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[Bella247]

Does anyone else feel like Christmas makes them feel mentally unwell?

As soon as I stopped work I became really sick with a covid like illness. Normally when I’m off work I would rush about and distract myself from worrying but I cannot do that because I’m utterly exhausted. Even showering is an effort.

A few years ago I had a dental issue at Christmas. I went to an emergency dentist and it triggered an awful problem with my jaw which meant I couldn’t eat solid food for 6 months and suffered pain for years after. Now I seem to have another issue which I stupidly googled and am now convinced I have to have root canal which is freaking me out. I know this sounds ridiculous but I feel like I’m losing my mind.  I know I shouldn’t have googled but I did. I have a dentist appointment in the new year and I’m absolutely petrified about what she will say.

I never used to be like this until perimenopause. Now things get so out of perspective. I feel like I’m just existing and I don’t know what to do about it l

[Penguin]

Yep. I have health anxiety generally but it pretty much always spirals at Christmas. Every day since Christmas Eve I have lost literally hours worried about one thing after another - am just coming out of it today and feel exhausted. No advice, except to say we've decided to go abroad next Christmas and have it as a summer holiday instead with minimal celebrations to try and avoid the build up of expectations and subsequent crash. I loved my Christmas Day spent with family but aside from that it has been awful from an anxiety perspective, I don't do downtime well anymore and get overwhelmed so easily 🤷‍♂️
Why are you worried about a root canal  is it the pain of the procedure or the fact that you have to have one? Maybe I can help with advice on that....

[Jules]

I get anxious about health. One thing I've stopped and it's massively helped, is to stop googling any health matters. It doesn't help.
Christmas is a hard time. We're hammered with it for 3 months and it's bound to crank up the anxiety levels and then it's an anti climax. Its just another day in the end, groundhog day from the years before.  I didn't even decorate this year, I just went with the flow and got on with my usual stuff, toned down the spending and did restful things

[Bella247]

@penguin I’m so afraid of anything health related and it gets so heightened at Christmas. The fear of the dentist was triggered by a bad experience one Christmas where I went to an awful dentist because everywhere else was closed and he pulled a muscle in my face extracting a wisdom tooth. It triggered TMJ issues and I was in pain for years after.

I know I should not have googled it but now I’m petrified I will have to have root canal and the same thing will happen. I realise that sounds pretty ridiculous.

Logically I know I’m catastrophising. Every single time I’m off work I find an issue or other with my body where I will convince myself I’ve got cancer or thrombosis. I don’t even like my job but the minute I’m off and left with my own thoughts I spiral out of control.

I’m finding the menopause so difficult to cope with. With hindsight this health anxiety started with the last perimenopause.

I hate being this age. I feel so lost and not like myself at all. My only child will be going to uni in September and I just feel so pointless. Things that are generally quite trivial seem so frightening and I don’t know where to seek help.

[Bella247]

@jules thank you I know you’re right. I just don’t know what I was thinking of. I feel like i’m my own worst enemy. I feel like the run up to it is so stressful and then you’re just there with nothing to do but ruminate. I’ve been feeling so depressed I’ve pretty much isolated myself from everyone. If I didn’t feel so fluey I would go out and distract myself

[SarahT]

Bella, although Mind by have health anxiety, perimenopause made general anxiety to through the door for me. Please, try not to beat yourself up about this - you do not choose to feel this way, it is a symptom, not a ' fault'. Many ladies have HA and can help support you with this.

As for Christmas, pared it down, less food ( I have eating issues) and just stayed on our own, the two of us. I do love my tree etc but after talking with some friends, many of them would also prefer to opt out of all the madness and simplify things. X

[ElkWarning]

Does your area have a dentist for the phobic?  Might be worth checking and then asking your GP for a referral.

[Jules]

I think a bad experience can trigger or worsen health anxiety. I'm sure mine is because I have an over anxious mother, so she took me to the doctors for everything. Then this year I had a diagnosis that was dealt with at the hospital in a bad way. I also think l8fe changes that upset your kilter can trigger it. I'm sure you're fit and well, you've nothing to worry about, its just another day, you can tell a dentist at any time to stop and when your chil goes off to uni, you'll get used to it, stop worrying and have new freedom.  Don't Google.

