here in front of the computer like a flasher...hahaha..curtains are closed...anyhow, sorry to rant on and on..but at least I know you all have anxiety and understand. I have to go get a shower and go to work...I am going to try to forget for my shift...how come I want to go back and reread the numbers...knowing it will increase my anxiety again...to test myself? But i wont though.
Thanks so much for the replies. I feel much better now.Going to work and being busy with other people's problems was good for me..and of course venting here helped so much. I was calm by the time I got to work. Hungry too...cause I didn't have lunch ! lol.
David..I agree..tomorrow I'm going to relook at my numbers...I think I was so worried about them that they appeared exagerated; my anxiety makes them seem worse than they are. This in itself is exposure for me. Instead of pulling the cover off the display in hindsight I think if I had got hubby to do it and tell me the numbers I would have been better able to cope. It goes back to my worry that I am not strong enough mentally... I beat myself up about it because I think I should be "normal"...like I was years ago...when I didn't mind having imy BP taken. My desire to be sensible and responsible about this causes me extra stress. I'm going to try to be easier on myself...this is something I have been anxious about for years, so it won't go away overnight.
Sunny... thanks so much....and wow your pulse is low! Glad to hear you do fine.. even as a fitness instructor!Impressive! I hear you on the BP machine...I can take them but I dread having mine taken. It is so good to have people who really understand this !
I totally understand....sometimes the lingering effects are worse then the actual panic attack for me...which increases my negative thinking which in turn makes me more prone to another panic episode ... since coming here and doing my positive reinforcement thinking my residual worrying has decreased...so I attribute a big part of my lessend panic to that. But its not easy..especially when the negative feelings are so strong.
Davit said here not too long back...if we had a broken leg we would accept it...do what we needed until it healed...not worry about it coming back , or dwelling on it...I wish I understood why its so different with panic. A 5 minute attack can leave me drained and anxious ...I can worry about it for days..even weeks... sometimes I think I let it consume me.You are not alone .
Good for you for starting a CBT program. This program is very beneficial..the techniques work! It takes time..but its worth it. I've been here for almost 2 months now. I am also in Health Care (LPN) and over the years I have developed phobias about all things related to my health. I don't know why. I recently started on a SSRI..and it seems to be helping. I did not visit a doctor for almost 10 years due to my doctor phobia...and now have one, and although its not easy, by using the breathing and positive self-talk I've learned I can go see her fairly calmly. I have had medical tests done lately that a little while back would have sent into panic attack and made me so anxious that I could barely cope.
Being a Paramedic must be extremely stressful . Do you think your career has something to do with your increased health phobia? How far are you in the CBT program? Please post often, we are all here for each other.
I used to work as a Home-Care nurse...for the first while it was great...cause alot of people I saw got better...that was always nice...then the focus went to Palliative care...that was not for me at all...visiting 6-8 dying people of all ages a shift made me so depressed. I switched to geriatrics, and really enjoy it...all of the residents are elderly, so when they get die I can handle it. Dealing with acute care/trauma must be very stressing. I could not do that.
When I have to go and get my BP checked I challenge my worry with the 10 questions. This really helps calm me down. I start days before the appointment. Like today...and I don't even go until Friday. My first thougth is always the same..what if its sky high? Your doctor knows you have anxiety/phobias right? So they should take their time with you, take your BP more than once, and see if it goes down at all. Do you have your own machine? Maybe taking it alot will help get you more comfortable ? I'm not great at that yet either...but tons better than before I started here.
My new doctor is so good. When I didnt want to know the numbers she turned her computer away from me and said..ok..maybe next time you will be ready. What a relief.
I too do not like the idea of relying on medications, it was a last resort for me...I still feel like I gave up...but I'm also at the point I will do whatever it takes to get better. I do feel much better. I know this is called a 12 week program..I guess peole do get better in that time...I'm still working on exposures..slow but steady.. So if you commit yourself to this I think you will see big improvements, and all that positivity will make you realize you can beat this.
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