anxiety but no underlying reason

[Guest j julie]

hi,

I was wondering if anyone else suffers from anxiety with no underlying reason??

Or they get anxious for no reason??

This all started about 1 year ago, first id feel anxious in cinemas then on work courses...places i couldnt just get up and walk out of, then it led to feeling anxious the whole time apart from when im asleep.

I had to leave my job in september that i had just started beacause i felt so bad, working again now though.

My last job before september was looking after an autistic man, he was very demanding and aggressive and would strike out at me from time to time with no warning, my mum recons this has brought on this anxiety disorder, beacause whilst i was there i would do night shifts on my own and worry the whole time about him and feel soooooo anxious, is it possible for this to have brought on an anxiety problem?

Im not sure if this would be an underlying problem or not.

thanks for reading.

j julie

[Guest lilyelspeth]

Absolutely! I could be "minding my own business" and all of a sudden I will be hit with an overwhelming sense of dread. No reason or need to worry but I will. I'll know what I am fretting over needs no second look but I do anyway.

My psychiatrist and I were just discussing this today and he said the same thing many others have said, anxiety needs no reason sometimes, especially with a condition as OCD.

It was good of you to post about this so that you know that you are not alone! We all go through similar situations and it's as much comfort as possible to know others are out there like you.

Lily

[catherine]

Hi j julie

I think one of the things which can happen in anxiety related conditons is that the response becomes automatic or habitual. I know exactly what you mean and you often find people also have the same response with depression. Something happens and the automatic response to it is negative which stokes up the depression etc. With anxiety the external world presents some trigger to us and we respond in an anxious, almost unconscious way. Over time this becomes automatic.

CBT would focus on these reactions and try to challenge them. So in a way you have to retrain your thinking patterns and become more aware of them. When the feeling of anxiety comes on, you must challenge it and ask yourself why you're feeling anxious and how you could respond differently. Ultimately you have to ask yourself 'where is the evidence supporting these anxious feelings'. It is a very hard concept to master and is a lifetimes work. I do know though that I've had quite a lot of success on the depression side and when something happens and I respond negatively then I challenge my thinking and look for the evidence to support the depressive thought.......the whole point being that there usually isn't any!

There probably is a reason why you are feeling anxious but not at a conscious level. It may have become an automatic response over many years. Not an easy problem to master unfortunately. I don't know if you have ever had CBT, but if you get the chance I'd certainly take it up as it is full of useful techniques. Also, relaxation techniques can be helpful especially ones where you become aware of your breathing patterns. It's amazing how easily we stop breathing when anxious

Catherine

[Guest j julie]

thank you to you both for reading and helping me out, I read your posts over twice and they are very true.

thanks again xx :grin:

[Guest Jimbo]

Hi J julie,

This is me all over. Real bad anxiety, not quite panic attacks, for no reason whatsoever. I had this all my life then OCD popped in years ago.

I think If it's just anxiety it probably falls under GAD, which is a generalised Anxiety disorder. Quite often people who have this experience floating anxiety for no reason.

Since I controlled my OCD I have learnt to realise that GAD has been a big factor in my life from adolecense. This and depression are my next fight on the road to recovery.

Have you spoken to your GP or are you on any medication? Most of the SSRIs that combat depression also treat OCD and GAD.

Be honest with you I can't survive without them. OK it's only a mask to hide the problems but If I had an infection I would take antibiotics, so something to help my mood is no different in my mind although others will disagree. It's a personal choice but if you haven't explored that avenue I reccomend you doing so.

Jimbo.