Hello, I am a 22 year old male. Recently after a tough time in life, I was diagnosed with GAD. Been getting headaches for a few weeks already, went to get a CT scan done and a full physical examination with the results being negative for anything serious. I am aware that anxiety can cause headaches, but is it normal to feel them even on days that you don't feel anxious? And is it normal to get them so often daily? Recently these headaches has been causing me even more anxiety, because I am pretty worried that what if the Doctor missed something, or what if the tumours somehow grew after I had the CT etc and other thoughts like these.

The headaches themselves are not terrible, definitely not ass bad as what I make them out to be, but they have been causing me a huge inconvenience in my daily life with how annoying and frequent they are. Cannot really think or do much except worry if it is something serious. Been adjusting my whole schedule and activity based on how bad the headaches could possibly get. Tried to exercise and lead a healthier life, but the discomfort still doesn't seem to go away. Been also feeling pretty down because my appointment with the psychologist won't be until a month later, and any further tests like MRI would need to be ordered, take more time to find an appoint and would cost a lot of money too.

Im sorry if my structure is all over the place, but its been so frustrating. I know deep inside that I could probably undergo every single test under the sun, and nothing would come up, but I cannot seem to convince myself that everything is okay and fine with me. It is like the headaches are demanding to be felt.

Anyone has any experience with this? Thank you very much.

Hi artiste9909,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for reaching out. I hear you -as I'm writing this reply I've got one too.

To answer your question, - yep - because we don't always notice that we are anxious and often anxiety doesn't show in the way we expect. Sometimes when we think of anxiety we picture things like a racing chest or being filled with worry, but we can still be in an anxious state without things being so intense.

I can definitely elaborate more or share more on this if you'd like - even if it can't quite 'sink in', sometimes it can be a little reassuring to know that it's not abnormal what you're feeling.

I'm glad that you've booked in with a psychologist, even though waiting can be a pain- there are lots of handouts and things on health anxiety on the internet if you're interested. If you're not familiar with the term, it's just the type of anxiety surrounding your health - often the fear that things are very wrong even if there's no evidence there.

I highly recommend you have a trawl through the threads in the anxiety section or even searching health anxiety up top - there's so so many people in the same boat as you right now, so you're not alone in this.

rt

I get very frequent headaches which has become worse lately. GP check showed no significant physical issues but my blood pressure has risen (it is normally low) which the GP is due to stress & increased chance of headaches. I also have a lot of tension in my shoulder & neck which cause headaches. Recent treatment by a physio really helped.

There are exercises which help posture & improve the muscles in neck & shoulder which help. Also relaxation techniques can help reduce the tension which will help the headaches.

Hopefully once you get the anxiety under control the headaches will improve.

Hi artiste9909.

headaches were an everyday occurrence for me for quite a while...i say were, because they happen far less frequently now.
With every panic attack i had, i would have a terrible headache for a couple of hours afterwards.

what helped was meditation (not the stereotypical yoga mat legs crossed going ohmmm - more like practicing mindfulness, breathing exercises, and rest)

Not_Batman

Hi artiste9909,

It's great to hear back from you!

Well my headaches vary- sometimes they seem to be a dull ache and other times it feels like someone is squeezing it. I have medical issues on the side so I get to deal with both medical and anxiety issues which is a nice little combo.

A big part of coping with my headaches is reassuring myself that there isn't anything to be worried about. My health is fine. My headaches can be awful and the way I feel can be awful but my health is still fine. Often with headaches, worries about our health is like adding fuel to the fire, so just trying to be mindful is so important.

I've started to track my headaches lately. Sometimes this helps, sometimes it doesn't (because it makes you think about it more), but my aim in tracking them is seeing where my triggers lie. What have I been up to that day? What's my mood like? Where am I? Who am I with? Even though it can seem a little random it does help me find little patterns.

I'll leave it there for now - I too like mindfulness and breathing exercises, especially for the pain.

Here's a link and a few self-help resources on managing health anxiety. Hopefully you'll find this helpful https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Health-Anxiety

rt

Hello and welcome!

Have you tried to get a second opinion? Your anxiety about what you are dealing with wouldn't go away unless you find answers. In the meantime, try pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Drink 8 glasses of water. Sometimes, it could also be from lack of water or sleep.