Panic/anxiety is overwhelming

I've suffered with an overwhelming fear on and off for a few years, I thought at one stage I'd mastered the art of living without anxiety only to find that it's raised its ugly head once again, is this going to be a life long issue for me? will I ever be free of my own destructive and debilitating thoughts?

[Goldfish_]

Yes its horrible, but if you've conquered it before, you probably can again , but need to institute some long term self care for this.

[Hidden in reply to Goldfish_]

Yes I believe I probably can eventually conquer this again, its just so disheartening to have the horrible feelings back, the thought of having this for ever terrifies me, even though I'm pretty sure its the anxiety/panic, I'm slipping into the bad mindset of thinking there's some serious underlying illness, this feeling of not being safe anywhere except at home, I'm so scared of this god dam anxiety/panic

[DanteNXS in reply to Hidden]

suzie,

I know exactly how you feel. I was a hermit for months. I feel safest at home and avoid most things outside the home, except for work. I pretty much had my anxiety under control, but there are always those times, when it catches me off guard and messes things up. One weird thing that happens to me is if I stretch while sleeping, my HR will increase dramatically for a few minutes, not sure if anyone else gets this, but it is strange.

[Hidden]

DanteNXS,

I haven't experienced the strange feeling you describe during sleep, but you have to remember that the symptoms can manifest themselves in many different ways, symptoms can vary with individuals, having said that, sufferers do appear to experience some of the same symptoms too aswell as other strange symptoms, its not easy, I'm just pleased I've found this site, by sharing our experiences we can support each other during the bad episodes

[looking4me]

I don't know if I ever really try to Imagine living without anxiety. It's just part of who I am. Sure, it has it's good day and bad days. I do say "days" because for me it's daily or hourly fluctuations. Never long term relief. I don't even put myself in the category of anxiety free anymore. One phone call can trigger me. It's sometimes best to just love yourself whether your Anxious or not. My fears keep me from doing a lot, and has destructed many parts of my life. But really? Are we going to beat our selves up about it?

[Agora1]

Hi suzie482, yes you may be "free of your own destructive and debilitating thoughts". Why? Because they are coming from you and not external issues. You and you alone have the power to change the way you see the overwhelming fear. Oh yes, we may have been made with a more sensitive nervous system, a true physical anomaly. But I truly believe in how we think of the fear plays a big part in it going on and on. Some things are impossible to change in our lives such as our family issues, our daily surroundings. But what do we do? Physically run away from our problems? Wouldn't it be easier to run away from our negative thoughts. Replace them with positive control. Don't give into the energy it takes to ruminate on the negativity but rather use your energy in living, in moving forward. The body is an amazing "machine". When one part breaks down, it is possible for another part of the brain to take over, to heal, to be retrained. Don't ever think that this is a lifelong sentence. It doesn't have to be. We all need to find what works for us and then move forward. x

[Hidden in reply to Agora1]

Thankyou so much for your encouragement,it gives me hope as I'm sure it does other sufferers too, thankyou so much x

[Hidden]

No, I don't believe anyone should beat themselves up about things, especially things they can't help, we all find a way of dealing with it, sadly some of us struggle while others find ways to live a fairly normal life, I just hope one day we all find some real relief from this awful illness, I try to stay positive, I've managed to overcome some of the nasty symptoms before and I'm sure I can do this again x

[Agora1 in reply to Hidden]

suzie, I live in a very stressful life situation. For me, I no longer rely on meds, I touch base with a therapist once in a while. Over the years, I've been taught to use all the tools available to me and now it's up to me. Oh occasionally, there is a meltdown but I don't allow it to overtake me like it use to. I pick myself up, dust myself off and start right over again. (just like the song) You can do it again and will do it again. We are here to support you because we care. x