Anxiety what is wrong with me

Instead of pushing your feelings away, take the time to sit with them and explore them. And if the thought of doing that feels overwhelming, consider talking to a mental health professional about what you are going through.

From temporary life setbacks to enduring a long physical or mental illness, there are multiple potential reasons why you might feel that something is wrong.

Check the list below and see if any of these resonate with your current life circumstance. Sometimes, the feeling that something is wrong with you might reflect that you simply have a very challenging set of life circumstances.

Or are you struggling to get over a breakup , move on from a job you hate, or free yourself of a toxic relationship? If you have specific ideas of what your life should be like, and you feel as though you are not living the life you want, this could lead you to the thought that something is wrong with you. A number of factors can leave you feeling alone or lonely. Perhaps you have strained relationships with family or anxiety about making new friends.

Usually, feeling that there is something wrong with you because you are lonely means that you struggle to make the social connections that you want in life. This could be obvious trauma, such as losing a loved one, being the victim of violence, or experiencing a tragic life circumstance such as a house fire.

However, trauma can also come about in more insidious ways such as living with a narcissistic abuser. Trauma in all forms can have a significant impact on your mental state; if this is what is happening for you, seeking help from a professional is usually advised. Is your feeling of something being wrong tied to something related to your body?

Whether you have a diagnosed illness and are experiencing new symptoms, or you have symptoms that have yet to be understood or diagnosed, you are probably feeling confused and worried about what is going on with your body. Sometimes the feeling of there being something wrong with you can originate in low self-esteem or low self-worth.

Often, the solution in this situation is to identify the core values underlying your self-esteem problem, which might be rooted in feelings of shame or guilt. One last potential cause of feeling that there is something wrong with you could in fact be a diagnosable mental illness such as depression , an anxiety disorder , or a personality disorder. Just as with a physical illness, the best course of action in these cases is to speak to a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment.

Regardless of the reason for feeling as though there is something wrong with you, there are a number of things that you can do in order to reduce those feelings. Your choice of coping method will depend on the specific cause. Sometimes, the thought that something is wrong with you can come on suddenly and provoke anxiety and negative emotions. In this case, the best first step is to do things that help you to calm down.

Below are some ideas of things that you can put on this list of calm down activities. Next, if your feelings are tied to specific problems in your life, you can make an action plan on what you will do about them. While it might feel easier to get stuck in a negative mindset , taking action on your problems will create more motivation to keep going when things get hard. The actions that you plan to take will depend on your circumstances but could be any of the following:.

Below are some feelings you might be having and some things that you can do about them. You can do this by scheduling a worry period each day, during which you write down everything that is worrying you the most. Then, you can either make a plan of action on how to solve each problem or change the way you are thinking about the problem if you feel as though you are blowing it out of proportion or creating a catastrophe out of nothing.

In order to plan a worry period, select a specific time each day that you will write down all your worries. During the worry period, make sure that you are not just focused on the problems. Make a list of worries, come up with solutions, or change your thinking about the problems.

You should specifically schedule self-care time into your day. Self care refers to anything that keeps you feeling good both physically and mentally. Below are some things you can do to practice good self care during your day. Do you have a traumatic past or are you dealing with a difficult life situation?

Or, do you think you may be struggling with a mental health disorder? In that case, your best course of action will be to seek out the help of a mental health professional. Whether you are dealing with depression, anxiety, a personality disorder, or other issue, there are very helpful forms of treatment including medication and talk therapy that can make a significant difference in your life. Medication can help you to feel better as well as make it easier to practice the skills that you will learn in therapy.

Therapy can help you to dig through your past and also work on how you view your present. Illness anxiety disorder: Epidemiology, clinical presentation, assessment, and diagnosis. Illness anxiety disorder: Treatment and prognosis. Newby JM, et al. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Fallon BA, et al.

A randomized controlled trial of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy for hypochondriasis. American Journal of Psychiatry. Te Poel F, et al. The curious case of cyberchondria: A longitudinal study of the reciprocal relationship between health anxiety and online health information seeking. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. Anxiety disorders.

National Institute of Mental Health. Accessed April 17, Sawchuk CN expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 21, Anxiety sufferers tend to set unrealistically high expectations for themselves. To counteract this tendency, set goals that you can easily accomplish.

This builds your confidence and your sense of accomplishment. When you are learning skills to handle stress and reduce your anxiety, small steps work best. For example, if your goal is to integrate deep breathing into your life, start by practicing for one-minute intervals three or four times a day instead of for an hour all at once.

Setting small, achievable goals will help will take you farther than you can imagine over time. It will help you reach your final destination: a happier, low-anxiety life. And finally, realize that your anxiety and fear will not go away until you stop waiting and start learning. There are many resources available to you to help you overcome your anxiety — books, courses, doctors, counselors, support groups, and more.

You feed your anxiety and feelings of loss of control. The only perfect time to conquer your anxiety is right now…this moment. You do not need to feel symptom-free or confident or energetic, or anything else to begin. All you need to do is take the first step. Deanne Repich is the Director of the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, a teacher and learning expert, and a former anxiety sufferer. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of new posts by email.