Hi all...I'm relatively new in dealing with my anxiety issues, as I really only found out about it a couple of months ago. But when a friend of mine tweeted about someone she knew of who died of a brain aneurysm two months ago, I started reading about that and then obsessing over it, and that's what started triggering my fearful thoughts and my subsequent anxiety. (One of my sister's friends died of one too a few years ago, but that never bothered me back then.) Sometimes I will go to bed fearful of getting sudden pains in my head and then possibly passing out or dying. However, I haven't had any actual feelings or anything, as I'm not one to get headaches (though I have had slight feelings in my head that have caused a couple of anxious episodes, but those "feelings" are quite normal). It's just the reading of that tweet and dwelling on it that really did anything. But often times for us anxious people, something like that is all that it takes to let the imagination run wild. I've been reading Lucinda's book "From Panic to Power," and it's been helping me so far.
I'm not sure why I had to pick the aneurysm to be afraid of. I mean, not only is it very rare, but I have absolutely NO risk factors for getting one (i.e. don't smoke, have no family history, no high blood pressure, etc.). So isn't it silly for me to be afraid of something like that?
Anyone else fear getting an aneurysm or something?
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Guest
Hi Acoon,
In reading this, it reminded me of myself!
I am the exact same way lots of times. If I hear of an illness that someone else has, or if someone passes away with something, I start to fear those same things. Speaking of aneurysms--I know someone that passed away from ths also. I had known this lady for many of years. Actually, she married into our family, and she died unexpectedly last summer of an aneurysm. When I heard that, the anxiety just started to increase. I started to obsess over it. I was nervous and fearful that it could happen to me. I had to realize that just because someone else has some disease or illness, or sudden death does not mean that it will happen to me.
Sometimes I can handle that really well, and again, if I hear something terrible like that, I will not handle it very well, and then I start to google it, or start to obsess about it. I also heard of someone that had tuberculosis and I feared having that. I "thought" I had all of the symptoms! I have "thought" that I have had lots of things - from brain tumors, heart issues,lung problems,you name it. If I heard of someone with it, I would just think I was having the same symptoms, and that was not true. I am healthy as a horse! I don't know why we do this. Anxiety can really play tricks on your mind.
You will not have an aneurysm. I am sure you will live a very long healthy, fun-filled life. The people that these things actually happen to, never even "thought" of this I am sure. I am sure that the people that have actually had a heart attack, stroke, etc never thought they would. I mean, we tend to think that so much is going to happen to us, and we are always very healthy people, in most cases.
Hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend, and no worries...no need at all!
In reading this, it reminded me of myself!
I am the exact same way lots of times. If I hear of an illness that someone else has, or if someone passes away with something, I start to fear those same things. Speaking of aneurysms--I know someone that passed away from ths also. I had known this lady for many of years. Actually, she married into our family, and she died unexpectedly last summer of an aneurysm. When I heard that, the anxiety just started to increase. I started to obsess over it. I was nervous and fearful that it could happen to me. I had to realize that just because someone else has some disease or illness, or sudden death does not mean that it will happen to me.
Sometimes I can handle that really well, and again, if I hear something terrible like that, I will not handle it very well, and then I start to google it, or start to obsess about it. I also heard of someone that had tuberculosis and I feared having that. I "thought" I had all of the symptoms! I have "thought" that I have had lots of things - from brain tumors, heart issues,lung problems,you name it. If I heard of someone with it, I would just think I was having the same symptoms, and that was not true. I am healthy as a horse! I don't know why we do this. Anxiety can really play tricks on your mind.
You will not have an aneurysm. I am sure you will live a very long healthy, fun-filled life. The people that these things actually happen to, never even "thought" of this I am sure. I am sure that the people that have actually had a heart attack, stroke, etc never thought they would. I mean, we tend to think that so much is going to happen to us, and we are always very healthy people, in most cases.
Hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend, and no worries...no need at all!
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Guest
I think of stuff like that too.
Today, for example, the radio was on in the car and someone came on saying something about strokes and I just had to turn the radio off. How can I worry about having a stroke if they are so silent that I wouldn't even know it happened? That just seemed so dumb to me. I pushed the off button and verbally said "NO. You are not going there." Crazy. I am going to trust my life to God and do the best at keeping my temple clean while here on earth, that I can. That is about all I can do.
Today when I was doing the radio thing, I was on my way for a fasting blood draw for an upcoming annual exam. After it was done, I did a "What if" thing. Like, what if something is wrong with my blood work? Did scheduling it this morning make something not work in my body?? NO. It is a picture of how things are. Would it be better to know sooner rather than later? Probably. Have I been taking care of me physically? Yes. Well there. I have done my job. Yikes- how easily I slide back. Gotta get back to pushing the rock up the hill, I guess.
Today, for example, the radio was on in the car and someone came on saying something about strokes and I just had to turn the radio off. How can I worry about having a stroke if they are so silent that I wouldn't even know it happened? That just seemed so dumb to me. I pushed the off button and verbally said "NO. You are not going there." Crazy. I am going to trust my life to God and do the best at keeping my temple clean while here on earth, that I can. That is about all I can do.
Today when I was doing the radio thing, I was on my way for a fasting blood draw for an upcoming annual exam. After it was done, I did a "What if" thing. Like, what if something is wrong with my blood work? Did scheduling it this morning make something not work in my body?? NO. It is a picture of how things are. Would it be better to know sooner rather than later? Probably. Have I been taking care of me physically? Yes. Well there. I have done my job. Yikes- how easily I slide back. Gotta get back to pushing the rock up the hill, I guess.
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Guest
I think this is common. I had a friend pass away from a heart attack recently and he was young. (35) For several days I thought I was going to have a heart attack. My new thing is I had a headache and I thought I had a brain tumor. Turns out I was just dehydrated. The key is catching yourself before you "go there". Sometimes I do sometimes I don't.