Please can someone tell me whats happening to me!?

[Spur]

Guys,

I'm sorry for the blatantly obvious cry for help, but i'm not sure where else i can go - i found this site searching for answers and i really hope someone can point me in the right direction.

About a year ago, i suddenly realised that i was sweating more and more from my forehead. Everytime it happened i couldn't ignore it, the more i thought about it, the more it happened - and i was absolutely sure that EVERYONE was looking at me!

Now, everytime it gets hot, or i'm going out, or even the thought of a social function and i start worrying about whats going to happen!

The problem is, this has never happened before - i see myself as a confident person, my job entails a lot of interaction with colleagues and clients, meetings etc and i never seem to have a problem - but the simplest things like going into a shop to buy something or sitting in a restaurant for a meal, and i just can't seem to do them without worrying if i'm being looked at, or if people are noticing how hot i'm getting!

Basically its driving me insane, to the point where i can't go out unless i've had a few drinks - surely not the solution!!

Guys, whats happened to me, do i have some kind of Social Phobia Syndrome? Do i have Hyperhydrosis? How has this just suddenly happened to me? My confidence and self esteem is at an all-time low!!

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

 

[maggie]

hey Spur..welcome :!: You don't have to apologize for asking for advice or help..that's what we're here for :wink: Sorry that i don't know much about hyperhydrosis, i don't suffer from that, but many on this site do..and what you're describing sounds similar to some posts i've read on that topic. What i do know about though, is the anxiety you describe before going out..to work, or socially, cause i get the very same way. I give you tons of credit for being in a career at all that involves such interaction with clients and co-workers..good for you!! That's half the battle i think, cause what holds many of us back (including me) is the fear of going to school, furthering education, and applying for and getting a decent job. Perhaps reading through some posts will help you to decide what you feel is right for you to do..good luck

 

[JamesMorgan]

Spur

Hi. You do not have a social phobia.

You should visit your doctor for advice.

When the body malfunctions or unexpectedly or continues to do something we don't understand we freak out. The sweating could be for a number of reasons such as hormones, diet, chemical imbalances due to not getting enough rest so it compensates by pumping the body with excess chemicals.

I'm not an ordinary doctor but i consider myself a doctor of anxiety - its not rare for this to happen to people. If you would like advice on how to deal with anxiety, you have found the right place, but to me, your mind will exaggerate this out of proportion to make you believe you cannot go out because of what your body is doing, how your body looks. Your sense of who you are will become distorted because anxiety is a state of mind which is completely deceptive.

You are more than just a fleshy body or sweaty forehead so there's no need to beat yourself up. People see worse than sweaty foreheads, and no one much bothers. Do not kid yourself into believing this is so important, it will feel like that, magnified, but you have more important things in your life than worrying about a sweaty forehead. Of course you should take action and this is obviously causing you distress but you need now to realise that it's not so bad, it will be if you keep believing that what other people think about a sweaty forehead matters so much.

Once you visit the doctor and get some advice then you can asses how to deal with it. But till then, relax a bit. If you find yourself worrying, tell yourself it's completely inappropriate and pointless, then ignore the anxiety.

James

 

[rubius]

I suffer from the same thing in addition to other problems. There is no easy answers for how to treat this but I can tell you that booze is the last thing you want to do. It only helps because it dehydrates you and calms you down. See a doctor and get a referral to a psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety and phobias. They can help with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and medication which is safer than self medicating with drinking.

I find the more I sweat the more I fear they are looking and the more I fear they are looking the more I sweat and it just gets out of control. The important thing that I do is remember to breathe. DEEP BREATHS. That is a huge help for me and try to calm your mind down if possible. Breathing helps regulate your body temp which will slow down the sweating. Wear cooler clothes, that helps a little too. I hope this helps.

 

[Spur]

Thanks you all.

Guys - sorry for the late response, i've been looking around other sites trying to find answers, but seem to be going around in circles.

Firstly, i just want to say a big BIG thankyou to you all. Your comments really did help.
James - you seem to know what you are talking about and i really have tried to incorporate some of your comments into my own thinking, but i have to admit its still hard to completely stop thinking about whats happening.
Although you've mentioned that i don't have Social Phobia, i'm beginning to believe that if i do have some form of Hyperhydrosis, this is in turn causing me to have some form of Social Anxiety - its becoming a vicious circle.

The strange thing is, i can't seem to work out what the triggers are to this problem. I mean, right now i am in my office and completely fine, later today i have a meeting and again i know i will be fine, but yet i dread the fact that tonight i have meal arranged with some friends and know that it could well be a problem.

I agree with you guys that this is truely psychological (i'm also looking into my diet to see if there are any imbalances) - so i'm not going down the surgical or medication route because i know i can solve this if its just in my head.

Guys - if you have any further advice, tips, or even questions, please post.

I'm really greatful for your comments and i'm glad i've found this site.

Thanks all.

 

[JamesMorgan]

Spur

A thing to think about is that medication can help even if it's just in our head. We can get so entrenched in a certain way of thinking that our body reacts in an unusual way. Medication can help give us the space to learn to reprogram our thinking and reveals to us the subtle relationship between our body and mind.

Anxiety is a global nightmare. Anxiety in some cases can even make us believe we have cancer or a brain tumour because of the effect our mental state has on our body. We may very well have a physical illness, but this then is worsened by anxiety. Anxiety is so deceptive.

I feel therefore we must clearly distinguish what is actually a physical illness from what has been induced by our mental state. Almost seperate the two. And likewise be able to observe at a distance our body and our mind and see where the problem actually lies. So we do not get confused between the two.

For example:

"my body is sweating, my forehead is sweating, my mind is not my body but perceives it and is aware of it, so i can calmly observe my body whilst remaining detached."

You can only be aware of your body through the power of your mind.

Anxiety arises in the mind. Its a mental state, its not you. Although you may be aware of anxiety and the sweating from your body, you can mentally distance yourself from both. Yes it's difficult to put this into practice but you should try to remember that the anxiety in your mind will want to make a big deal out of this. It will tell you you have a social phobia, it will also tell you people are looking at you and that you should be afraid. Really deceptive state of mind which only functions to poison your entire life experience.

If you go to the doctors, have tests or whatever and find there is nothing wrong physically then you will have realised that social anxiety has been forefront in your mind and has caused bodily sweating.

If it is physically or mentally induced you will still need to accept and transform this experience to the best of your ability, so either way be patient with yourself.

James