I am a 22 year old female. for as long as i remember, i have been suffering with deppression and anxiety. I have undergone years of psychotherapy and each practitioner i go to seems to help me to the point where i feel very good and positive about my life. My deppression quickly dissapears and my anxiety lessens significantly. i usually find at this point that i can pin point no more issues that are bothering me, and my counciller agrees the same, thus i stop attending councelling.
However mere weeks later i slowly slip back into feelings of deppression and anxiety. I truly no idea what causes this. I suffer from high functioning anxiety, meaning i can easily push myself to go out, attend events, go out with friends, hold down jobs etc,even while feeling very anxious.
People tell me to eat well, excersize, see friends, do positive things.
But eating almost all foods leaves me with a sick, heavy taste in my stomach. Excersize fills me with totall and complete exhaustion (i cant even climb a flight of stares without feeling as if iv run a marathon).
I have always found it difficult to maintain friendships. Even with close friends i have constant thoughts of feeling uncomfortable, ugly, boring, awkward etc. I have tried talking to my very supportive friends and family about how i feel, however i get the feeling that nobody knows what to do to really help me.
I have tried all types of mental health therapy, such as psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.
I cannot explain to these people what is wrong with me anymore because i simply do not know. I cannot pin point it or explain how i feel. Sometimes proffessionals tell me i need to seek a different type of therapy. I do this, and am told yet again to go somewere else.
I am now at a point were i feel nobody can help me and i simply cannot live with how im feeling anymore. I am stuck in this dark tunnel of lonelyness and dread facing every day.
For the record, i do not suffer from any mental health conditions such as Schizophrenia, Bi-polar, PTSD, or any physical disabilities.
I would appreciate any help or advice i could get that would be effective in the long term.
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UnicornInA
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Hi UnicornInA, This is just my theory of what is going on. Having Positive Psychological Therapy may help in teaching you techniques for self-esteem. You seem to respond well to psychotherapy and your doctors reassurance that it makes you feel good and positive about your life. And then within weeks your anxiety and depression start to surface once more.
You need to surround yourself with people who support your growth and development as to who you are. You tend to internalize negative thoughts and dismiss all the good qualities you possess.
Hi Agora1, thanks a lot for your advice, your spot on. I live in ireland, do you know if this kind of therapy is available here?also dyu have personal experiemce of this kind of therapy, and if so has it worked for u?
I totally get where you are coming from. I'll get better and then slip back. Other people don't understand. I've also tried every type of med and therapy. I even did ECT. I don't really have advice just don't give up. Also try to make as many memories as possible, like Christmas. As part of my therapy I travel for a week somewhere new that way I have something to look forward to.
Hiya, I am sorry to hear you are feeling so bad and can not get any relief from it. I am a 61 year old male that has suffered with anxiety and depression for over forty years.
Now I don't want you to think my god forty years, it has not all been bad with some long spells feeling relatively ok.
I am not a medical person in any way shape or form so everything I say is down to my own experience.
If nothing has helped maybe hypnosis therapy could be worth a try.
I will not go into detail here but my issues are rooted back to things that happened in 1969. Nothing sinister like abuse just adolescent issues that got too deep rooted in my head.
I tried hypnosis it did not rid me of the issues but it did help.
I have no idea of your background and it is such a complex issue.
However there may be something that you disregard for whatever reason that could be effecting you and it may be worth looking in to.
After all if you have tried a number of things it has to be worth a go surely.
Please don't give up on the exercise I know it can be hard, I am trying to get back into running after a 20 year lay off. The high from a good run is free and legal lol.
Laverdasf, thanks alot for taking the time to write to me and provide advice, i really appreciate it. I will definitly give hypnosis a go at some point.
Good luck with trying to get back into excersizing! Il try to do the same.
Consider "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy- ACT".
Ever since I grasp the understanding of ACT and began to practice the concepts, I feel better.
The basic idea is that obsession with anxiety leads to more anxiety so if you accept it and replace it with commitments to healthy ACTions and behavior, it goes away. I was trying too hard before and this provided a new approach. I had to turn off the struggle switch
Your results may vary but it's something to consider. You can do some of this yourself. There are books, audio books , videos websites and clinical therapist that teach this technique. Google it. This video provides a good explanation
Hi Meeasy, thanks a lot for your advice, its very much appreciated. Your right, i definitly have an obbsession with my anxiety, i find it all consuming and really need to turn off the "struggle switch" as you put it. Dyu know if this therapy is widely available in ireland?
I'm in the usa but I'm sure you can find professional treatment in Ireland. Google it. Also you can do a lot on your own. It's a mindset and lifestyle change. Here is another video that explains a little more
Here is a link to a video playlist I found. They are short animations but insightful and teach techniques on how to accept negative thoughts. Free therapy session
UnicornInA I'm a 51 year old male and everything you wrote applies to me as well, it's as if i wrote your post about myself.
I have felt many times it would be easy to give up,especially when i was younger but one day i thought i have anxiety and there is no magic overall cure for it and I'm going to have to live with it as best as i can for it's a part of me...i never thought I'd admit that but it did help me and although i suffer from anxiety attacks i don't let them take over my whole life.
When i do suffer now i get on-line or talk to family and get some reassurance from them.
Even though the bad times are still bad i do have many more good days and enjoy them all the more now...Talking and walking are my best non medication tips to fellow sufferers...hope you feel better soon...John.
Hi Johncraig, thanks for your help. Having to accept your anxiety must have been very hard, but congrats for doing so.
I think im at a point in my life where i cant accept that il always feel like this in one way or another, i refuse to, but i guess iv i have any hope of getting better i need to stop fighting with my anxiety and accept it for what it is..
Thanks so much for replying to my post and im glad you find some relief in talking and walking:)x
UnicornInA it may be possible that some people can get rid of their anxiety totally and i hope you are one of them...i wanted so much for it just to go but i think that just made me worry about it more and it just got worse so i began by going to the Doctors and seeking help that led me on to seeing a few mental health professionals which all helped but only for short spells.
it wasn't until i saw a psychiatrist for a long spell who told me that my increased anxiety maybe a part of me and if i accept this and should move on to try to minimize how it affects my life.
i would go for months being anxious,tired,angry,impatient and even suicidal but slowly i found small changes that eased it a bit and then i would go for months feeling great but i always had the odd event to show me it hadn't gone away.
I'm going through bad patch right now but i now look forward to what i call my anxious free holiday...hope my next holiday isn't too far away any time you need a talk just ask....john
Please let me hold your ehand and give you an ehug. Looks like you have already gotten several from others that care. If not already on your extensive list of therapies please add hugging and handholding (note: Words needed for ehugs. Words not needed for the real thing.).
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any time you need a talk just ask....john
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