Hy everyone,
I'm opening this new thread because I want to ask the rest of you guys about how your anxiety feels when you are feeling ill.
I got hit by a really bad flu last Friday and it just now started to wear off. The thing is, my anxiety shot through the roof. I can't really remember when my anxiety was this bad. I am extremely scared, have constant derealization and blurry vision as well as racing thoughts, a depressed mood and so on. In short, I feel horrible.
This is probably because the flu wore me out: dehydration, bad sleep etc. and the meds I take also have caffeine which probably doesn't help my anxiety along.
So I wanted to ask you guys if you ever felt anxiety getting worse when you were ill? I'm feeling absolutely horrid right now so I'd would hugely appreciate hearing your take on this.
I'd also like to add that I'm not on any meds for anxiety and haven't been on any for over 9 months.

Can't wait to hear from you guys,
Cheers, Martin

Thanks for the reply Sarah,
woke up this morning terribly anxious but it's getting better now. Feel a bit more energized and my anxiety has reduced a lot. Hope I never have to go through that again.
Anyway, have a nice weekend you folks.

As my Doctor is fond of telling me, it takes a huge amount of energy to fight an anxiety disorder - mostly burnt up by the brain as it battles on both the conscious and subconscious level. So it makes absolute sense that anything else that saps your energy is going to leave you with that much less energy to spend combatting anxiety.

I am currently in the same boat as you. I've been sick with a cold, then flu, and now bronchitis, for almost a month. Finally the Drs put me on antibiotics, which in themselves can make you feel worse for the first several days.

On Saturday I had to be home alone for just half an hour, which normally I'd be able to manage. I lasted two minutes and then dissolved into a major panic attack. I think the final straw, apart from feeling sick, feeling tired from sleeping badly for weeks, and feeling "off" from the drugs, was that the bronchitis makes it harder to breathe, and I couldn't do my anti-stress breathing without coughing, so it felt like my last line of defence had been taken from me.

I got through it, and so will you. What you're experiencing is quite normal and makes perfect sense and is in no way an indication that anything is worse than normal. Just be as kind to yourself as you can, make a point of getting extra rest, meditate if that's your thing, whatever it takes. Also - if you can get off the caffeine, I'd recommend it - caffeine stresses the adrenals and while it perks you up in the short term, it can make you more tired in the long run.

Regards,
Lindsay

It will it just take a little bit, which seems like forever in our minds but you know it will and you have to keep reminding yourself that.

Hey Everyone,

So I'm not feeling well today (started yesterday but it has gotten worse per se.) My symptoms? Light-headedness, the shivers, and my eyes are unable to focus at times (a slight head movement and it feels as if my eyes are "catching up".) Sounds weird but I have had this before. Mind you, when it started yesterday, I thought it was because of dehydration, or because I had not eaten. Well, today, I've drank almost 7 glasses of water, I had a great breakfast, and yet I feel worse than I did yesterday.

From an anxiety standpoint, I'm feeling it today. You get that "feeling" of "what if I have a brain tumor", or "am I dying because of cancer". One of the things I have learned to do is to not give into these feelings. It makes things worse. I can get a check-up and all be normal, yet I wouldn't feel good about it. Fortunately, I've learned that there are "Illnesses" out there that have no diagnosis. Doctor's tell you to just rest up and it will go away in time. I read this in an article one time, and it was also reported a few times on TV (athletes specifically, who came down with an unknown "virus", and just had to rest up and it would eventually go away.) I did workout yesterday, and I did get a head rush, but I felt great immediately after the workout (weird I know.)

So my plan is to do some stretching exercises and not overexert myself (no lifting whatsoever today.) I will finish up with some meditation and I hope I will feel better later on today.

Bottom line is we all need to keep in mind that we are a little sensitive to alot of things now. In time, you will learn to just float with it. I'm not there yet but I'm dealing with what I have right now better than I would've a few years ago. If what I'm feeling is anxiety-related, so be it. Bring it on!!! Stay the course and we will all reach the promised land soon.

Arturo