not coping

Here for the next hour if you want to chat @outlander 😊

i have been having weird panic attacks at least 6 times a day, it is exhausting and ive already got some virus going around. its getting harder to know whether its my anxiety making me so sick or whether it is this virus. ive already had 2 weeks off work from being so unwell, its looking like a third week if im not well enough by when im suppose to start back up this weekend.

im worrying about every damn thing and i dont know why. even minor things give me anxiety, i cant even watch action movies because the intended adrenaline it puts out gives me an anxiety attack

@Jynx

Anything you feel you need to get off your chest @outlander ? Or want to chat about things you might have the power to change for tonight? I see that you're feeling unwell, which suuuucks 😢

Sending hugs 💜

@outlander That is so rough, and so confusing! I used to have a lot of anxiety attacks outta nowhere, it gets so confusing and then sometimes feeling anxiety about the anxiety attacks can then trigger even more anxiety attacks and then it's an endless loop of panicky despair 😱

I hope you can try to remember that we are going through a global trauma at the moment with this pandemic, so having an underlying, unshakeable anxiety is pretty normal. It means our ability to cope is diminished because we are having to manage more distress than usual. This means it's hitting those of us with mental health issues that much harder 😔

Add to that the financial stress of being off work and you have a perfect storm of stress to mean that even the most random, benign stuff can trigger Big Feelings and a sense of overwhelm. As abnormal as everything might feel, your responses are pretty normal in my eyes.

Breathing with you 💜

Aww @outlander I'm so sorry. Wish I could do more for you, truly. I seriously hope you get past this flu very soon and things can feel a little easier for you.