is there such thing as short term anxiety?

[purl1]

I know a lot of people on here have suffered from anxiety and depression all their lives but is there anyone that has only suffered from anxiety for a short amount of time. Mine started 4 months ago after I got laid off from my job. I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar. I am hoping that it will go away when and if I start working again. just seems strange when I never had a problem before and now I am a total wreck.

[Hidden]

I might be able to help you because I have had depression and anxiety for just a few months so far.

[purl1 in reply to Hidden]

good to hear I'm not the only one.

[Hidden in reply to purl1]

You definitely aren’t and there is more people out there who are the same. I am here if you want to have a chat about it

[purl1 in reply to Hidden]

do you have a lot of anxiety? right now in my life the anxiety is worse than the depression. I've had depression my whole life, anxiety not too bad. I've never had a panic attacck until a few months ago.

[Hidden in reply to purl1]

Yeah I do it is effecting me everyday and I get at least one panic attack a day. The depression does effect me but the anxiety is a lot harder

[purl1 in reply to Hidden]

if it wasn't for ativan I know things would be worse. do you take any meds?

[Hidden in reply to purl1]

No I am not on any but I am starting councilling tomorrow

[purl1 in reply to Hidden]

that is good, counselor should help a lot. I see mine every week

[Hidden in reply to purl1]

I hope so I am nervous because it’s my first time to go. How does it go for you?

[purl1 in reply to Hidden]

I love my counslor. you talk about what you want to talk about and they are there to encourage you. they are there to help you. I couldn't go through this without him.

[Hidden in reply to purl1]

Glad to hear that. I am very nervous about going because it’s all new to me but I am glad that you are getting the help that you need

[purl1 in reply to Hidden]

i hope your appt. goes good

[Hidden in reply to purl1]

Thanks xxxx so do I. I am hoping to get help with anxiety at least because I can’t get myself to really go out anywhere and I get panic attacks when I do go outside. But just know that you are not alone and I am always here if you want to talk.

[Lve2dance in reply to purl1]

I'm with you on that. Counseling is, definitely great 😁. Anxiety is a, tricky thing. It can be dormant for a long time until a life situation triggers it

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I agree anxiety is way worse than depression

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

It can be to some extent as it is different for everybody but it’s just really trying to not let it take over

[Needtovent]

The first time i thought of myself as having anxiety was based on a situation, different from yours, but an ‘event’ nonetheless. I thought that was it. Through a variety of interventions, I overcame it and felt cured.

Another situation has triggered it 10 years later. A different situation, with some common denominators. With this second episode, i’ve done a lot of soul searching. I now, truly believe that i’ve had anxiety for most of my life. I’ve recalled past events dating back to adolescence and beyond, when i’ve had panic attacks. Resolving the situation made it go away. As an adult, i’ve learned that all situations aren’t so readily solved.

That said, I want you to know that anxiety is not a ‘sentence’ of any sort. I’m learning to live with it. The more one accepts its symptoms, which are a result of an overly stimulated nervous symptoms, the more ones body can handle those symptoms, and the symptoms which seem might seem like hell right now, are reduced to ‘just another day in the life of......’.

I hope that returning to work solves your anxiety. There are plenty of us on here who can help with learning to live with it and, WITHOUT fear and minimal symptoms.

[Kat63 in reply to Needtovent]

Need, you sound a lot like me. I lost my job 7 weeks ago, and that has thrown me into a period of almost constant anxiety with several panic attacks a week.

One might think my anxiety is situational. And I think the situation has triggered it and exacerbated it. But as I look back over my life, all the way back to childhood, I think now that I’ve always had a higher level of anxiety than most people. I’ve been treated for depression for the past 30 years, but I don’t think enough attention has been paid to the anxiety.

I just know all my life, I’ve wished I was normal.

[Needtovent in reply to Kat63]

Wishing I was normal was my entire childhood. My dad had MH issues that, at that time, were taboo to acknowledge.

[purl1 in reply to Needtovent]

Hi, I am really hoping it's becsause of work. I am trying to learn to accept the way I am now, but it is really hard. I feel like I just want to run away from it and not deal with it. which will only make it worse. I just hate feeling like I'm always on the edge of having some kind of attack. I just can't relax anymore.

