Can anyone relate?

[picklypopcorn]

So for 4 months now I've been suffering with what I suspect is anxiety. I'm not sure why I haven't been to a GP, I think because that makes this an actual 'thing' and I'm scared what a diagnosis means for me.

I'm also not sure why I'm posting this tonight, I think it's a cry for help and a call to see if anyone out there has felt this? I kind of just need to confirm this is in fact anxiety and I'm not losing my grip here?

I have a pretty awesome life. Wonderful partner, good job, mortgage etc and I'm 25. I want to be a high achiever but fall short of that I think, im also 6 stone overweight and most of my anxiety is linked to work. No kids. I don't know if any of this is relevent, just trying to give you something to work with.

It started in January when someone was promoted ahead of me with less experience. It crushed me. ever since I've been over reacting to small issues at work, over analysing everything people say and get a 'balloon' feeling in my chest at even the smallest criticisms of my work. DP is very aware of it and supportive but I can tell he's very unsure how to act when I'm bad :( I need a promotion soon, although I'm in no debt my DP has a low paid job and not great career prospects so I pay for absolutely everything except our food. That's quite a lot of pressure hence why the promotion thing really knocked me for six. I'm the breadwinner so out future wealth completely depends on me doing well at work. Please don't ask about DP's career prospects or criticise him for it, that isn't the issue here and he's a fabulous chap.

Anyway, tonight I've been sitting at home on my own with anxiety at about 7/10 all night for apparently no reason at all. I have work in the morning so it could be that, but I have no reason at all to feel anxious really. I have the balloon feeling in my chest and i'm on the edge of tears, have been since 6pm... Is this normal?? There hasn't been a trigger, every time I've felt like this before there's been something that's 'set me off' but this time there's been nothing..

Do I need to go to my GP? What can they do to help? I'm new to mental illness, don't really understand it and it's terrifying me a bit to think I'm not in control of my own head here.

Can someone talk to me please? Think I just need to know that other people have been through this and it gets better?

I'm like you but with 2 dd and feeling utterly awful. Feel crap at work, feel crap at my job as its going nowhere. I'm 40 this year and feel
Utter crap and useless. Sometimes play out in my mi d how better the world would be without me. Like you I have an amazing husband but he's just finished his studies so m the only earner therefore a lot of pressure on me.
What I think I
Need to do is go and see my doctor, could you do that to?

Hi def go and see your doc- imho it sounds like anxiety- however it's always best to get things checked out. It's weird the way the mind can make the body feel. Once you know what it is then you can take steps to help you feel better. There are lots of good mindful/ anxiety apps - I use one called headspace xx

Hi Everyone, managed to get a GP appointment and it really helped:

Luckily my GP has a special interest in mental health and was brilliant. She's diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

She took 20 minutes to explain to me that how I'm feeling isn't because I'm cracking up or struggling to cope with life because I'm not strong enough, and she thinks that persistent low mood triggered by the work issue I had in January has reduced my serotonin levels to the point where they now cant recover naturally. This is apparently very common and no amount of exercise, self help and therapy would get my levels up again. She actually told me off a bit for not coming to the GP sooner blush. She explained that the "fog" feeling I have is just an absence of serotonin, its as much a physical illness as a broken arm or a tummy ache.

This helped MASSIVELY.

Anyway, she took my blood pressure and pulse, both of which were high and this is a concern for her because she suspects it's all due to anxiety and an excess of cortisol.

She doesn't think I have depression and suspects my tearfulness is a result of constantly feeling on edge.

Anyway, she's prescribed an initially very low dose (20mg) of fluoxitine to get my serotonin back in line and 40mg of propranolol to bring down my heart rate and give my "fight or flight" response a bit of a break. She's also given me the phone number to self-refer for CBT which she thinks will help avoid the catastrophic thinking which depleted my serotonin in the first place.

I have to go back in 3 weeks for a catch up to see how things have gone on the fluoxitine and to potentially up my dose if needed.

That is brilliant news. Enjoy the CBT when you get it, I found it life changing.

Wow she sounds like a good GP. The GPs I've seen in the past have just written me a prescription and never explained anything like that. Hope the one I see tomorrow is better.