My anxiety is consuming my life:(

[Pooh1017]

Hi, Im a 35 yr old female and I started having severe anxiety attacks when I was 23. I got on meds and worked with a therapist and was able to wean off the meds and learned how to control it until a few months ago when it came back with a vengeance!! It has gotten so bad now to the point that I don't drive anywhere and Im absolutely terrified of being home alone!! I have two little girls who are on summer break and I feel like such a horrible mom because I am unable to even take them anywhere to do fun things. Even on the wkends when my husband is home, I still dont ever want to go anywhere for fear that I will have an anxiety attack while away from home. Its not just the attacks, I have anxiety all day long. I am on the verge of an attack every second of everyday and it sucks!! My doctor prescribed me Seroquil a few wks ago but I stupidly googled it, read the reviews and am now too scared to even take it because Im scared it will make me feel weird either when I take it or the next day, which will only give me an anxiety attack. I just feel completely lost and hopeless and just dont know how to fix it. I just want to be and feel normal! I want to wake up, get dressed and take my girls to do stuff, or even just go to the groecry store or gas station without it being a huge deal or causing me to have an attack. Anxiety truly is a horrible curse and Ive never loathed anything more in my entire life!!

[Patittos_]

Hello. . I totally understand how you feel.. some days I feel the same way. I also have two girls. Just this last weekend we went out amd as soon as we go to the place I started sweating and feeling anxious. . Everything seemed so sureal... I started doing my breathing exercises and telling my self I was ok that I was here to have a good time.. soon enough I started feeling better.. tomorrow I have a drs appointment and I hope I get some answers and well just some hope that im definitely not going crazy...

[AlexTaKia]

Hello Pooh,

I definitely understand how you feel. I had to laugh when you said that you googled the medication. I have done the same thing time and time again. I was prescribed that medication and never took the medication because of google. I have tried Xanax and that helps out a lot. It has been a year for me and now my X has started up again. I don't sweat a lot from it, however I do have anxiousness, which is so much nervousness. Feel faint, out of it and scared. I hope you see a doctor soon and maybe try for another type of meds. Also breathing helps out a great deal. Using CBT , exercising and eat healthier helps a great deal.... hope you feel better soon. Also, do you get the same symptoms as I do?

[princesshetty]

Everything you are feeling is exactly how I feel although my family are all grown up I live alone. Here in the UK its not easy to get a councillor to talk to I'm on medication which seems to have stopped working been like this for 6 years. I wouldn't wish this on anyone I wish you all the best for your future and you get well very soon.

[Aazz]

Hi there I also have 2 kids a 2 year old and 10 month old. I have been dealing with this for about 7 months now and it truly is horrible I feel like absolute crap the whole day every day, shortness of breath heavy feeling in the body light headed, confusion, scared, worried and anxious it is so hard to function. I feel very much like I'm failing as a mother as I just can't give it my all feeling this way. Today my anxiety has decided to give me weird head sensations that sent me into a panic attack about an hour ago it's almost like the anxiety pokes at you all day or for hours until you crack and have a panic attack.

I tried accupunture about a month ago for 3 sessions and I felt it was helping but too expensive to continue on a regular basis. Another thing I have recently come across is hyperventilation syndrome which i think a lot of us probably have.

I'm trying to work on breathing and positive thinking.

I hope you have better days soon

[maggie91]

Do not let anxiety win. You have children that can help take your mind off your anxiety. Take them to park or walks if you don't want to drive. Keep active, eat healthy exercise, drink water and if meds helped you before, try it again. There are always side affects to every medication, even aspirin. If what dr prescribed calms you down, you might have easier time working out what triggers your anxiety. Try journaling and write whatever brothers you. It's for your eyes only so you can write anything you want. You will get better, i have. Starting my anxiety 4 yrs ago and have taken Ativan, .5 mg once in am plus exercise, eat healthy, drink water, stay active, talkineg helped, i can now ignore my anxiety by eating when i feel it or just get involved in an activity and because i am not giving my symptoms any power I am always amazed that they disappear

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[vbylicki in reply to maggie91]

This inspired me, thank you! I feel better knowing there's an end in sight.

[maggie91 in reply to vbylicki]

Be strong. Talk to people, stay active,enjoy family (even extended family), take meds, and get involved in activities. When i first started with my anxiety, I would take long walks, go to park, Talk to people ( about anything ) and sit under cool tree and journal. Take the kids so they can play. If the meds that dr prescribed doesnt work, go back to dr until you find one that works. Antidepressants (all of them) made me feel worse ) so my dr kept me on Ativan. Everybody is different, so what works for one might not work for You. You know your body best. Contact me if you need support.

