Sharing some thoughts

[Dnel82]

I joined this nearly two years ago. I just made my 4th year living with anxiety/panic disorder. I kinda take it a day at a time. I don't do the meds or any type of therapy. I try my best to live as normal as possible.

It's a little depressing because my goal basically is to survive the day. That's a pretty sad goal and means to manage such a disorder, but I guess I make it work. What lead me to come back was that I found myself googling for answers and solutions.

All I came across where statistics and stories about how others are suffering. Brought my spirits down. Sad that these times in 2020 there's no real full proof treatment besides pills and talk therapy. Still having to deal with bandaid treatments from nearly 80 years ago today or maybe even longer.

It's sad knowing I'll be trapped like this for the rest of my life. I know my words aren't positive, but this is how I feel atm. Living this way sucks.

I think back sometimes of who I was before the anxiety. Brings a lump in my throat knowing I'm no longer that person but someone entirely new. I don't remember how I used to be.

Anyway hoping that others are managing better. Stay blessed.

[Thesearch629]

Glad you’re still here...

thank you for posting.

[Agora1]

Hi Dnel82, You're absolutely right in that not much has changed in the way

Anxiety is treated in 2020. Medication and Therapy are still the methods use

to treat patients. I went through that myself but after years of still suffering, I

was determined to no longer wait for that magic pill that I hoped would come out

some day.

That was when I decided to take apart anxiety. Find out what prompted it, what

made it have such control over me as well as how I would conquer it once and for all.

I knew I would, it was just a matter of time. I was sick and tired in dealing with daily

fear. I lost friends, family was disgusted with me. It was the doctors who had known

me before anxiety made it's presence that encouraged me to dig deep and bring that

strong person back again. As much as I thought I couldn't, I knew I had nothing to lose

and everything to gain.

I dug deep in research and went back to the first book I had ever read by Dr. Claire Weekes.

"Hope & Help for Your Nerves"... I read it several times once again and watched her videos on

YouTube. I realized that I had missed what she was telling me years ago. The key to Anxiety

was Acceptance. Accepting that anxiety is nothing but a thought coming from our subconscious mind. A lie at that. Once we believe it, it escalates into a cycle of fear and gets harder and harder to over rule it.

Everything Dr. Weekes said was me. She described the anxious patient to a "T". Reading and learning about another tool is just that unless we start to use it. And I did plus added

additional methods which for me were different Meditations plus learning proper deep breathing in order to control the adrenaline levels and fear.

We've talked before Dnel, so you know that I did get control back of my life and it's amazing.

I'm here now to offer support to others struggling and wasting their lives away. You deserve to live and not just exist. I'm glad to see you back. Maybe we can help you become

the person you were. xx

[Lemonyems]

Thank you for your post. You are absolutely right that so many of us suffer this often crippling illness but unless there’s money to be made no one does much to improve our long term outlook. Even the modern medicines are 20 years old. One condition alone might be manageable - but they often come with insomnia, eating disorders, further traumas. The snowball keeps rolling. But we are all here - together.

Personally I’m enduring my first intro to anxiety, depression as a result of Covid, lockdown etc. Getting help is so limited as we can’t see even therapists in person - let alone family. Im mostly finding it living hell.

[Tranquilwaters]

I hear you, Dnel. Your posts always reflected my own situation, so I actually have thought of you often. 5 years and counting here, too. Sending much love.💜

[Hidden]

Surely agree with you. I have lived with this/these illnesses for 65 years. Exercise (though it is becoming more difficult) and alprazolam (Xanax) work to some extent for me. I am careful with Xanax but it can be a life-saver when necessary.

It is waaay hard for me to compare myself now to when I was not anxious and depressed. Terrible illnesses!