Struggling

[Subarukun17]

Right now I am dealing with a lot anxiety from just a billion things going on. just the smallest thing can set off my anxiety. I just feel all alone and can't really figure out how to get rid of the feeling that I'm supposed to be doing something about it. Just found this forum, and thought i could try it out. If anyone would be up for talking, I just need to get my mind off this anxiety.

[sweetiepye]

Hello Sub, I'm afraid I need more information to try and help you out. I'm wondering if you have stress or true anxiety & depression. Have you been diagnosed, and if so what is your treatment? If you have anxiety what kind of symptoms do you have how long has this been going on , age ? The way to get rid of the feeling that you should be doing something about it , is to do something. Coming on this site is a great beginning. There are many kind and supportive people who will be able to help and advise you which will lessen the feeling all alone part of this. You are very welcome here. Pam

[Subarukun17 in reply to sweetiepye]

it is true anxiety and depression. Having the anxiety, i feel pressure in my chest and just cant sit still. If I get an anxiety attack when no one is around I go into depression, and the idea's i get usually to remove the anxiety get to be quite expensive after a while. I have been able to diagnose the anxiety symptoms about 2 years ago but I have had anxiety since elementary school I just didnt know that was what it actually was. I am 32 right now. I am not sure what to do tonight. My anxiety is just on a rampage. when my anxiety gets bad i cant even get to sleep. Thank you Pam for hearing me out. it feels good to have someone listening.

[sweetiepye in reply to Subarukun17]

My usual response is to see a primary care Dr. to rule out anything physical and to direct you to a therapist , and to prescribe meds. That's what worked for me . We are all different, but that is a good beginning for most . What can you do right now? Start a journal and get those feelings out, music will calm you down, exercise a little and have a nice hot bath. No caffeine to eat or drink. Find something pleasant to think about while you try to go to sleep. I decorate houses in my mind to keep from thinking about anxiety. I've got some cool digs. Pam

[Subarukun17 in reply to sweetiepye]

Thank you for the advice Pam. Maybe I can try out some of your ideas tonight.

[Ddorne]

You are not alone. We all have some kind of anxiety. Is there something in particular that is setting it off? Do you see a therapist ? That can really help. What makes you the most anxious ? I have OCD, that has its own anxiety. Although sometimes it's just out of the blue. I take meds. Do you?

[Subarukun17 in reply to Ddorne]

I do have a therapist but the therapist only really helps for a day or 2 then it returns. I am by myself a lot and the anxiety really makes it hard for me to focus much on anything. I was given meds by my doctor and I did use them for a little while. They dont really work at all and I am afraid of taking to much medication that i could end up with an addiction. i feel like being by myself to long without anything else to concentrate on drives me to anxiety quite often. Dealing with myself, my regrets, my problems, can easily send me spiraling into anxiety and possibly depression.

[hannah821 in reply to Subarukun17]

Hi Sub,

You are not alone. There are many like you. I struggle day to day, There is hope.

[TAPNewEngland]

Welcome. Are you seeing a therapist? If not, go see one. Are you working? Your employer may have some resources for you as well.

[Subarukun17 in reply to TAPNewEngland]

I am seeing a therapist but it just doesn't feel like it helps me for more than a day or 2. I am working and I feel like when I am working it actually helps out a lot because it ussualy keeps my mind on other things rather than my anxiety. I have talked to my employer about this and we just discussed it professionally but nothing really came from it.

[TAPNewEngland]

Working is very therapeutic! Keeping your mind busy is key. Maybe you should try seeing the therapist weekly for awhile. Then stretch it out to once every two weeks, once every three weeks, etc. Check with your employer and see if they have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free resources for you.

[Subarukun17 in reply to TAPNewEngland]

thank you i will look into that. I haven't checked to see if my company has an EAP program but I will find out!

[Lynl]

Anxiety is not fun and we all deal with it in different ways , not letting it consume you is the trick, this is a great site to talk to people who deal with it too and understand you and what you are dealing with, you are never alone.

[Subarukun17 in reply to Lynl]

thank you Lynl, that really means a lot to me. Today my anxiety has slightly subsided because of the help and ideas shared with me on this site. But I feel it still in the back of my mind just creeping and waiting for a chance to latch on to me again...

[hannah821]

Hi Sub,

I feel the same way if that is any comfort to you. i did read about a guy who suffered from anxiety. Eventually, he decided to own his anxiety instead of fighting it. So, now I see that it is a part of me, this anxiety, and deal with it as such. Even tho it is still something I would like to have disappear, I apparently am stuck with. Sometimes, concentrating on my breathing in and out calms me down. I hope this helps.

[Subarukun17 in reply to hannah821]

thank you for the advice Hannah. I myself am still learning how to even control my anxiety. I have not thought about my anxiety being a part of me. I know its true and hopefully with time I can deal with it that was as well. I think that even though it is a part of me I still feel like the anxiety I am experiencing is just so overwhelming when it happens. Being alone or waiting for a call or just figuring out how to pass time when everything you used to use as a means of interception has become stagnant or has lost its flare makes things really difficult for me. I do try breathing exercises, i have noticed that being in a hot shower for quite some time do relax and calm my anxiety. However for some reason, lately they have been less and less effective. I hope that soon I can start to own my anxiety as you have said. Just being on this site and getting all this help and advice has really motivated me to look for answers and commit to ending my anxiety! Thank you so much.

