Are my symptoms anxiety related?? (Dizziness, brain fog, head tightness)

Mental health
1

I am currently 18 years old with my life changing very suddenly and quickly. I finished high school at the end of last year and have decided to defer my uni degree for a year and work full time. Ever since I was a child I have always been a fairly paranoid/anxious person. I always seem to overthink/obsess over things that an average person would brush off. Some examples include with relationships with my friends/girlfriend and my soccer, but particularly my health. My parents are aware of my situation and have offered for me to seek help in regards to the above issues and how to deal with them but I always decline. 

4 weeks ago I finished a game of soccer and had a pretty severe migraine which involved aura and then the onset of the headache. It is safe to say that the next day I was fairly anxious/concerned about this as I have no history of migraines. I woke up the following morning with a feeling of a very heavy head. Some of the symptoms included tightness/brain fog in the occpital region of my brain, fatigue, on and off blurred vision, fuzziness in my head, mild headaches, inability to focus/concentrate. However the main symptom that I had is so bizarre to me as I have not experienced it before and I find it very difficult to describe it. Without sounding crazy, the best way to explain it is an altered/not real sense of reality. I just do not feel like myself and I feel very 'off' in the head. These above symptoms have persisted for 4 weeks and has prevented me from doing any form of exercise, in particular my soccer which I take very seriously and hold very close to me. It has also inhibited my interactions with people in my life and also stopped me from working properly. At this point it has truly intruded and taken over my life as I have no relief from these symptoms. They persist constantly from the moment I wake up until the moment I shut my eyes to sleep at night. 

In the 4 weeks of having these symptoms I have obviously sought medical attention in any attempt to gain relief. I have done the following;

- CT scam which came back unremarkable

- Chiropractor as it was believed I had atlas subluxation due to a head injury I received 3 years ago, but I received no relief after 4-5 sessions.

- Blood gas analysis which was normal

- Blood test which came back normal

- Physio which was not helpful

- ENT Surgeon who could not identify the issue

- Migraine medication

- Allergy medication 

All of the above has not given me any relief/diagnosis to my issue which makes it even more difficult for me to deal with the symptoms as I do not see them going away any time soon. Due to my anxiety issues, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if my symptoms are related to anxiety? I have never had episodes that have lasted this long or given me any of these symptoms, but due to the large amount of change/stress in my life, my persistent anxiety about my health and issues within my relationship with my girlfriend... could this subconsciously be giving me these symptoms? Or is this related more to a physical deformity?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am desperate in seeking help for this. At this point in time I am miserable and it is definitely intruding into my life. 

2

 Yes, all of your symptoms can definitely be from anxiety and stress.  They are very common.

I have had all of those starting in my 20s and all my test came out normal. Then I began to think of the long-term anxiety I had ever since I was young. It’s all built up over the years. Anxiety symptoms are your body‘s way of telling  you that there’s too much stress. It’s like the straw that broke the camels back. Your body can only take so much. After that I focused really hard onrelaxing myself especially my mind.

The more you get anxious about the symptoms the worst they will get.

The symptoms are not the problem. The problem is unmanaged stress and anxiety. I highly suggest you take your parents up on the offer to get some help for this. It’s very difficult to manage alone and it really  helps to vent to somebody who can help. Anxiety  is the number one reason people go speak with a counselor so they see this every day. 

 don’t keep this bottled up. Counselors can give you ideas on how to manage your anxiety, things you had not thought of before. Also check out some great audio meditations on YouTube for anxiety. 

❤️😁

3

It very well can be anxiety related.  Some of it tends to come on with age, especially with major life changes, like leaving high school.  I had a very bad episode of it when I graduated high school, and then again when I was injured on the job and faced a complete career change and going back to college to get a new degree.  Have you tried any breathing exercises, or meditation, or going to therapy?

4

I have not yet tried any form of mental treatment as I have only taken a physical approach to my symptoms. I will try and see a psychologist as soon as possible then. Thanks heaps for your reply. 

5

Appreciate the response. Just in reply to your comment.. Do you think the symptoms are a cause of underlying unmanaged mental issues? Do you think these could date back to issues from several years ago or just things happening in my life right now? 

6

It could definitely be related to any period In your life.   From several years ago to now. Yes, Unmanaged stress, anxiety, depression, etc. can play a role in stress symptoms.   The brain knows when something is not resolved and is still creating an underlying anxiety. Somethings may never get completely resolved, but we can learn how to manage anxiety and it’s symptoms so that they don’t control our life. It’s similar to any other chronic condition that we have to manage Like diabetes or a heart condition.So it’s a good idea to get some support along the way.