The "what if" thoughts

This can be one of the hardest things to determine! I think that this is a very frustrating aspect of anxiety...because how can you tell between very real physical sensations/anxiety...and something that needs to be addressed medically?

I think that a good rule to go by is to get regular health screenings to rule out any illness. This way, when symptoms come up, you can be fairly sure that it is anxiety to blame and not some undiscovered medical issue.

Also, practicing coping mechanisms regularly really helps. It not only reduces overall stress...but you can be sure that anxiety was causing your symptoms if they go away when you do your breathing/relaxation, CBT worksheets/positive thinking, ect.

I am glad that you are working through these things in therapy. Be patient...it is not a quick fix, but it is so worth it in the long run!:)

Keep posting!

S.C.

I've been coming up with this issue alot lately myself. Is this symptom anxiety or do I have the flu? or is this anxiety or am I dying right now? I was talking to my therapist about it and since I have had tons of medical testing done in the last 6 months, she recommended that I just tell myself every time I'm worried about a symptom to just "relax and know that it is anxiety and it will soon pass". That seems to help me calm down a bit and usually the symptom does pass. If it is actually the flu or something else, I would know soon enough so why bother stressing about it.

I also get spacey feeling and jittery quite a bit. I am hypoglycemic and have always managed it very well, but the anxiety seems to change the way our bodies metabolize and I have noticed that I get low blood sugar symptoms more frequently now. I know we are not supposed to try to "eat our way out of anxiety" but it does help to eat smaller (healthy) meals more frequently as opposed to 2 or 3 big meals.

Hope you have a calm and peaceful day :)