new here and trying to learn to deal with this

[learning to cope]

Hello all.I hope I have found a new source for help. I am 28 yrs old and had spent my entire life not knowing I had any kind of mental disorder until last year. I began seeing a therapist after having a breakdown due to the lost of my grandfather and my relationship with my boyfriend ended. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression but refused medication. I had been coping semi- well through therapy up until around July 09. I had my first severe panic attack after suffering a concussion a few days earlier. Since then I have had trouble sleeping, eating,concentrating, basically I couldn't function normally or enjoy life. I began to have all kind of physical ailments and pains such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and body aches. I knew these were all symptoms of anxiety but yet I still visited the Dr office and ER several times in the last few months. I was so convinced that I had some serious life threatening disease that would take me at any moment. Every test they ran on me (CT Scan,MRI, EKG, blood work, lung scan, you name it, I have had it) turned up nothing. I have been told I am in perfect physical health yet I can not shake the feeling that something is wrong. I often feel weak, fatigue, and have headaches from the lack of sleep because of my excessive 24/7 worrying.I am slowly coming to grips with the fact that I may be a hypochondriac given all my past history. I came across this site while doing one of my many diagnosis web searches. I don't know how I never thought of this before especially since I have classic signs and my brother also suffers from hypochondria. I have gotten some since of relief because I am slowly accepting that there is really nothing wrong with me. I am hoping others here can help me by giving me advice on how they cope.I have never until recently been so consumed with my health. I am tired of suffering through sleepless nights, constant anxiety attacks, and worrying.Thanks to everyone in advance and I hope this site can give me even more relief

[sixpack]

HI and welcome.  I'm glad you found us    So sad it was during a 'disease search' though.

First thing you should never do is Google symptoms of stuff.  It never helps.  It gets our minds even more  than when we started.  So lay off the googling.  It won't solve all of your anxiety but it will reduce it a good bit.

Secondly health anxiety is really caused by the BEASTY--faulty, overthinking. 

Thirdly your mind/body can and will produce just about any kind of physical symptom in response to stress/anxiety.  I've lived it.  so have many of the folks here.  Once you can logically and emotionally accept this, then you will feel tons better.

Lastly it takes t-i-m-e for your body to recover from anxiety.  It isn't a quick---Okay I know I'm not sick why don't these annoying symptoms go away?  It took time for your body to rev up to this level of anxiety; it will take weeks/months for it to go away.  And frankly whenever I get stressed I still get physical symptoms. That is just the way a body will react.  So recognizing the physical symptoms for what they are---anxiety--rather than some weird organic disease, is the best way to getting on the road to recovery.