How long have you been dealing with An... - Living with Anxiety
How long have you been dealing with Anxiety?
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Its more like 40 years since I was 5 years old. I'm 46 now and I'm agorophobic! Its Hell on earth!
Hi! How are you feeling today? Have you come up with good coping strategies to help you when you feel anxious? I find that everyday is different. Some days are great and some days are really bad. But, if I know where the anxiety is stemming from and I can rationalise my thoughts clearly by looking at the bigger picture, I am able to get through situations that I never would have been able to 4 years ago.
That's great you can do that! Wonderful😄 The cbd oil works great for my severe clinical depression but only helps anxiety a little bit. My anxiety is so crippling that I'm terrified of going out and dealing with rude ppl. I've been picked on since around elementary school and have been called stupid and ugly as an adult. Ppl have never been friendly to me. Have no friends in real life but know some very amazing ppl on here. First time having friends. So my anxiety is unbearable when dealing with ppl outside my condo. I hate life everyday. Today is fine but mostly miserable. No energy whatsoever!!!
I'm sorry to hear that you have had a rough childhood with the kids at school. People can be really rude, especially if they have had a bad day. I hate dealing with people who take their anger out on you for no reason. It's great to have people to talk to, especially if you are going through something tough. It makes me feel like I am not alone. Getting things off my chest really help me think clearly! What have you been up to today? Do you have any plans for the week?
Yes ppl are rude and evil in my book. Never had any friends so always felt alone and singled out to be shit on. Happens daily till this day! Ppl suck😞😟 I don't do anything all day everyday. My so called existence is living in my condo doing nothing but watching tv like right now. I have no plans never have. Sounds depressing but this is what I deal with. Its unbelievably unbearable. What are you up to?
How long have you been spending all day everyday in your condo? Have you tried to leave the house recently? I like to sometimes go for walks, just by myself and listen to music. It helps clear my head.
What kind of TV shows do you like?
My parents are in town so I have been spending lots of time with them! Been really busy, it's hard to find time for myself.
Oh but your parents love you being around I bet. I love the elderly!! Great folks!💜 Once I quit my 25 years of drug and horrible alcoholism, I've been very nervous when I do anything anymore. I hate it. Question everything I do. Feel like I'm hearing things wrong. No liquid courage anymore. I watch mostly ID. True crime.
Started having anxiety on August 12 it’s been a monster to me started taking lexapro 10mg right away but since I previously had been on them this time I took them for 10 weeks with no luck. I started on sertraline 25 on Saturday October 19 today I took my 5th pill and has been ok I have less anxiety but it’s not fun I am unable to go out on my own I have to go out with a family member I know I have to overcome this. I have seen an loc therapist 4 times looking forward to dealing with my life as I used to be. I pray and hope this new med helps me and that I can do my regular life again. I hate anxiety.
I'm sorry you are having a hard time find the right medication that works for you. It is a tough process but once you have found the right one, it helps a lot. Good luck with your recovery! Stay strong, hopefully things will settle soon!
Yes I have seen a psychiatrist now he added more sertraline I am up to 50 mgs added ambient for sleeping and alprazolam every 6 hours to keep me relax. I pray pray & pray hoping this settles in and I can move on with my life. Thanks for reading me
12 day of sertraline 50 and I woke up anxious and crying I felt so hopeless this morning. I got up shower had a little to eat but I had to take Xanax 0.25 to try to relax. It did help but I felt so dizzy and sleepy I pribabply slept for about and hour and a half but I hate going through this I don’t know why anxiety is like this I was doing much better and I hate holloween anyways I feel like all the bad spirits are around and to top it off I had so many bad dreams I couldn’t take it this morning it was too much hopefully it’s side effects of sertraline and not that my progress is interrupted. If anyone knows please help!!!
I dealt with it for over 40 years and am thankfully recovered/healed now going on my second year.
What changed to help you after so many years? That’s great! Happy for you
Hello Wisdom, it was the culmination of a number of things. I had realized that I primarily had "social anxiety disorder" not "generalized anxiety disorder". I came across Complex PTSD which explained a lot of what and why I had been dealing with, especially since I had been bullied as a kid. I also came across "Act Therapy", which is all about accepting and not denying our feelings. I had done a lot of talk therapy which was helpful but had continued to have anxiety. i started meditating which really helped in accepting my thoughts and feelings. For me, getting a clear picture of why I had anxiety disorder, how I had developed it and educating myself on it really helped. For me, my light-bulb moment was embracing "acceptance" and I mean true acceptance - all of the thoughts and feelings are ok regardless is when i started to recover. It was slow going and three steps forward and two steps backward but I made progress. I truly believe that once we learn something we don't unlearn it and my recovery was strictly up to me.
Great now I wish I could hear and get advice from you to handle this monster. I started about 3 months ago and it’s yerrible it’s keeping from doing my regular life I am just at home in my room I get panicky when I go out of the house and it’s not nice to feel this way. I started sertraline 12 days ago after lexapro didn’t help could you please share what you did with me. He is my email or throught here pretty please soavila1@yahoo.com
Hello So17, the fastest way for you to recover is to find a therapist or center to work with who specializes in treating social anxiety disorder and preferably one with group therapy. Don't waste your time working with a general therapist. If you can't find one near you there are some online programs like the socialanxietyinstitute.org and overcomingsocialanxiety.com you can use. i personally used the one from the socialanxietyinstitute.org. Another thing is that your anxiety didn't just appear and happen to you. There are things or events, history, emotions, etc... that you haven't dealt with that are causing the anxiety. There can also be physiological contributors to anxiety like thyroid, adrenal fatigue, diet, etc... that should be ruled out. That's why you need to learn about it, why and how you developed it and get the tools to recover. The other thing to accept is that your anxiety is probably going to increase as you commit yourself to getting help but you must ignore it and understand that it's role at one time was to protect you but it's no longer needed. The simple answer to recovery is to accept your anxiety, negative feelings and thoughts and make friends with it but you need to learn how to do that without being overwhelmed. Dedicate and commit yourself to your recovery - you can do it.
