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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mikhail99 on January 23, 2003, at 8:51:51
Hi all...I'm feeling awful again. I've been fighting with my husband most of the week and my anxiety is really bad, I can't breathe well and I'm so scattered. My memory is just shot from all this anxiety, I can't remember stuff said to me 10 minutes ago. I feel like I have early onset alzheimers. :-) Don't get me wrong, I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed but this is pretty bad.
AAARGH!!!!
Posted by Dinah on January 23, 2003, at 9:27:54
In reply to Does anxiety do this to anyone else?, posted by mikhail99 on January 23, 2003, at 8:51:51
Yes, and so do other charged emotions. Right now I can be talking to someone and be barely aware of the conversation. My concentration is shot. I forget what I'm saying midsentence. I try and try to try harder but I just feel too dispersed to gather into a coherent whole, if that makes sense.
Posted by mikhail99 on January 23, 2003, at 9:44:12
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? » mikhail99, posted by Dinah on January 23, 2003, at 9:27:54
> Yes, and so do other charged emotions. Right now I can be talking to someone and be barely aware of the conversation. My concentration is shot. I forget what I'm saying midsentence. I try and try to try harder but I just feel too dispersed to gather into a coherent whole, if that makes sense.
It does make sense and I find that the harder you try, the worse it gets. WHY IS THAT?? OY! Thanks Dinah, it's just nice to know I'm not the only one. sigh.
Mik
Posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 4:03:52
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else?, posted by mikhail99 on January 23, 2003, at 9:44:12
Anxiety for me was/is like a really bratty two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum and demanding every bit of my attention!
Conversation? Oh, yeah . . . like THAT'S going to happen....
Posted by noa on January 24, 2003, at 5:26:29
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else?, posted by mikhail99 on January 23, 2003, at 9:44:12
I think I remember Daniel Amen describing ADHD this way--the harder you try to concentrate, the less able you are to concentrate.
I think anxiety can cause similar effects. I have ADD-like symptoms but I think they are from anxiety and depression (and maybe partly from my medication).
In therapy, I have recently been discussing how when we talk about something that evokes very strong feelings from me, my mind becomes very disorganized and I have difficulty getting things to stop "flying around" so I can focus on one thougth at a time. It is like I can "see" my thoughts flying around but they are going so fast I cannot figure out what they actually are.
Another effect is that I sometimes lose access to my language skills. Like coral's two year old, perhaps, I have started calling it my "infant brain". I also sometimes visualize it as my amygdala flaring up and blocking my frontal lobe and hippocampus and language centers from operating.
Posted by mikhail99 on January 24, 2003, at 11:29:08
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else?, posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 4:03:52
> Anxiety for me was/is like a really bratty two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum and demanding every bit of my attention!
>
> Conversation? Oh, yeah . . . like THAT'S going to happen....What a great analogy Coral! :-) Thanks!
Posted by mair on January 24, 2003, at 11:58:34
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? » coral, posted by mikhail99 on January 24, 2003, at 11:29:08
I can absolutely relate to this. The other day in a therapy session we were talking about something and I had a thought that I didn't want to verbalize. Instead we went on to talk about things in a different way and about 10 minutes later, my therapist tried to get me to talk about whatever it was I was avoiding. In that 10 minutes, I totally forgot what that "thought" was and I couldn't conjure it up then or later.
I also regularly have the experience Noa related as well. When I become anxious I have an impossible time putting 2 coherent thoughts together. I've decided it's a defense mechanism, designed to help me avoid discussing topics that are more difficult for me. It's horribly frustrating to spend most of a therapy session not being able to talk because I can't hold on to any single thought for long enough to verbalize it.
I've at least gotten to the stage where I can talk about the anxiety itself even if I can't talk about its underlying cause. That's actually a big improvement and when I can redirect the discussion I don't end up feeling quite as mentally paralyzed as I might otherwise.
