Do You Feel Like You're Suffocating at Times?

[Perdido]

I have PTSD. During the past month and a half, I've gone through a period of darkness: sadness, lack of motivation, despair and anxiety.

The anxiety has had a relentless grip on my every day during this period. And it just struck me today that it actually makes me feel as if I'm suffocating.

It seems less of a physical symptom, but rather, a general sense of the world closing in on me, of anxiety running through my veins and tight knots in my stomach.

Do you feel like you're suffocating on occasion (or often, for that matter)?

thx,
Perdido

 

[blackdove]

Hi Perdido,

That sound terrible and frightening and familiar. From my experience, which is quite limited, I would say that the suffocating is maybe related to agoraphobic symptoms. When my anxiety is at its worst, I'll leave the house and "impending" and "enclosing" feelings feel like they are hovering over me. It's asthough if I make even one mistake for a split second, I might never be able to leave the house again.

For hope, I would say fight it everday and don't stop fighting it. If I don't actively fight within and outside myself to preserve the few freedoms I have left, then they just get taken away by anxiety while I'm not paying attention.

Hope this is clearer than mud.

 

[Perdido]

Thx blackdove. It's a constant weight of sorts that bears me down. It's as if the stress also manifests itself in the back of my throat.

I can't shake it and it's about to drive me bonkers. And it makes me not want to avoid socializing even more than typically.

Agoraphobia - I'll check it out, thx.