Too anxious to eat

[garlictwist]

Not sure why I am posting really. I suffer from really bad health anxiety, mainly around injury and muscular skeletal stuff than serious illness.

The past month has been really hard. I am a constant ball of anxiety. I don’t sleep. I am having to put a happy face on for my husband because my constant need for reassurance and obsessing over every single thing was pushing him away

The other issue is I can’t eat. I know I need to but when food is in front of me my stomach knots up and I can only force a few bites down. I feel dreadful. I don’t know what to do.

Eat on your own maybe? Sometimes eating with others if you are very anxious can be difficult. I had a bad bout of anxiety a few years ago and found that helped a lot. I also ate easy foods for a while like thick yogurt, soup, banana, that kind of thing, anything I could swallow easily without my throat closing up!

If it's any consolation, I'm fine now and the anxiety had a trigger which has been resolved.

Are you getting any treatment for the health anxiety? If not, that's your first step, so see the GP as soon as you can, they may advise therapy.

I talk to AI a lot. I know it’s bad but it’s helped. Or at least helped me realise the cycles I fall into. My husband has had enough and I don’t blame him. I’ve had enough. It’s all so draining. I just wish I could control everything so nothing bad ever happened and I wouldn’t have to worry.

Soft food! As pp pointed out. And snacks throughout the day help - graze if you can’t face the drama of a meal.

Also, SSRIs - safest drugs ever and calm you down.

As always, look to the root cause. When and why did this begin? Who in your past had problems with their "muscular skeletal stuff'? Once you find the origin you can reverse it (because you weren't born with it).

When we're anxious the sympathetic (flight or fight) nervous system is on high alert and digestion, along with reproduction and healing, are all put on hold as the body sends all it's energy to fighting the 'threat'.

This video is really helpful in understanding how your body responds to stress;

You could go for therapy as that would help treat this eating issue.

Go to the doctor. It might be worth trying some anti-anxiety medication. Not eating properly will impact your health fast and lead to other problems.

In the meantime, make yourself a nutritious soup which will be easier to eat.

eliminate or reduce Caffeine , 2 - 3 cups a day - only have caffeine after food, don't have a tea or Coffey first thing in the morning for example....no caffeine after lunch time, no alcohol...If and when you do eat ensure its proper healthy food, a nutritious soup perhaps....get loads of sleep and be kind to yourself, Sending hugs...