I have been dealing with panic attacks and anxiety off and on my whole life. Right now it’s consuming my every day life making it almost impossible to function. Can anyone relate?
anxiety : I have been dealing with... - Anxiety and Depre...
anxiety
hi, I can totally relate. My first panic attack came when I was 6. I developed different coping mechanisms throughout my childhood. Started self medicating at 14,drugs and lots of alcohol. Finally I had panic attacks when my kids were teenagers because I was afraid they would be like me. As I got older, my health was worse. Anxiety was constant and started anxiety meds at age 50. I think if I treated sooner I would not have chronic pain. You seem to be reaching out for help and I can only say try anxiety meds, they work better than the counseling did. Find what works for you even if it’s medication and support system like this website. I hope you can find some peace and understanding here. That’s the first step. Sending you a hug and wishing you will find peace even in the storms of anxiety.
Welcome. This sounds like me as well. I had separation anxiety as a small child, then moved on to panic attacks. On and off through my life. I've been on meds since adolescence. Last year it hit me hard. Have had previous therapy in my life, the last year and a half of therapy wasn't the best. I just made an appointment with another therapist so I will see. Medications adjusted etc... but not sure why this happened. Hope you find some comfort here. Chat anytime 😊
You are describing my teenage years and then again when I relapsed into anxiety about 4 years ago. I had anxiety through the roof. My preteen teenage years were rough because I didn't have the answer. I thought maybe I was going insane! But eventually I found the right people and was able to get a diagnosis. That no, you're not insane. You have generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Which to help a little bit because I now have a name for it. But now what do I do with it? And through counseling I was able to develop better coping skills and for over 10 years I had a really good life.
Unfortunately, due to a health scare back in 20 20 I had a relapse of anxiety. And had to start the climb all over again. But those first years in 2020 were really hard. Because I didn't leave the house. I was anxious all the time. But I eventually found my way again. And what helped me was an app app called Dare and it's based off a book called Dare: a new way to end anxiety and stop panic attacks by Barry McDonagh. And that really helped me a lot. It really pushed me along with a friend of mine who was also going through it as well. He was a shut-in for almost the same time as I was about 3 years. But then what helped him was a change in his relationship status. He found someone to help. Just like I had someone to help me. And we both started encouraging each other. And now we're both getting out of the house and driving our cars and stuff.
So the change can happen. It's you need to find the right people. Finding a good counselor and if need be medication can help. And the combination of those two can really make things start to happen. I also recommend the book as well because help me see anxiety for what it really is.
Wishing you love and healing 🫂 ❤️
There are many of us out here with similar conditions and varying intensity.
I suffer with morning and evening anxiety and some social anxiety. I manage it with mindfulness and exercise. The secret of mindfulness is to embrace the feelings, facing them full on rather than attempting to run from them.
Some techniques are:
Breathing slowly and focusing on the lung sensation,
Attach each breath to an extremity of your body (focusing on each part of your body) and gradually move through your body parts. This is a good way to relax into sleep. I rarely get around the whole body as I lose my concentration and I start again or fall asleep.
Imagining the anxiety as a monster or other scary thing and face it unwaveringly, soon seeing that the anxiety fades just a little when you face it.
See yourself with the anxiety on TV and externalise it by seeing it in the person on the TV.
The running and fitness does help. I've taken up Parkruns, which provides good motivation to keep at it.
There may not be cures, but there are ample ways to tackle anxiety before resorting to medication.
Yes this is me. Read Claire Weekes’ books or listen to her lecture on YouTube. Listen to The Anxious Truth or Disordered podcasts. Read books by Sally Winston and Martin Seif. Exercise. Don’t despair. Go about your normal day with the anxiety raging and it will learn that it doesn’t need to be so hyper vigilant. It takes time and it’s so so difficult, but it works. ❤️