GERD Issues with Anxiety!!

I am a 30yo male without any health history and who maintains a healthy lifestyle full of exercise.

So a little background. about 3 weeks ago I came back from a stressful business trip and developed some strong GERD like symptoms within a two days of my return. I have had issues with belching for years but developed a strong pressure in my stomach that made me constantly want to belch as well as I lost my appetite. The pressure in my stomach was most uncomfortable and would often make me feel somewhat nauseous as I was constantly burping to relieve it. I also have gradually developed a dry cough that can sometimes be uncontrollable which I only now realize can be related to GERD. Throughout all of this I never had any other issues and going to the gym was a constant source of solace.

I saw a GI last week who had me start Prilosec which in the last 10 days has dramatically reduced my symptoms in my stomach but left me with the cough still. The pressure has gone away and I burp way way less though I still wake up sometimes in the morning with a burning feeling in my stomach that goes away within a hour. The GI also said to monitor my symptoms but I was not displaying anything scary such as weight loss, trouble swallowing, blood, or vomiting so she told me no further testing was necessary. I can also now eat normal size meals again especially at lunch and even have felt some slimmers of hope about my appetite coming back though that remains a work in progress.

I also need to mention that I suffer from anxiety and I have learned not to Google symptoms as this has not helped with anything and is the primary reason I am here now.

As of now I feel a tickle in my belly or sometimes stomach and will occasionally still get some random abdominal pains which I think is related to the cough from constantly clenching. I also occasionally will feel nauseous which I know is a side effect of Prilosec. I just am looking for help to suppress my health anxiety at this point or if there was any advice for me to move forward as I am doing a lot better but still not quite 100%.

Is there anything else I should be doing right now? Should I continue to take Prilosec? Is there any tricks other then time to fully regain my appetite? I want to see if what I experienced resonated with everyone as I know anxiety can play viscous tricks on the mind.

GERD and anxiety for me go hand in hand. I realized that several years ago when I randomly started taking Nexium for some stomach discomfort and lo and behold my anxiety dropped significantly in the subsequent days.

In my case I really think stomach issues, i.e. GERD, can be a the cause of an anxious episode, even more than anxious episodes causing GERD, although I'm sure the reverse happens with me too.