Thank you all for taking the time to answer. The dizziness and the tingling in my ear (always my right ear - isn't that funny) does seem to happen at the same time each day at work. It also definitely happens during stressful times (receiving bad news makes me dizzy, visits from certain relatives....). My doctor seems to have ruled out most medical answers and I cannot tell you how relieved I was to see dizziness under the listing of panic symptoms. It was really comforting to finally have an explanation behind how I was feeling. It just happened when I went downstairs again (at work to refill my water bottle) and I decided to just let myself be dizzy - and sure enough, it went away after a minute or so. Infinitely nicer than a panic attack but I still am hopeful that there might be complete days without dizziness! For now I cherish the moments when I feel at peace.
Same here Hugs. I do have high bp so if I'm extra tired, take breaks and have something to drink too. I get some tingling feelings, jaw and lips, tongue, usually when I am stressed over something and especially over tired and stressed.
I've been dizzy during prolonged stress, or when I've change from a reclining position to a sitting position. As I've aged, I been told the later is a blood pressure change which causes the dizziness. Both of my examples are understandable, and seeing a physician is wise to rule out underlying issues.
Well all I can say is that it works for me. For me it was part distraction, part relaxation and part CBT. Different thoughts. I'm a thinker so I'm sure I subconsciously analyse too much too. I would like you to know though that it very seldom happens anymore and when it does I just do like you and let it happen. An interesting thing is that with the reoccurrence of the Staph infection I have so much pain that I have a distraction, I don't have to look for one. But I know in times past distractions did work well. At one time though it became a condition and that was not good. I would have to do some work before doing something I didn't want to do. I found later that just telling myself I was okay worked also. I'm just so happy that I can function without the panic that I'm not letting anything bother me. Anything. I mean even the pain. It will go. It always does. And as you all know I now have a very good distraction in my life. I will only get better.
Thank you both! As background, in July I was experiencing extreme dizziness and confusion one day and ended up in the emergency room. At the time, I was diagnosed with dehydration and they filled me back up with electrolytes. However, a few days later, the dizziness returned and it lingered throughout the month. After a lot of testing and talking, we determined that my dizziness was a symptom of anxiety. My therapist believes that I am likely afraid of getting dehydrated again - and it's true - even on these cool/freezing days where I live, I still run with my water bottle!
Your answers were helpful. Davit, I think the best advice for me is to just let the symptoms happen. I think that once my anxiety has escalated to the point where I am dizzy, I need to just sit down and to be dizzy, instead of fighting it so much. That really works for me - I just have to remember that when the situation arises. And before getting into these situations, I practice a lot of CBT - I do progressive muscle relaxation in the evenings and I breathe diaphragmatically whenever I remember to do so! You are sweet to respond. Thank you! Davit, I know that every day is a weekend for you - but Happy Friday to both of you!
All I can say is that it did happen at the height of my anxiety and I believe it to be related to fight or flight as in "stop stay still and don't move and the danger will pass" But it didn't it actually did bloom into panic. All I found that worked was accepting it happened and there was no danger there and taking a deep breath and sitting if I could. Later on when I got used to the fact that it happened (usually when I was moving too fast) I could just slow down and think about something else and it would pass. I'm not sure if you know much about fight or flight but it has to have a reason to stop or it will stay on guard so fighting the sensation keeps it open and accepting it lets it fade. For me as I progressed I could say "s...t, your here again" and it would go. One time in a store there was a combination of triggers, crowd, hot etc. When the room started to spin I stopped talking, looked at the floor like I was thinking and just said to myself "what is the matter, there is no reason for this, I've done this before" And it passed like that. I doubt the guy I was talking to even noticed. If I had of said "I have to get out of here" like I used to do I would have gone into full blown panic like I used to do.
I think we are related to rabbits, we want to run rather than fight.
For me breathing and relaxing is an adjunct to telling myself there is nothing wrong I have just accidently got something negative mixed in with the positive.
The tingling in my ears at its worst was almost like I was deaf. I also got tunnel vision with blurring on either side and weak knees. During fight or flight a lot of things shut down in preparation for you to run which would be okay if there was actually a reason for it.
Dizziness can be a common symptom of anxiety but if you are concerned about the symptom it is best to talk to your doctor.
Generally the entire CBT program can be helpful with managing the symptom. Focusing on what is triggering the anxiety and not the symptom itself might be helpful. You may want to read through the session on simulating panic as well; taking the fear away from the symptom could be helpful as well.
Members, what has helped you with managing anxiety symptoms? What are your experiences with dizziness?
I was curious to know if any of you currently feel dizzy or even tingling sensations in your ears, maybe? Those are symptoms that mydoctor and my therapist believe that I experience when I am anxious. My question is - once I notice that I am feeling dizzy - what CBT is best to use at that point? The one time that I tried breathing and relaxing after feeling dizzy, it bloomed it to a pretty bad attack. So I want to try to do the right thing at the right time. Sometimes, I try to stop and listen to my thoughts. It's so funny - when I take a moment to try to analyze my situation - the anxiety will often diminish. But just now I found myself at work, happy and with my coworkers, and feeling too dizzy to take the stairs. When I sat down to type this post, my ears were tingling. Any ideas?
e
