Free Floating Anxiety

[gracealone]

I have been wondering how many of you have experienced free floating anxiety?
Prior to having this last flare of OCD I was having a lot of it. I would wake up with a knot in my stomach every day and would find that I was trembling mildly even without thinking of any thing worrisome. There was this constant feeling of uneasiness or impending doom that hadn't yet focused on any thing specific. Gradually though the anxiety attached itself to fearful thoughts/spikes and it was then that I think it turned into full blown OCD.
To illustrate what I mean - it's kind of like what happens I go out trolling for fish. I put a lure on the end of my line that has hooks hanging from it. The hooks represent my free floating anxiety. The proper use of the hooks are that they are meant to be employed in order to catch a real fish. The fish represents a valid real life emergency. But in free floating anxiety the hooks are always out there ready to be deployed even where there's no fish to catch. So if they happen to wander into a bunch of weeds or debris floating on the surface of the water they will instead attach themselves to that. The weeds and the debris are respresentative of my unwanted/intrusive thoughts.(spikes)
So what started out as free floating anxiety now has become entangled with obsessional fears and has become OCD.
Any body else have a similar experience?
Mitzi

 

[junezephyr]

Yup, I've struggled with free-floating anxiety for the past few years (along with depression, OCD stuff). It wasn't until last year that I found out why (after lots of research). I had allowed stress to tax me so much that my adrenal system became out of whack (adrenals are responsible for handling stress, hormone production, etc... an article is here: http://www.attackpanic.com/news/anxiety/adrenal-fatigue.html). I would wake up every morning feeling anxious and obsessive. Little did I know that it was because adrenal hormones are most at work during the AM hours. It only alleviated after making changes to take care of my adrenals. I didn't realize how much of my anxiety/depression was truly physically rooted. Things continue to get so much better now that I've been correcting it nutritionally. It's been amazing for me to learn how intertwined the body and mind are.

So yes, I know exactly what you mean by free-floating uneasiness. In my case, it was mostly physically rooted and only prolonged by my tendency to obsess.

It can be really hard sometimes to resist the urge to allow my anxiety to mingle with obsessions, but reminding myself that my fearful feelings are largely due to imbalances in my body helps. When I feel that way now, I can realize that many of my fears are not valid (or at least not as valid as they feel).

 

[gracechick]

I know I do. It's like my mind & body when I'm awake have to go through this endless routine of FFA & subjects to dwell on.

J.
Do you take adrenal supplements? I read on CBN they recommended a certain one...I'd have to look it up though.

 

[ObsessedButBlessed]

Oh, dear. I have done this, too. There would be times that I would wake up terribly anxious and not know why, and then of course my first thought goes to checking to see if it's related to my obsessions or not. Sooner or later, my obsessions become associated with the anxiety and I'm back to square one!

I have found what really helps in this situation is good old distraction and exercise. When my mind starts pulling in the direction of checking my obsessions, I really have to make an effort not to go down that road. As we all know, once we've gone down that road, it's a big struggle to get out of it! The other thing I do is exercise, because all of that anxiety needs a place to go. The longer I let it build up in my body, the harder it is to get rid of. So if I exercise for a good 30 minutes, I find my anxiety dissipating and feeling better in general. Plus exercise raises your good-feeling emotions.

 

[junezephyr]

J.
Do you take adrenal supplements? I read on CBN they recommended a certain one...I'd have to look it up though.

I take a supplement by Enzymatic Therapy called Stress End when I can afford to buy it. Other than that, I take Zinc, B5, B6, and Vitamin C, and get the rest of my nutrients from food at the moment.

 

[junezephyr]

I have found what really helps in this situation is good old distraction and exercise.

I agree. Distraction and exercise can do wonders. Sometimes it's funny to have to intentionally distract myself from my own thoughts .

 

[ObsessedButBlessed]

I agree. Distraction and exercise can do wonders. Sometimes it's funny to have to intentionally distract myself from my own thoughts .

No kidding. The more I practice it, the easier it gets, but there's sometimes where I'm like "ok, I'm obsessing, need a distraction NOW!" Unfortunately that usually involves shopping, which doesn't help my wallet.

 

[gracechick]

I take a supplement by Enzymatic Therapy called Stress End when I can afford to buy it. Other than that, I take Zinc, B5, B6, and Vitamin C, and get the rest of my nutrients from food at the moment.

Oh thanks I actually was taking his End Pain till I have found more healing for CF symptoms. Maybe I will look into this supplement.

 

[gracealone]

Oh, dear. I have done this, too. There would be times that I would wake up terribly anxious and not know why, and then of course my first thought goes to checking to see if it's related to my obsessions or not. Sooner or later, my obsessions become associated with the anxiety and I'm back to square one!

I have found what really helps in this situation is good old distraction and exercise. When my mind starts pulling in the direction of checking my obsessions, I really have to make an effort not to go down that road. As we all know, once we've gone down that road, it's a big struggle to get out of it! The other thing I do is exercise, because all of that anxiety needs a place to go. The longer I let it build up in my body, the harder it is to get rid of. So if I exercise for a good 30 minutes, I find my anxiety dissipating and feeling better in general. Plus exercise raises your good-feeling emotions.

Yes...
Amen to to everything you said Sad. Distraction helps me so much - just getting outside of my head and focusing on something or someone else. Exercise is and always has been one of the most helpful things for me to do. Years ago when I was really debilitated with horrendous Panic disorder I worked up to jogging 5 miles about 5-6 days a week and within several months I was practically free of Panic attacks. It works wonders for me.
I'm doing a lot of checking right now to see if I'm getting "sick" again. I'll see a commercial on TV about depression and I can start thinking... am I getting depressed/ Or if I feel any anxiety at all I'll think Uh Oh!! what if I'm getting OCD real bad again. If I just get on with my day and just let the thought be there I'm fine. If I begin to chew on it mentally I have a hard time shaking it off. I can really relate to what you said.

Question for Junezephyr - Does the anxiety disorder cause the adrenal insuff.? Or does the adrenal insuff. cause the anxiety disorder?
Mitzi

 

[junezephyr]

Question for Junezephyr - Does the anxiety disorder cause the adrenal insuff.? Or does the adrenal insuff. cause the anxiety disorder?
Mitzi

Both can happen. In my case, prolonged stressing out caused my adrenal problems. Then my anxieties went from particular things to the free-floating anxiety you mentioned in the OP. It's one of those things that goes both ways - stress wears down the body, and the worn-out body is prone to more stress and anxiety.

 

[gracealone]

Both can happen. In my case, prolonged stressing out caused my adrenal problems. Then my anxieties went from particular things to the free-floating anxiety you mentioned in the OP. It's one of those things that goes both ways - stress wears down the body, and the worn-out body is prone to more stress and anxiety.

Thanks that's kind of what I figured.
Mitzi

 

[junezephyr]

Thanks that's kind of what I figured.
Mitzi

You're welcome - I'm sorry if I de-railed your OP at all! I just realized that I kind of did that.

I wanted to add that your fishing/anxiety analogy is spot-on. That's a great way of explaining it.

 

[SkyCloud]

The mind is such a mystery. Sometimes I feel "this" or "that", and rarely I feel just about normal. In public, I see people that don't seem to have a care in the world -- or so it seems. Some people seem to be burdonless and other seem to be burdonful. Let's just keep pressing on in this life-situation we're in, and calling and trusting in Jesus God Allmighty for strenghth.

"He given power to the faint, and to them that have no might, He increaseth strength."
Isaiah 40:29