[mjlitl13]

Hi Sub,

You are DEFINITELY not alone! I have suffered from anxiety since I was in kindergarten. I went to Catholic school which made things much worse, or maybe was the initial cause of the anxiety. The mother superior at the school even suggested to my parents that I see the school psychologist, but in those days, that was extremely taboo. My father said "Not MY child". How I WISH I had gone to that therapist.

Anyway, I went to a therapist for the first time in my early 20's. She helped me quite a bit until I started feeling uncomfortable around her, so I told her the truth and stopped going. Since she had encouraged me to take some night courses in College (since I never went and I was bored at my job), and while there, found a flyer for a different therapist.

I went to that therapist for quite a few years. Btw, I was first taking Valium and then Xanax for my anxiety prescribed by my Primary Dr. Then one day, my new therapist suggested that I had a mild form of depression and sent me to a Psychiatrist. I didn't think I had depression, but went to him anyway and he prescribed Zoloft.

Eventually, I stopped seeing my therapist (years later) when I was feeling like I didn't NEED her anymore! I was feeling SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH better plus I was seeing a different Psychiatrist who was monitoring my meds.

To TRY to make a long story short, I am now still seeing the same Psychiatrist and I'm on my 3rd therapist and was doing well for a very long time. I joined an AL-ANON ACOA (Adult Children Of Alcoholics) support group and it was THAT group that helped to bring me out of my social anxiety!! At my first meeting I felt like I was finally HOME!

Unfortunately, those meetings are no longer available in my area and, since I am now retired, I too have been very lonely (feeling so alone even though I live with my boyfriend), and I STILL worry about EVERYTHING!

My therapist has reminded me over and over again that I need to get myself out of the house and DO something, anything to get my mind off my worries for a little while.

So, my plan is to take "baby steps" toward that goal. Meds are very good but you also have to DO something to help make the drugs work for you. I KNOW how difficult that is! But, I KNOW I have to do it so I'm making it a priority to take the first step.

I hope, at least, SOME of this helps you!

We are always here for you and don't worry if you can't fulfill your goal(s) right away. Just going slowly "Little By Little" and come on back here for any reason, good or bad.

Good luck,

MJ

[Subarukun17 in reply to mjlitl13]

Thank you MJ. I hae always been afraid of medication only because my family has a history of drug abuse, and I do not want to become addicted to any type of medication. Your story is very inspiring! thank you so much for sharing it. It feels good to know that I am not alone and to be honest this site has opened my eyes to see that there are others out there that are so very supportive and understanding. It really means a lot to me that you would share so much. When I was a kid my father didn't believe in anxiety or ADD or depression and growing up I was never treated or considered a possible case of that nature. Being in my early 30s now my outlook on this has changed drastically. I know now how hard it is for me to deal with anxiety, especially when at random times a memory pops into my head from 10 years ago that gave me anxiety that still causes that same anxious feel. That happened to me the other day and the anxiety wouldnt go away for about an hour or 2. I am working slowly towards my goal of being anxiety free and I appreciate all the support everyone has given me so far. Thank you!

[mjlitl13 in reply to Subarukun17]

Glad I could help bit, Sub!

I don't think I mentioned in my reply that I am now taking Klonopin for my anxiety, since my therapist at at the time, was concerned about Xanax being possibly addictive.

That being said, anything CAN be psychologically addictive, so talk with your Dr and/or therapist about your concerns before getting on any meds. You can work through this together. Plus, once you are on medication, I would suggest joining some type of Self Help group. As I mentioned before, that is what REALLY helped me a lot with my anxiety!

Take Care,

MJ

[Subarukun17]

Today has been really bad for me. A lot of plans I set up fell through and again I am all alone tonight. My anxiety hasnt been this bad in a long time. Between worrying whether or not my friend is ok too losing someone close to me on Sunday. This has been a trying time and I don't really have any answers. I am too tired to drive to where my family is and I am too anxious to go to sleep. I do have meds that i was taking over a year ago that I still have and may try those but I have been really trying to avoid medicating. It has been rough today and i just wanted to share it to maybe help bring my mind to rest. it's not really working but I is keeping my mind off the anxiety. I think the being alone part is what is bothering me tonight most of all. I could really use a hug right now...

-Subaru

[mjlitl13]

Hi Sub,

So sorry that you are feeling so bad. I would suggest getting back on some kind of meds.

Anxiety and Depression are both illnesses and SHOULD be treated that way. For example, if you have diabetes, would you try to wean yourself off the insulin? Or, if you have high blood pressure or heart disease, etc . Do you see what I'm getting at?

Also, do you have a pet or would you be able to get one? The unconditional love of a pet (usually a dog OR cat) can do wonders for your depression, anxiety and even self esteem and energy! Just a thought.

I had been in a pretty bad depressive funk for most of the month.

Recently, I got involved in a cause that is important to me via FACEBOOK and I am now volunteering my time to do stuff on my computer! So, even though I'm still not getting out much, I am feeling a bit better!

I like to help people and be a part of something and I am making a few friends in the process! Plus, the people in the group live in my area, so I will get chance to meet some of them in person!

HUGS!!!!

MJ