[Penguin]

I think a bad experience can trigger or worsen health anxiety. I'm sure mine is because I have an over anxious mother, so she took me to the doctors for everything. Then this year I had a diagnosis that was dealt with at the hospital in a bad way. I also think l8fe changes that upset your kilter can trigger it. I'm sure you're fit and well, you've nothing to worry about, its just another day, you can tell a dentist at any time to stop and when your chil goes off to uni, you'll get used to it, stop worrying and have new freedom.  Don't Google.

Jules, absolutely the same here re my mother too! The slightest sore throat and I was kept off school, it was ridiculous. This totally impacts mental health growing up and I know is the root cause of my health anxiety too. I'm the opposite with my kids x

[Jules]

I think a bad experience can trigger or worsen health anxiety. I'm sure mine is because I have an over anxious mother, so she took me to the doctors for everything. Then this year I had a diagnosis that was dealt with at the hospital in a bad way. I also think l8fe changes that upset your kilter can trigger it. I'm sure you're fit and well, you've nothing to worry about, its just another day, you can tell a dentist at any time to stop and when your chil goes off to uni, you'll get used to it, stop worrying and have new freedom.  Don't Google.

Jules, absolutely the same here re my mother too! The slightest sore throat and I was kept off school, it was ridiculous. This totally impacts mental health growing up and I know is the root cause of my health anxiety too. I'm the opposite with my kids x

It's a cycle. My grandad was bipolar and got his attention through health things. Would threaten suicide. So she was raised with that.  My mum is still the same with her own health and ours. But I also had bad health experiences as a child especially a hospitalisation in the 60s. It was near on child abuse by todays standards. So I do tend to always think the worst case scenario and of course as we get older, we know there's more liklihood.  Worry and stress are so harmful for health though. My dad never worried and he lived till he was 94

[Dawn3129]

I'm exactly the same. Over anxious, easily dragged into panic and intrusive thoughts that consume my life. On hrt and duloxetine but not sure the duloxetine is helping at all.

[CLKD]

Bella247 - any improvement?

I believe that as we age and our support group disperses for as many reasons as there are stars in the sky, anxiety can increase.  When in school I had anxiety but being with friends kept it under control most days. A good moan can really help me!

My Dad had manic depression with many mood swings and attitudes which is why I HATE the expression bi-polar.  Dad was anything but 'bi' ........ as well as people with mental health issues may become 'controlling' in order to feel more relaxed themselves.  I have to know what time everything is happening etc.. 

There is a lot of 'flu about, we should all have Covid testing kits which alleviates some anxiety when we find out it's 'what ever is doing the rounds' : currently 'flu and two cold viruses, not Covid.  There's no reason not to go back to wearing masks, I was out and about last week and a lot of people have returned to using them when in crowded places.

We shut the door these days, the last 3 C.mas/New Year have been enjoyable after travelling miles every year!  [40+ years].

[Charleyfarley]

Sounds very familiar….health anxiety is the most prominent thing in my life & my thoughts are mainly around dying of cancer….ramped up ten fold when I hit peri…shouldn’t joke but todays symptom is sudden lock jaw 😂🤦‍♀️ I’ve googled it and of course convinced myself that I’m now going to get a diagnosis of Tetanus and it will be fatal….honestly please don’t feel alone, the more I talk to people and open up I feel so much comfort in the amount of other ladies going through the same xxx

[CLKD]

Somewhere we have a thread 'what I have diagnosed today' or similar 

Lockjaw - was a problem years ago B4 tetanus jabs were avialble, usually caught when digging ..... wounds met contaminated earth so treatment was advised.  The other 1 is when a thorn from the sloe bush enters a joint, which swells and the thorn needs removing.  Along with ABs.  But for most of us, both are unlikely.

[Charleyfarley]

Ooooh sounds like my kinda thread 😂👌

Welllllll you say unlikely but you’d be surprised what I can convince myself of when I’m self diagnosing 😂🫣xxx