New anxiety and panic sufferer

[Vasallus]

Hello! Well, I'm not sure where to begin. I suppose I'll start with a little bit about myself. I am a 25 year old male working the night shift at a retail store. About 4 months ago I had my first severe panic attack. I was not living a very healthy life. Mountain Dews, cigarettes, junk food, etc. One night I was laying in bed and my heart started pounding against my chest. I started sweating, breathing hard, and felt completely detached from my body. I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to the ER, and after an hour or so I calmed down and ended up falling asleep. The panic attack had exhausted me so much.

The doctor told me I was fine, but strongly suggested I start making healthier choices before it was too late. So I quit smoking, quit caffeine, and started eating healthier and becoming more active. I figured that would solve all my problems, but I think the traumatic experience of thinking I was dying lingered, and I have had health anxiety ever since. I am always concerned about my heart rate getting high, which makes exercising tedious and problematic, and I am constantly self-diagnosing, checking symptoms on WebMd, taking my pulse constantly, and measuring my blood pressure.

I have been on this healthy path for about 4 months, and the anxiety has gotten much better. I feel healthier, look better, but that health anxiety/mild panic is always lingering at the back of my mind, waiting to jump out at any little symptom my body presents. I haven't had an actual panic attack in a few weeks, but the uneasiness is always there. I am hoping to get some relief and knowledge from like-minded individuals here.

Thank you all for having me!

[Cuchculan]

Welcome to the forum. Good to have you as a member. Here you are with like minded people. People who understand. As we all suffer from something or other. So feel free to ask any questions. Our members are always willing to help others out. Good chatroom too. 3 posts to enter the room.

Find the correct section of the forum that suits your condition and create a new topic on it. This is just a welcome section. Never really get the same amount of help in this section as you would on the other sections of the forums. So whatever one suits the questions you are asking. Get much better answers.

All users of the chatroom must be 18 years old or over. The room is off limits to anybody under the age of 18.