thanks so much I will start by asking my pcp to check my thyroid again it was checked 3 months ago also my adrenal and probably vitamin dificiency I will look into the therapist deal I see one locally but I don’t think she is specialized in anxiety she is an LPC
You're welcome. if your therapist doesn't specifically treat social anxiety you can supplant the therapy with taking one of the online programs i mentioned. That is what I did for awhile. The more you learn about anxiety disorder the easier it is to recover. The old saying that nobody can fix you but yourself is true but you need the understanding and tools.
12-15 years didn't even come close. Unreasonable anxiety has been a struggle since 1950. Embedded so long, I'll be on meds the rest of my life, unless they find a cure!
Surprised so many have been struggling for so long.
You're not alone! Here if you want to talk
Boy, do I know you are there. My brother and I were kidnapped twice, once when I was 8, and again when I was 11. Our father was a real bas...d. He dumped us on his parents and brother. That was our saving grace. They were the most loving people. We saw our father one time over the next 7 years. They believed my father's lies that our mother had abandoned us. Else they would have returned us right away. My brother had a death wish - Vietnam 4 tours!
Since I returned to CA, I have disproved my father's lies. That didn't lessen the depression or anxiety, but I was able to convince my aunt and uncle that he had lied. That man died in 2014, alone, with no one even claiming his body. When my brother and I heard, it felt like they were talking about a total stranger.
While I was raising our children, I was terrified he would steal them, too. Then I suffered postpartum, lost a child, had severe financial struggles. I never dealt with the issues, just wondered why I couldn't function like 'normal' people. Finally, in 2007, I considered suicide, and a psychiatrist put me on meds. No therapy, as that made me more depressed. Finally, my father and his threats no longer bothered me. But the depression and anxiety remained, therefore, so do the meds.
Faking it until I made it, I developed several workarounds so I could work in public. I was able to do public speaking without fainting. I became CFO of the Chamber of Commerce, etc.
I considered suicide again this summer, after being evacuated for four weeks because of the N. Cal fires. An 18-month series of stressers finally broke the camel's back. I was on an involuntary 3-day hold at a behavioral center, and volunteered for another week. After the 'vacation' and a tweek in meds, I am in cured-mode. I am now aware that becoming overwhelmed is my trigger to a break. So, with a journal/planner my husband and I monitor my stress level, and I don't fake it. He is my support system. We are in this together! I accept that some days are better than others, and back off of plans on the 'others'. Things have been good since September 5, and looks to be good for quite a while into the future.
Being able to share some of my experiences and insights on this forum has been very healing. I am able to give forward, and re-learn several lessons.
Thanks for such a great site, and for listening.
Thank you for sharing your story. Reading the fourth paragraph put a smile on my face. I am so glad that you have a great support network with your husband. I hope that things continue to do well for you!
I am truly fortunate! Not only my husband, but my 4 children are my support system. We are a fantastic team. Together, we have helped each other through multiple crisis's and have learned to rely on each other. This has also given us much to pay forward. Our circle of support is not only our family, but many of our friends. We have found that the more we give, the more we get! If the 'getting' stopped today, none of us would live long enough to pay forward the help we've received!
BTW, because I was on involuntary commitment in California, the state suspended my 2nd Amendment rights (harm to self) for 5 years. I appealed, and won on Thursday! The ADA said he couldn't win a case against me, I was too 'together'. And, this time, I didn't play 'fake it 'till I make it'.
This site has helped me stay on track, reminded me of things I'd forgotten, and eased some real bad fears. And it has allowed me to pay forward a bit of my obligation. Thank you.
I've suffered since I was about 7 years old. I'm 57 now. The only thing that takes the edge of is medication for me.
More like 20 something years for me.
I’ve come to the conclusion it’s just part of me and won’t ever go away completely. But that’s ok, it’s easier not to fight it
more than 15 yrs
Life sentence I’m afraid, ruined my life and prevented me having children as I don’t want to pass it on any further. Relationships have been a nightmare. And the worst of it is still to come, as I am petrified of hospital treatment and I’m falling apart at 55.
Happy days
Since 1980 when my husband had an affair then became an alcoholic. His frightening behaviour towards me, and his "blame and manipulation" tactics have caused untold anxiety and panic attacks. I blame myself for staying. I believe that, when anxiety first arises, your body remembers the reaction and anything further down the road in your life that aggravates fear or whatever,your body has remembered to react in the same way. It has become programmed. I am trying to find ways to unscramble those messages and retrain my brain. Ha! Easier said than done. No doubt someone on here has described this before. The more I think or feel anxiety coming on, the more I dwell on it which only makes things worse and I physically freeze. Lesson to me? Try not to think about it and stay away from toxic triggers. I should say also that I have flashbacks and panic attacks in my sleep where I jolt awake,in fear, coming from nowhere, unable to breath and gasping for air. This makes me afraid to sleep hence my dreadful sleep pattern. Oh to sleep at a sensible time instead of the early hours like 5a.m. I suspect I have PTSD from physical and mental abuse. This sounds like self pity but I'm being honest. I hope what I've written is not inappropriate. Thank you.
33 years this December
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