Anxiety that isn't attached to a particular symptom

[Cattia]

I have a lot of major anxieties about my own and my children's health and wellbeing that are focused around certain signs and symptoms. However I also sometimes get a sort of 'free floating' health anxiety where I am afraid that I already have or will get in the near future some form of cancer, even though I have no specific symptoms. Sometimes I think that my body might be full of cancer and I'm just waiting for the symptoms to show themselves. Sometimes I have thoughts like I imagine family photographs taken in the future that don't have me in them because I'm not around any more. Does anyone else think like this?

[MrMoleHill]

I just woke up yesterday morning with this exact same thought.  I was "symptom" free and finally over my prior "fears".  Yet, I was still uneasy, and worried about the next thing, whatever it would be.

[trainwreck]

Cattia- That is because you have an anxiety disorder.  It needs a focus.  When it isnt on your health or a specific illness, it will find something to latch on to.  It is the nature of anxiety. 

[Cattia]

It's just so frustrating, I was thinking today how I have lived with this for probably 15 years now, and it seems like there's always something. The past few years it's been worse, I sometimes give up hope of ever being normal!

[trainwreck]

Who wants to be normal Cattia?  We pay a price for the way we are.  But there are also many good things that come from this.  I think people with anxiety issues/depression are often more perceptive, more caring and more empathetic than most people.  They key is balance.  When you feel it is ruining your life, you have to view it as a problem to be solved. 

Set a goal, develop a plan.  Use the resources you have. 

I am by no means a poster child for recovery.  But my life now, at 49, is much easier than it was at 25.  I have the peaks and valleys that we all have.  But I have learned how to manage it enough to not let it make me miss too much of my life. 

[Cattia]

Thank you Trainwreck. Mine was really bad in my early twenties then I got in pretty good control of it for a while, but since having my kids it has been a lot worse again. I'm 36 now. I feel like I waste a lot of the good times stressing over things that probably won't happen, but I try not to blame myself too much for that because the guilt only makes things worse,after all it's not like we choose to live this way.When it comes to my kids though, I do feel guilty that I worry so much about them and that means I miss out on enjoying them while they're young. I never knew that having children would make HA so much harder to handle!

[ceh1354]

I can sympathize with you. Most of the time, I feel OK, but often think about what may happen, but probably won't. Yes, we do have a disorder, definitely. But I blame a portion of it too, or at least I think this exacerbates it- the media. So many shows, ads, news stories, focusing on diseases, sad stories, the warning signs or lack thereof (even worse) of a particular disease. We are saturated with it every day. Add in the internet and it's a recipe for disaster for those of us with HA.

You're definitely not alone. We just have to find a way to manage it, be it through therapy, meds, whatever, so we don't waste so much of our lives worrying. It's rare if it ever even happens that it will just go away on its own.

[trainwreck]

I can sympathize with you. Most of the time, I feel OK, but often think about what may happen, but probably won't. Yes, we do have a disorder, definitely. But I blame a portion of it too, or at least I think this exacerbates it- the media. So many shows, ads, news stories, focusing on diseases, sad stories, the warning signs or lack thereof (even worse) of a particular disease. We are saturated with it every day. Add in the internet and it's a recipe for disaster for those of us with HA.

You're definitely not alone. We just have to find a way to manage it, be it through therapy, meds, whatever, so we don't waste so much of our lives worrying. It's rare if it ever even happens that it will just go away on its own.

You are right CEH.

Watching the news, or health programs is tough.  Everyday they tell you that everything you personally did that day is linked to whatever disease you fear the most.  It's like being terrified of clowns and having the circus in town. Everyday!

[MrMoleHill]

"It's like being terrified of clowns and having the circus in town. Everyday!"

Good one Trainwreck.  I have always hated clowns. They are just not funny or cute.

[JunoX]

Yes I have also had this kind of anxiety. Its not based on any symptom, just a general feeling that I will get something in the future or I won't be around for long.