[Needtovent in reply to purl1]

Hi Purl, i’ve Read through some of your previous posts. I’m sorry for this challenge you have been enduring. I’m glad you have a therapist that you trust and like. If your therapist practices cognitive behavioral therapy, you can hopefully begin to identify patterns, triggers, and more importantly, how to handle those going forward. I see you have also tried some medications and i hope they help as well. I”m wondering if you’ve read anything by Dr. Claire Weekes. Specifically the book Hope and Help for your Nerves, outlines the process of retraining your nervous system to handle these symptoms of anxiety that we all despise. You can also find some of her talks on YouTube. take care and reach out to me as needed.

[purl1 in reply to Needtovent]

I did get that book and am currently reading it. I've been trying to do what she says, it's just hard to take that deep breath and try to accept it. I always say I need to float through this when I get to a difficult situation. I guess it takes time.

[Needtovent in reply to purl1]

That’s great Purl. Its a start. I’m still working on it and not sure i really get the float thing. But i do keep reminding myself, these are just feelings that are not pleasant, but in and of themselves, cant’ hurt me. That part is definitely getting more comfortable for me. This is a good place to continue to chat with folks.

[Nom-D-Ploom in reply to purl1]

It is hard to live with. I have started calling it "practice." Bad things will keep happening. It's life. While I am in the throes of the issue I tell myself that I am just practicing, so I will be stronger when the next crisis hits.

[Lve2dance in reply to purl1]

it's hard to lean into it, but avoiding it completely will make it come back worse. Talking is definitely good.. Distractions are important, like any hobbies, or things you can do that bring you joy.. We are all here for you.

[Nom-D-Ploom]

When the anxiety or depression is caused by one situation it can resolve as you adjust to the changes in your life. I don't want to sound like a cliché, but sometimes losing a job is a good thing in the long term. You re-evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. You may have talents that your job didn't use. You may find that you can live a less stressful life in a new situation. I had to go on disability, and it hurt me a lot to let go of my career, but I can sleep now. I can relax. I hope your situation improves soon.

[purl1 in reply to Nom-D-Ploom]

Hi Nom,

Have you found that your anxiety is worse now that you are disabled?

[Nom-D-Ploom in reply to purl1]

Purl1, It was really bad the first year. I was an ICU nurse. It was who I was, but letting go finally was good. All the work stress is gone. All my life I have been told that I have primary insomnia, which, said my doctor, was the cause of all of my health issues. I finally got a new DR, who sent me to a sleep clinic. After a long long history I was diagnosed with PTSD and agoraphobia. I have been in treatment for a year now. I no longer feel guilty about not working. I thought that having my dog beside me would keep the flashbacks away......and so far it is working.

[Hidden]

I get you but it's the other way round for me I have had anxiety for a year even after college it is still here but just something else now that there is no pressure from it I been checked out 10 months now nearly been a year and at first I found it hard to accept that I would have nothing to do but have accepted my condition and am using this time to get some help. Just had to share my experience seems similar to yours

[marheart]

I started talk therapy and meds about 4+ yrs. ago. We kept searching for the causes, what shocked my body into anxiety at this stage of life.

Now I can follow the discussions and recognize that many of the symptoms were lurking in the background of my life style. It took one big shake up in my life to get those things dumped out into the open.

They were telling me I'm depressed. I didn't feel the sadness that I thought went with depression.

Hello to today. Example: Yes, I've actually been somewhat depressed for decades. Didn't recognize it as anything except the facts of daily living problems.

Since my body is ultra sensitive to meds I don't get enough help via Psych.

Talk Therapy and following the advice are my strongest tools.

This site has helped me so much since I searched for help and joined the giving and accepting the experiences from others.

Listen to your body. It will tell you which areas need help. Then ask for help. And follow the path to find ways to feel better. Keep using a variety of tools.

Now I do Tapping where I yell and scream about how horrible my life has become. Then I go back thru the Tapping routine giving positive directions to clear out the anxiety stress.