How Anxiety Took Hold of Me and My Journey to Overcome It
It all started gradually and crept up on me without warning. My physical health was in question as I was feeling constantly fatigued, my appetite had vanished, dipping in and out and I wasn’t eating properly. My mind became fixated on my health, I was endlessly Googling symptoms, convinced something serious was wrong with me. I felt an overwhelming urge to rush to A&E just to feel safe, just to be sure.Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, I invite you to follow my journey, a personal account of how I began to understand, face, and recover from anxiety.
The GP Appointment
After a long and stressful wait, I finally secured a rare appointment with my doctor. After waiting ten days for the appointment it felt like a lifetime.When I finally saw the GP, she performed a thorough physical examination, checked my stomach, reviewed my medical history, and asked about my symptoms. Then she said something I wasn’t expecting:
"I don’t believe there’s anything physically wrong. I think what you’re experiencing is anxiety."
The words hit me like a sledgehammer. I felt a strange mix of emotions, relief that it wasn’t something more serious, but also shock and confusion. She referred me to a mental health nurse to explore things further.
The Mental Health Nurse
When the day of the appointment came with the Mental Health Nurse, I was incredibly nervous. I nearly didn’t go. But I showed up and that was my first step toward recovery.During the session, the nurse asked a lot of questions. It became clear that what I was dealing with was a mix of both low mood and anxiety roughly 50/50.
The Mental Health Nurse told me straight she wasn't going to fix me here but to act as a signposter, to get me to the right choices that could support me better, she offered me several options: medication, mobile apps to help manage symptoms, and counselling services. For the first time, I felt like I had a path forward.
The Connection Between Mood and Anxiety
Curious to understand more, I began researching how mood and anxiety are connected. What I found helped me feel less alone and more empowered.How Mood Affects Anxiety
- Low mood / sadness: Can lead to overthinking, hopelessness, and expecting the worst.
- Irritability / anger: Raises internal tension and causes racing thoughts.
- Flat or numb mood: Triggers feelings of guilt, disconnect, or self-blame.
- Fear / dread: Accelerates the anxiety spiral your brain thinks danger is real.
The Mood - Anxiety Cycle
Mood affects anxiety → Anxiety worsens your mood → And the cycle continues.
For example: You feel low → you begin overthinking → anxiety builds → and you feel even worse.
How I Began to Break the Cycle
- Name your mood: Even saying “I feel flat today” gives your brain a frame of reference.
- Track your feelings: A mood journal helped me notice patterns I didn’t see before.
- Move your body gently: A short walk made a surprising difference in how I felt.
- Shift focus: I used small sensory distractions like music or lighting a candle to ground myself.
- Let yourself rest: Sometimes your body just needs permission to pause and reset.
The rollercoaster effect
Battling Anxiety has been like a rollercoaster ride, one minute I am feeling great and the next minute I feel ill and start overthinking there is something majorly wrong with me. My sleep is starting to improve and I am forcing myself to complete the NHS Anxiety Applications.
The Anxiety Applications
The current NHS application I am trying is called Sorted, it is a range of guided talks based on a range of topics, each one addressing a particular issue, you have some control over the background music and person speaking. I feel over time these guided talks will start to make a difference to my mental health, it's not a quick fix but it will help in the long run.Another application I got signed up by the NHS is called Silver Cloud, is based on different sections covering a range of topic from Understanding Anxiety, to Financial Worries and Grief, these sections contain videos, quizzes and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) lessons. Which increase your understanding of Anxiety and how to deal with Anxeity. It has an excellent toolbox which contains a journal, mood monitor and other useful tools to help you get the best out of yourself.