Last night I woke up at 1:30 am and could not get back to sleep for thinking of death and dying. And the feelings of inpending doom. Has any one out there had this problem.EJG

Elaine,
I sufferred for a long time with thoughts of dying....in my thoughts it was either myslef or loved ones and if they werent bad enough I would then obsess over the "afterlife" or whatever happens to us after we go. This went on for so long I was very depressed and felt morbid for having continual thoughts about it. I did not know then about OCD and anxiety as well as I do now, nor did I have the program at that time. Now, even though I still think about these things I distract myself a lot quicker than I could in the past. I have come to learn that it is another topic that I ultimetly have no control over and that is why I fear and obsess over it. Let it go. We are all going to die, but right now we are alive. Live your life as happily as you can. If we let these thoughts control us or consume us, we will not be happy. I read somehting somewere once that struck a chord inside of me.....making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Same with just being alive is not the same thing as living. We are robbing ourselves with these thoguths. They are just thoughts about things we cannot change. Put that effort into nicer thoguhts. I try to change gears and think of the days when my girls were born, or my wedding day, or a day spent laughing with friends. I wish you luck! Hang in there, you will get over this, these thoughts tend to leave on their own if you dont give them teh power to stay!!

I've lost track of how many nights where I was scared I was going to die that night. And even though I know it's anxiety it scares me every time.

I've read some really good spiritual books so I am not afraid of dying [even though I don't want to any time soon!]. I take a low dose of generic xanax as needed for sleeping and I do well. I 'self talk' and tell myself to stop it, and tell myself how fortunate I am for all I have. This usually works cause I mean it. I hope these thoughts go away for you.

joyce45, can you please recomend some of those good spirtual books which might help with dealing with the fear of death? I just recently went through an unexpected death of someone close to me and it has made my anxiety and scary thoughts of death and afterlife very high. I do belive in God, but the whole thought of death and life beyond frightens me.
Elaine, you are not alone in your thoughts, I think even people who don't suffer from anxiety have fears of death and what comes next. People like us just are more senstive to this fear.

Hi scaredbuthopeful, I would suggest 'Life after Life', a book by Raymond Moody; and there is also a book by Danion Brinkley called 'Saved By The Light' which is good also. Raymond Moody is a well known author in this field. They are both in paperback. Also,there is an organization in Upland, California called 'Astara'which is not a religion, but encompasses all religions; they have a lot of information and is a bit more advanced than the Moody book, but you may want to consider all these sources. May you all feel better soon and know there is a better place for all of us. Best wishes.
Joyce45

everytime i have a bad attack i fear dying or going crazy. i understand where you're coming from.

hello everyone . Keri I just want you to know that I am right along with you I know it's anxiety I just can't control it. It is 430 A.M. and I can't sleep because I have a stuffiness in the back of my head, my ears feel like they are somewhat clogged, and my hands ache like I have a loss of circulation in them. ANXIETY ATTACK . Right now I think I might have something like a brain tumor or something and I don't want to go to sleep because I am afraid I'll die. Trust me I know exactly how you feel. If anyone else has these symptoms please let me know.

HELLO, 1st time I am posting a reply, (not sure if I'm doing this right, but here it goes)I have had the same symptoms many times.... I found that the stiffness in my neck was due to extreme tension... it helps to put a warm cloth on your neck...then do some slow circular motions with your neck... since the neck and arms are connected the stress from your neck might be causing your hands to ache...try putting your hands under some warm running water for a few minutes....also open and close your hands a few times to stretch the tense muscles... doing these little exercises helped with the stuffiness too.
good luck... let me know how it works...

Elaine, not sure if you're still checking the board for responses or not since that was back in Oct. but just want you to know that you absolutely are not alone. Nightime is a very fearful time for people that battle panic. I am up at midnight, have to go to work in the morning and for the first time in years of my struggle with panic actually went to the ER today. I am emotionally and physically spent. My Dr. has started me on stomach meds for reflux and an antibiotic for a "possible" respiratory infection. Why am I up at midnight?? Obsessing, yes obsessing over the possibility of my throat closing up because of my antibiotic. It doesn't even have to be a med, it can be any food I am eating or something that I've breathed in while cleaning my house. It is so very very tiring. <sigh> sounds depressing, right? Let me tell you this, as long as I have had panic, never has there been a time when I've wanted to stop fighting it. I live for the day that I might be "normal" again. Although, I have to tell you that I think we are far more normal than we give ourselves credit for. I am certain that you are on the right track simply due to the fact that you made it to this website and are going through the program. Hang in there, never give up, it will absolutely get better. You are gaining the tools to empower yourself. This too shall pass.....if there is one thing in life I've learned is that NOTHING in life stays the same. Take good care of yourself and keep fighting!

Hi Elaine,

I too don't know if you are still checking this post, but I want to say that thoughts of death, afterlife, and impending doom are common among people with anxiety. In fact, I am visiting the forum today after being recovered for 7 months because I am having a "growth spurt" manifesting in the form of thoughts about death and how impermanent everything is--in fact, I logged on this morning just to see if others were feeling this way and your post was the first thing I noticed. I like what someone said above--we obsess about death because it is something we can't control. That seems so true and I can only hope that those of us who think about death obsessively will relinquish the need to have control and focus on what it is we actually have, which is a life to be lived and enjoyed. I wish you peaceful thoughts and recommend a hot bath if you can't sleep coupled with the permission to feel frustrated, sad, or fearful. I've found that once I give myself permission, the fear and panic starts to fade...

I to have the thoughts of death and dying.
I have 3 kids i worry about the most and what would happen to them and who would give them the motherly advice that i would give them. Iam currently taking nexium for gastritis and a hiatal hurnia that I just found out I have yesterday. I was doing pretty good good up until yesterday when I got the results of the scope now I am back to square 1 . I am doing nothing but worrying about other health problems now. For some odd reason I have this problem with thinking that I should not be going through all this and it all happend to me I one year and the thing about it is that I know we will all run into some type of problems through out life but for some reason it seems to all be happening to me all at once.

bechawkins,
I thought I was the only one who gets the stuffy head, stuffy ear feelings, I had never heard anyone else mention it before! I can be having a good day and maybe I've been sitting for awhile and when I get up it sounds like an ocean in my ears........that alone can put me in a panic.

suzyq46 hello. My symptoms seem to stay for quite awhile. I often get dizzy when I am standing I feel like I could fall over which scares me and causes me to have an attack. Also I was lying in bed one night and all of a sudden I felt like the room was spinning I have no idea why it just happened. Have you had any of those feelings?