Mair
Posted by justyourlaugh on January 24, 2003, at 13:08:37
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else?, posted by mair on January 24, 2003, at 11:58:34
i went up to my kids school to drop off forms,
i couldnt remember any of my kids teachers names-
or even my phone number!
i felt like such an idiot!
i was put on the spot...when people ask me how old my kids are i get all flustered...and i dont have a clue!
jyl
Posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 13:40:40
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? » coral, posted by mikhail99 on January 24, 2003, at 11:29:08
Thanks, Mikhail,
Sometimes, anxiety doesn't have to be anywhere in the neighborhood. I just had to go BACK to the bank because the first time I was there, I attempted to deposit a letter in my account. Strangely, the bank wouldn't accept it and suggested that I deposit the check that had come WITH the letter. LOL
Posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 15:55:22
In reply to Does anxiety do this to anyone else?, posted by mikhail99 on January 23, 2003, at 8:51:51
Mikhail, when my anxiety levels rise, I get a host of physical symptoms. Even though I know there's nothing physically wrong with me & it's just the result of anxiety, I can't seem to stop them.
I have trouble breathing. I can't get enough air & it's not asthma - I have no allergies. I lose my appetite & what food I eat, shoots right through. Muscles tighten, everything aches & I get almost constant headaches. Sleep is fitful. I'll get canker sores & a sore tongue.
I think my body figures if it feels crappy enough, it'll distract me from what's bothering me. It doesn't work but I can't convince my body that's true. And yes, stupidity & a bad memory is a given.
Posted by Dinah on January 24, 2003, at 16:33:53
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? Mikhail, posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 13:40:40
Coral, that is so funny. When I'm in my spacey moods, I think that the fast food transaction ends when I hand over my money. I can't tell you how many times I've driven off without my food. Once I even forgot to get my change. I just handed them a twenty and drove off.
Posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 16:51:05
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? » coral, posted by Dinah on January 24, 2003, at 16:33:53
LOLOLOL
Posted by laurarn on January 25, 2003, at 8:50:04
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? Dinah, posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 16:51:05
It is so refreshing to read all of these posts. I thought I was the only one who experienced these things. I am not so unique afterall!
There are times in therapy, and just overall days, that I cannot keep my thougts in order due to anxiety. I've never heard it described like that, but it is as if I can see my thoughts racing around my head but cannot verbalize any of them in a coherent sentence. I have trouble finding words and the words I do pick out sometimes don't seem like real words. Like I've forgotten whether a word is really a word!
I am so relieved to know others pay for groceries and then walk off without them, or the change. I usually pay inside for gasoline and then drive off without filling up the tank.
I am a very organized person. These lapses are not as concerning to me when I can hear all of your stories and know it isn't just me!
Posted by mikhail99 on January 25, 2003, at 22:09:54
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? Mikhail, posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 13:40:40
> Thanks, Mikhail,
>
> Sometimes, anxiety doesn't have to be anywhere in the neighborhood. I just had to go BACK to the bank because the first time I was there, I attempted to deposit a letter in my account. Strangely, the bank wouldn't accept it and suggested that I deposit the check that had come WITH the letter. LOLI HATE when that happens!!! :-)
Posted by mikhail99 on January 25, 2003, at 22:15:42
In reply to Re: Does anxiety do this to anyone else? Dinah, posted by laurarn on January 25, 2003, at 8:50:04
> It is so refreshing to read all of these posts. I thought I was the only one who experienced these things. I am not so unique afterall!
>
> There are times in therapy, and just overall days, that I cannot keep my thougts in order due to anxiety. I've never heard it described like that, but it is as if I can see my thoughts racing around my head but cannot verbalize any of them in a coherent sentence. I have trouble finding words and the words I do pick out sometimes don't seem like real words. Like I've forgotten whether a word is really a word!
>
> I am so relieved to know others pay for groceries and then walk off without them, or the change. I usually pay inside for gasoline and then drive off without filling up the tank.
>
> I am a very organized person. These lapses are not as concerning to me when I can hear all of your stories and know it isn't just me!Same here Laurarn, I feel a bit better knowing I'm not alone in this state of anxious dopiness. I can't tell you how often I walk through the house with a goal in mind and when I get to where I'm going, have completely forgotten why I was going there and what I was going to do. We're talking a time span of MAYBE 30 seconds to a minute. Or on my way home, plan to stop and do an errand and then miraculously find myself at home, the errand completely gone from my brain.
Thanks everyone for your answers! And Dinah, your story about driving away from the fast food place without your food gave me such a good laugh. Thank you!
Mik
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