Hello

[Gricelda92]

Hello everyone! My name is Gricelda and I have been struggling with anxiety. I have loved ones around me but I feel as if they just don't understand. When I get my anxiety I'm overwhelmed with fear. Fear of death, of the unknown. I know I'm not alone but it sure feels like it. Anyone with advice, I would truly appreciate it!

[Ddorne]

You are never alone. How old are you? Is the anxiety recent? Are you on meds and therapy? I am 60 and I have had anxiety off and on for years. Yet there are times I am much better. Ask your family to go to a therapist with you. I am on Medicaid because I make little money. There is always a therapist you can afford. It is so scary,but facing it helps a lot.Take care. God bless you.

[Gricelda92 in reply to Ddorne]

I am 24, my anxiety is very recent. I have a dr apt today. I am not on meds and I really don't want meds, I would like to be able to overcome this without meds but not sure if it's even possible.

[BonnieSue]

Anxiety is a liar. It will tell you you are alone which is a lie. You can't believe anxiety ever. You must know better than to believe what it tells you. If you know God, you will know that you are never alone. If you don't know him, you might feel alone, but you aren't. There is a difference. One is head knowledge and one is what you can actually feel. I actually feel God's presence because we have a relationship. But I'm not writing to sell you on this point. I just mention it in case it applies to you.

Think about what you know is true about your life when you aren't anxious. Think about this truth when you get anxious because THIS is the real truth, not what anxiety tells you is the truth. Anything you happen to feel and think while very anxious isn't very accurate, is it? No, it isn't, so ignore it. And naturally, no one who hasn't experienced it can really understand it. That's what this site is for. We who have experienced anxiety problems will know what it feels like and it's not fair to expect anyone else to understand. How can they? So come here when you want understanding and we'll be here for you.

Your anxiety will try to focus on anything fearful in life. Anything. That's just it's nature. Your job is NOT to fixate on anything fearful. Don't let the anxiety stay focussed on any one thing so that you actually develop a true fear of this thing that carries over into your daily life. Not so hard to do. Just be aware. Let the fear of death and the unknown pop up in your head and then let it fade. When your anxiety returns to normal levels you just let those fears fade also. Are you on any meds? That's a whole other subject. Best wishes to you and blessings.

[Gricelda92 in reply to BonnieSue]

Wow! You have no idea how much I needed to hear that! I do believe in God. I know he's always here. It's just really hard to overcome the fear when it overwhelmes me. I am not on any meds. I don't want to be put on meds. I saw my doctor today and put my mind at ease that I'm healthy. I know this won't change over night but it's hard to control it.

[Eliza2]

You have defined anxiety to a tee.......fear....terror.....feeling all alone. I know that feeling and have it now as I'm Having physical problems which make the anxiety spin out of control. When I'm in the anxiety very hard to reassure myself ......you are not alone. I'm scared too.....right now fearing I'll never get better. I would like to know what people are taking for their anxiety and how much.

[Gricelda92 in reply to Eliza2]

Hi, there and thank you for commenting back. I actually had my first Doctors visit today and I opted not to be put on medicine. I will be seeing a behavior therapist at the beginning of the year. I am fairly new to having anxiety attacks. I just started feeling sad again as I'm writing to you but I know the mind is extremely powerful and trying my hardest to overcome this nonsense without medicine!

[BonnieSue]

Can you write down your common sense thinking on index cards when you aren't feeling anxious? Put 1 major line of thought per card? Then when you are anxious you can read the cards to help keep your thinking on the right track and to dispel the negative fears. This does work. It worked for me, but I also went to Recovery International where I learned a whole system of dealing with anxiety and depression without drugs. I would never want to deal with my anxiety and depression without drugs because they are far too strong, but since you are trying to do so, knowing the method from RI could really be a huge help to you.

Recovery International was founded by Dr. Abraham Low before there were drugs to help with depression and anxiety. It's a somewhat strange seeming, somewhat difficult-at-first system of viewing your problems and the appropriate response to your life situations. It has been very successful for many people including me. It does take time and effort to learn. It's popularity is waning, probably because of this effort and seeming strange at first. Dr. Low is difficult to understand when his recordings are played because he has a very strong accent. But he's worth listening to. It's not a quick fix. See what you can find out at recoveryinternational.org. If you have no luck there, I can give you an address to write to. There may or may not be a chapter in your area.