Starting in college, I would go from one worry to another--sometimes at a rate of a different worry every week or month. There was one long stretch where I was terrified my heart was going to suddenly stop, another when I was terrified I had cancer, another when I was terrified I'd fail all my classes, another where I was terrified I'd be wrongly accused of something I didn't do, another where I was terrified that a family member would die, etc., etc. The torture goes on and on and on, and even though I feel like now I should know that NONE of these worries ever actually happen, when I am in the middle of one of these fears I am immobilized by anxiety and my mind can only go over my fears over and over and over and over again, in a constant, maddening spiral.

Anyone else feel this way?

Its been some time since I experienced that feeling in a severe way, last time was in uni also, but I get what your saying. Its a pain to deal with.

i used to go through this, but i'm a lot better now.
i had constant fears of doing things wrong, which would lead to some of those things you mentioned, worrying about being falsely accused, that i'd have some health problem and it would be my fault for not getting something minor taken care of right away, stuff like that.
mostly things that i "should" have been able to prevent. do you see any common thread in the things you worry about?

I see exactly that common thread! In addition, there is the thread of losing something that is dear to me: My health, something I worked hard for like a school acceptance, a family member, stuff like that.

I've been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, but before my GAD acted up I was really a happy person all the time. I think my GAD is making me feel a bit depressed lately, mostly because it is so hard to go through life always fearing that something bad will happen, and it kind of annoys me.

On the outside, I look like someone who has everything--or so I'm told. The image I project outward is one of perfection/awesomeness/being happy. But on the inside I am and have been torn up, and it sucks that no one really knows that except for very close friends and family (and even they don't really understand why...I guess I don't either).

You said that you used to go through this, but no longer do. Any tips on what you did to get through it? I've been having this problem for the past 4 years.

i think what helped me was trying to let go of having to do everything "right". i tried looking at how others were doing things, and it helped me realize that people are imperfect, we all make many mistakes, and that's part of being human. i had also been around a lot of very critical people, and it helped me to get away from them.
i think it also helped me to start thinking that in my life, i answer to me, i don't have to jump through hoops to prove myself to anyone else.
as for the worries about my health, i just kind of learned to accept things. if we can do something to help ourselves be healthy, great, but some things can just happen that we don't have control over.
it took a while, but it did get better. i think in general i just learned how to be more accepting of others and myself, warts and all.
i hope some of that will be helpful

Definitely helpful, thanks Blue Girl.

you're welcome, hope you feel better soon :)

Hey... I relate to your problem on so many levels, you should know that you are not alone.. I actually decided to go through my old journal to find examples..

In August of last year around this time I remember being anxious about a group of guys who I did not know beating me up. I did not have any interaction whatsoever with them that whole time, they were just staying at the same resort I was staying at. I had this vision that they would invite me to play in the woods with them and I would have to accept, but then they would beat me up or worse.

Nearing the end of August of that year meant starting college. Around this time I was also extremely anxious that I may die. I believe what I saw most in my visions was that I would die in a car accident. It took over my thoughts, made me feel horrible, because I had worked so hard to get through high school and I was finally graduating to the next step, my parents were so proud of me, but I was anxious because I realized there was a possibility, even if there was no reason to believe it, that I might die in a car accident before I even get there.

After I started at college and obviously didn't die or anything, I passed by my very old friend from elementary school, who I had not spoken to in years. He looked more intimidating than ever, like a tough guy or something. He said that we should hang out soon. I was consumed by fear that his invitation was actually a plan to hurt me or beat me up or something with his friends who were also probably really tough looking. I kept making excuses not to hang out with him because I was scared of him for no reason other than that he had grown a lot, and eventually he gave up.

For a time, on and off, I have seen the number 187 a lot and every time I have seen it, or if there is a stretch of time where I see it multiple times frequently, then I would be paranoid about getting murdered because 187 is the number of murder or something like that, and it was like a sign.

In October I went through a phase where I was nervous that I may have pissed somebody off somehow (not sure why) and they would plant alcohol or drugs in my dorm room to get me suspended or expelled from school. I would check my room daily for contraband for some time even though I didn't actually piss off anyone.

Numerous other phases happened throughout the year... some about dying, some about being expelled from my school... I remember for about a month I was very upset because I thought I had diabetes because my eating habits were out of whack for quite a while (most of the school year, actually.)

Right now my thoughts are dedicated to being anxious about being arrested and put in prison even though I know I'm not a criminal or anything like that. Long story..

Point is... I think I know exactly what you mean... and thank you for making this thread and showing me that I might not be totally alone either

Thanks!

This describes my behavior for roughly the past seven weeks.
First I thought I had chemical contamination in my throat, and might asphyxiate in my sleep any night. Then I worried I had arthritis in my right hip. Then I thought I had VOC poisoning in my central nervous system. Then I had a very real injury to my right arm. First I worried it was bursitis. Then I worried it was a partial rotator cuff tear. A doctor told me I had none of those things, but might have a minor case of tendinitis. Every other day since then, I've worried I've re-injured that tendon and will wake up with it swollen in pain the next morning like it was at first day. When I don't worry about that, I worry my other arm will get a repetitive stress injury from doing all the heavy work. When I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about whether this injury will give me an arthritic shoulder in the next decade and cripple my painting hobby. When my arm has fully healed, I don't know what I'll worry about next – maybe my dental hygiene, or I'll get mysophobia.

It sounds like you and I each have some degree of hypochondria. It really does feel like some kind of torture.