study anxiety is normal but this is not!

[anxiousloveudija]

Hello, I'm new to the page. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder in August 2018, when I lost my job. I blamed my racing heart on the amount of caffeine I was drinking and denied medications as an intervention. I decreased the amount of caffeine and things seemed a little better, until I started studying for my nurse practitioner exam. I feel so overwhlemed with anxiety it is sufficating. I can't talk to anyone about it because my friends and family don't understand it. They say " you will be fine" or "hand it over to God". I wish it was that simple. I don't know what to do.

[maudpod]

My wife keeps telling me to get “my act together”

[Hidden in reply to maudpod]

Yikes!

[Lilly5 in reply to maudpod]

Print an article and show it to her. Anxiety and depression are illnesses.

[Agressive2018 in reply to maudpod]

I’ve had anxiety since I was 19, my mom would tell me to “get over it”. I wish people that said that kind of crap would have just one hour of what I have felt. I think most people that do not have anxiety are ignorant and choose not to take out time to research the findings about the subject. I am 46 now and my mom sort of tries to make me feel like she understands but she still says “pray” and it will go away. I think the best thing we can do when our friends/family does not try to understand is for us to seek outside support (therapist).

[Hidden]

What do you think about trying medication this time?

[maudpod in reply to Hidden]

I am already on medication. Been on lexapro for 10 years.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I'm sorry, I was asking the original poster, anxious love. maudpod, I am so glad to hear that you are on medication. And I hate when people say, "Get your act together", too!

[Willdobetter]

I’m struggling with the exact symptoms; unwarranted anxiety. It’s annoying and frustrating to recognize that some event, activity, deadline, or other potential stressors requiring your attention are indeed important, and exist in a “normal” mind as priorities that must be addressed, which you expect to be expressed internally with a “reasonable” sense of urgency, yet your unconscious emotional response has dialed-up your anxiety level to the max.

Why, I ask myself, do I feel like I am seconds away from doom over this? I know it’s important, but even if I fail entirely, my life isn’t over, so what’s going on? I’ve faced far worse before and always maintained a “reasonable” level of urgency stress, but this is way out of bounds.

Nobody will ever understand the circumstances surrounding the exact causes of unreasonable anxiety events as well as the person dealing with them, and often the root causes are deeply hidden, even to the patient, and possibly may only be found through professional therapy.

But the actions that helped me reduce my anxiety mainly involved occupying my mind doing something affirmative toward solving the actual issue, leaning on my spouse for validation of the fact that, “as important as the actual task/event/deadline is, I have faced similar events without crippling anxiety, and things are not so bad”. This perspective must be taken to allow me to “step outside myself”, and look at the big picture, finding reasons to reinforce positive feelings and reduce self-doubt (without slipping into unrealistic false-security or manic overconfidence).

Your circumstances are entirely different, and there is no magic solution, but I feel that most people dealing with over-amped anxiety would agree that expanding one’s focus away from imagined consequences, instead forcing oneself to look at the big picture, consider solutions, and take action toward resolving the root circumstance, may not eliminate the feelings of anxiety altogether, but most often will allow them to subside to a level allowing a person to feel empowered enough to make positive progress.

For me, this is allows the anxiety to be “worked-away”, freeing my mind to concentrate on tackling the real source, causing a slow, but definite reduction in unreasonable anxiety until the main issue is resolved. And afterwards, I am always mystified by why I felt so doomed just for facing a situation most people would simply find to be annoying or frustrating.

Wishing you the best!

[dogginess]

I have a great deal of empathy for you. I am know stranger to acute and chronic anxiety.

Not only do I take it one day at a time, but I need to take the days in increments. If

any classification of anti-anxiety meds work for you go for it !