Very confident one minute, anxiety the next - what is that about?

B

Ben Robertson

New member
Hi,

I had a sudden onset of severe anxiety, which started after a night drinking - when I woke up with the anxiety, I had a pain in my left upper arm and pretty much wrote the whole weekend off! This was followed by 7 weeks of insomnia even after I had decided to stay in my job longer! I should also mention I was working 16 hour days, everyday for months.

I think it was all to do with a big decision re running my business full time and quitting work. It's on the back burner somewhat until I can figure out what's wrong - don't want this to steal my dreams!!

I feel better now, but still not right. Ever since I've been trying to figure out why it happened, whether I'll go back to normal and how to prevent it in the future.

I seem to have two very distint and powerful parts, very cofident and major worry. Also decisions are hard because everything is either negative or positive, can't seem to see the whole picture.
 
Hi,

I am still about and have made progress.

Firstly, I'm sorry to hear you feel that way and your having difficulties, but there is hope :)

I have been on a very long and painful journey (and continue to in some ways) but am certainly further forward.

The first step is to get your body rested. I was only sleeping an hour a night, so needed to sort they first. You will note, anything I mention here is natural - I don't do pharmacy based products. Melatonin was the only think that helped me sleep. You can't buy it in the UK though (only found this out after the person have it to me and I used it) but it sure helped sort out the insomnia. This is only needed short term - don't take long term.

You have also probably burnt out your adrenals. For this, buy some liquorice tea (tastes fowl I'm afraid) and drink one cup a day for no longer then 6 weeks as it cam cause hypertension if longer use is maintained.

I was very shocked when someone close to me (a councillor I lodge with) told me she thought I had Adult ADD. I read' the symptoms and I must admit, I cried. It made perfect sense and pretty much described me to a tee. You may have this.

To help with ADD, take 8 (4 at night, 4 in the morning - VEGEPA supplements, they are fish oils with evening primrose and NO DHA - this is important, but only found that out last night and haven't got to that part of the book yet). Other brands may have the same ratios of ingredients in and no DHA, but I can't find any).

Next up, Rhodiola Rosacea. Studies show it has help significantly with generalised anxiety disorder and guess what, helps the concentration as do the fish oils. Still experimenting at the mo, but lower doses are a stimulant and higher doses are a depressant. Take in bursts of 3months, month off. Must contain at least 3% rosavins and 1% saldrarose as they are the active ingredients, many do not.
 
Have your thyroid checked. Do you have other thyroid symptoms like weight gain, dry skin, memory/concentration problems, fatigue, change in bowel movements, more frequent infections (use of antibiotics), or vision changes?
 
Much of your life sounds like a precursor to adrenal fatigue. It's easy to research online. A high adrenaline life (whether from "bad stress" or "good stress" leads to adrenal fatigue. If this is you, blood tests will be normal, but a saliva test will show low-functioning adrenal glands. This would account for much of your symptoms. You mentioned that none of the disorders fit you 100%, but that's common.
 
Hi,

I am still about and have made progress.

Firstly, I'm sorry to hear you feel that way and your having difficulties, but there is hope :)

I have been on a very long and painful journey (and continue to in some ways) but am certainly further forward.

The first step is to get your body rested. I was only sleeping an hour a night, so needed to sort they first. You will note, anything I mention here is natural - I don't do pharmacy based products. Melatonin was the only think that helped me sleep. You can't buy it in the UK though (only found this out after the person have it to me and I used it) but it sure helped sort out the insomnia. This is only needed short term - don't take long term.

You have also probably burnt out your adrenals. For this, buy some liquorice tea (tastes fowl I'm afraid) and drink one cup a day for no longer then 6 weeks as it cam cause hypertension if longer use is maintained.

I was very shocked when someone close to me (a councillor I lodge with) told me she thought I had Adult ADD. I read' the symptoms and I must admit, I cried. It made perfect sense and pretty much described me to a tee. You may have this.

To help with ADD, take 8 (4 at night, 4 in the morning - VEGEPA supplements, they are fish oils with evening primrose and NO DHA - this is important, but only found that out last night and haven't got to that part of the book yet). Other brands may have the same ratios of ingredients in and no DHA, but I can't find any).