[lin62-65ze]

I do feel for you. This will end but you have to be strong, the sooner you get some different medication and do breathing and relaxation techniques the sooner you will get better. Anxiety can cause such a lot of different symptoms. Your two little girls are suffering too and your husband so you have to get better quickly. In my thirties I was suffering similar symptoms, I had support and got an amazing relaxation tape which I put to use regularly and very quickly I got better. Positive thinking and being firm with yourself saying 'I will conquer this' because you would not want your daughters to become like you. Please do not Google the medication prescribed as all medicine has certain side effects. You will feel better soon if you think positive and do breathing and relaxation. 😊😊😊😊😊

[Mishkacat]

Hi you are roughly same age as me and same age when i got ptsd.there are hundreds are things to try out there..herbal,meditation,mindfulness.ivevtried everything.exercise defo knocks that excess adrenakine into touch,linit or cut alcohol.i have lorazepsm and diazepam i buy from good online site for flying or when i hit real low..none of antisepressants ever worked for me just made me fat and no sex drive..keep reading and dont rule anything out. Goid luck x

[vbylicki]

I have a 3 yr old and know exactly how you feel. You are not alone! I'm always scared of taking him anywhere but it's summer and there are so many fun things to do! Start off slow and don't let the anxiety control you. sometimes you just have to take that "screw it" mentality. If you have an attack so what, you've had them before and know nothing's going to happen. Just take a deep breath and acknowledge it but mentally send the fear far away.

[swanshurst]

hi well I think the best thing u can do is take the meds,its a bit like having a tooth out the pain will not go until you get rid of the pain,,,,,have you tried Htp tablets you do not get side effects with them and u can buy on line ,,,the are very good,I really feel your pain, you are so scared of your Anxiety that it make it worse,try and look at it like a big wave comeing at you ,,but do not run let it take you ,and keep telling your self this ever time it happens,don't run,,,hope this helps ,I've be there my self ,,,good luck hun and get the girls out to play,

[Pooh1017]

Thank you so much to everyone for the outpouring of replies!! It really does bring me comfort to know that Im not the only one that feels/has felt this way! My husband is super supportive, never complains and amazingly understanding, sometimes to the point that I feel as if he deserves better then to have to live this way. When I was younger it was only the actual anxiety attacks. As long as I wasnt having an attack, I was perfectly fine. Its not like that now. Its a constant state of anxiety which only makes me feel as if something is wrong with me that the doctors just havent found yet, which in return only makes my anxiety worse. Its like a never ending vicious cycle. I live in a very small town so we have no malls or even a Wal-Mart. Not really anything to do here at all. We have to drive to the next town over, which is about a 30 minute drive, but Ive been unable to talk myself into doing that because its too far from home and too far from my husband. My husband is like my safe haven and usually as long as I am with him, I am fine. I go back to the doctor next week and am hoping that she will give me a diff medication, maybe something Ive been on before so that I wont be so worried and scared to take it. Again, thank yall so much for replying to me!!

[steadfast66]

Oh, my. You are not alone and it is not hopeless. What are you afraid of? Usually our fears are unfounded and we worry or fear for nothing at all. You need to talk with someone, prehaps a therapist who can help you without meds.

[Pooh1017 in reply to steadfast66]

I just have this constant fear of something, anything, bad happening to me. I never just have a headache, stomach ache or anything simple. My mind spins it out of control and makes me think the absolute worst of any situation. I also have a HUGE fear of passing out, whether Im at home or not but especially when Im away from home or driving. Ive passed out many times from my anxiety attacks but it thankfully hasnt happened in awhile. I think most of it is just the fear of having another attack so I walk around all day everyday terrified that Im going to have an attack. Even though at this moment I know that if I were to have an attack right now, that theres nothing wrong with me and that nothing bad is going to happen to me, in that moment of the attack, I have a hard time convincing myself of that. There are times that I feel it coming on and am able to talk myself out of it but then there are times when it hits me like a freight train with no warning. I just want my life back and to be able to give my girls and my husband their lives back as well because I know that Im hurting them even though Im not doing it intentionally. And God forbid, either one of them inherited my anxiety or become anxious later in life because of me!! That is definitely one of my biggest fears in life! I do not want them to ever suffer like this!!

[steadfast66]

Please see a therapist that can help you deal with your fears without meds.