Awful Anxiety

[troublesometruck]

Hi all,
Just looking for a bit of reassurance...getting very low with awful anxiety symptoms.
My anxiety has always been very physical...breathlessness, nausea, panic attacks etc. It all started when I had a bad period of hypothyroidism and couldn't control my breathing and heart rate properly. I also had a pretty bad childhood so definitely have some issues that contributed to the anxiety over the years...
I had a very bad episode last year - I was a mess for a few months and started taking citalopram for a while which really helped. I got pregnant so stopped taking it but along with some CBT felt pretty good, despite a rough pregnancy.
And, I have a lovely life really - 3 gorgeous kids, the youngest now just 3 months, and I am back on meds - Sertraline while BF. I have been loving being a mum again and was doing so well - felt full of beans and really enjoying my DS.
The anxiety has started to creep back in though...without me really worrying about anything. Last time it hit I was really worrying about a number of things - and the worry directly translated into physical symptoms. This time it seems to be just physical - my whole chest is tight and so I am breathless and then panicky. It has sort of crept up on me over the last couple of weeks...getting worse and worse and for longer periods each day. If I concentrate very hard and take deep breaths, I can relax and make my breathing more normal but otherwise, it has become almost a natural state - locked in almost. And it sucks.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I have upped my sertraline from 50 to 100 in the last week but I am not seeing any improvement yet and my whole chest back is aching from tension!

You need to try cbd oil - cbdoilsuk.com amazing for anxiety

Hello OP, I'm sorry to hear you are struggling..I know it may feel there is no an end in sight, but there is. You must ensure you are looking after yourself, drinking water, taking rest and exercising if you can.. try also to focus on other things and not the feelings of anxiety. I find that it comforts me when I am anxious to tell myself that the feelings will pass and it is just stupid anxiety.. it can't kill us! Sending you strength x

Maybe from baby tiredness and post natal hormones. I had this. It was awful. It really helped me to do breathing excercises every day at a time when I felt calm. It gradually went away. Yours will too. X x x

Thank you! Will keep trying. Really appreciate the replies

Yes deffo pregnancy hormones. I have 4 dc and suffered crippling anxiety for about a year after the births of 2 of them.

It's called perinatal anxiety, I wish I'd known what it was the first time round, but apparently it wasn't a 'thing' back then...

They think it could be more common than PND, so you're not alone.

Meant to add it will go away gradually, I found just recognising it and thinking 'oh god really? Ffs Can't this wait...' whenever it started was quite helpful.

I think your body kind of goes into a heightened state of awareness in order to protect your baby. This would have been useful against sabre toothed tigers but is more of a hindersnce nowadays x