Next up, Rhodiola Rosacea. Studies show it has help significantly with generalised anxiety disorder and guess what, helps the concentration as do the fish oils. Still experimenting at the mo, but lower doses are a stimulant and higher doses are a depressant. Take in bursts of 3months, month off. Must contain at least 3% rosavins and 1% saldrarose as they are the active ingredients, many do not.
 
Hi again,

Thanks so much for sharing the information.

I also dislike anything from a pharmacy, at least where the medicine has a manufactured background or it stems from a prescription.

About a day before I posted to your thread, I started taking a natural supplement for iron, vitamin B and folic acid. The main reason was for the iron, because apparently, anaemia can cause a lack of oxygen to parts of the body resulting in the feeling of unease in limbs etc. Now, 4 days after starting to take this, I have already noticed a distinct improvement, almost complete. (I
 
Hey,


Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have had full blood work in Nov and everything was fine.

I have lost weight recently, but due to stress and anxiety. I do have memory, concentration problems. In fact, after a very short time, I find I can no longer keep my eyes focused and open when in a meeting, even if I am interested in the subject. I thought this was just because I was relaxed, but it maybe something else!

I don't have dry skin or a change in bowel movement (apart from I used to go number 2 every morning and now I am more sporadic). I definitely get fatigue, but to complicate things, I also get restless with my legs, especially in the mornings (the opposite of restless leg syndrome). I wake at 5am and cannot get back to sleep although I am so tired. I feel restless and agitaed.

Although my mood has lifted in the last couple of days, I still feel I am battling off a terrible feeling, which when I just push it away, I feel OK. But I know it's there and I am ignoring it rather then dealing with it.

It prob because I had dreams of running my own business and now I am not so sure. the anxiety scared me whitless and in a creative industry, you can't afford to get anxiety. Also, have got ocular rosacea and dreading the skin element which will enviably follow. A lot on you might say :)
 
Hi WHICHWAY,

My goodness, unless I am schizophrenic without knowing (maybe I should ask my other self!), I would have thought I was reading an article that I posted myself!

What you are going through is almost exactly what I am going through myself.
I noticed you posted this 3 months ago but if you have made any progress, please share it with us.

Although you posted to probably get answers, I’m sorry I am not providing an answer as such, but I have found it comforting to find someone else undergoing the same thing.

I also have been suffering with what would be RLS, except I don’t get it at night, rather only in the day when I am trying to concentrate. I am having real problems focusing on my work, full of anxiety and all because I just wish I could earn my own money and stop having to playing lip-service to bureaucratic company politicians on a daily basis like I have to in my current job.

I spent most of 2007 in Thailand training to be a SCUBA instructor (I am from the UK) and I would do anything to go back there. Not to go diving, instead because while I was there, I had absolutely no anxiety, troubles or worries. In the last 4 months, I didn’t do hardly any diving, instead I woke up every day and couldn’t wait to get down to the gym, and when I got back from the gym I worked the rest of the day learning new programming languages and technologies (I am a software developer). My brain was in overdrive and I was learning advance technologies at a geometric rate. Frankly I felt so good and like I was 20 again (I am now 41).

My goal now is to try to earn enough money online to stay in Thailand and maybe take up teaching English and IT. Although my dream seems perfectly viable, for some strange reason I just can’t quite do it. I am very technical, but I think the problem is that I just don’t have a head for business. As a result, my anxiety and stress is escalating and am finding concentrating evermore difficult.

I thought about going to the GP to see if my bloodworks are in order, and if I have other problems like hypothyroidism, but I don’t want to be pumped with drugs when I am 99% certain that all is wrong is anxiety and frustration.

Just thought I would share this.

Good luck
Phil
 
Welcome to the world of anxiety and stress.Re-read your post.it sounds so stressful to me,I almost felt anxious.And I was just reading your post,you are living it.We as a society need to slow down and give ourselves some down time.Even in our down time we feel the need to fill it with some sort of activities.Why?You had blood work an stuff done,everything I am assuming is normal-so i feel you are extremely stressed.If you do not want to use drug therapy for this,then try to get involved with either homeopathic,stress management techniques,meditation,whatever you can find that will work.The bad thing about not managing anxiety is that it will turn into more serious illnesses down the line in the body.High blood pressure,heart problems,adrenal.It will affect evey aspect of your life eventually health wise if not adressed and taken care of now.Good luck.
 
Back
Top