Is it normal to feel intense anxiety in these circumstances? [View All]

[Mike03]

Call me a stupid dumbshit, but I always though I would pre-decease my parents. I never thought they might grow old or die.

They are getting older. They are getting more frail. They might actually leave this world. My precious parents might die...

Most people seem to cope with this reality really well, but I am incredibly anxious, emotional, weepy, tearful, sleepless, etc... I can't stand seeing my father suffer with cancer, or my mother being the primary caregiver. It's taking such a huge toll on them.

I know it is selfish to say this, but it's also messing up my mind, even though I know their situation is far worse. I can't sleep, and I worry constantly. My heart is racing, or sometimes feels like it might burst in sorrow. It's hard to breathe sometimes. The reality of seeing that my parents won't last forever, that my father is seriously ill, is breaking me apart in a way I've never been broken apart before. I need to know if it's normal to be this upset. Sometimes I can't stop shaking when I'm with him.