Anxiety

Anxiety vs. Hope – Hope wins!

replies: 4

A dark cloud continually consumes & plagues my thoughts day & night. I wake exhausted feeling I’m on the verge of going insane. My palms are sweaty, my head is oppressed & I can’t sleep. I’m taking medication each morning just to get out of bed & fun... View more

A dark cloud continually consumes & plagues my thoughts day & night. I wake exhausted feeling I’m on the verge of going insane. My palms are sweaty, my head is oppressed & I can’t sleep. I’m taking medication each morning just to get out of bed & function. I feel numb, helpless & most of all HOPELESS. I want to escape & rise above it all, but I can’t see the future. I’m mentally & physically fatigued as I battle in private for the mental anguish to be removed. My thoughts drift into dark places where I grapple with ways of “escaping”, although praying for the strength not to follow through. This was my private battle of anxiety over a 5-year period triggered by an event I witnessed on a flight to Bali. My anxiety grew from being situational (flying) to panic attacks. I had to make a choice, either take action & fight it or live in a medicated cocoon for the rest of my life. There is HOPE for full & utter restoration & to live a life free of anxiety. Although in the pit of darkness everything seems hopeless, hold on there is an amazing & bright future on the other side of this “giant”. Although the symptoms may present themselves physically, anxiety is not real, it can be controlled, it’s just annoying & uncomfortable. I want to share some tips / thoughts that enabled me to manage & overcome my anxiety / PA: Tip 1:Professional help - No shame in seeking professional help, they can provide rational & logical perspective when you can’t Tip 2: Avoid avoidance - face your fears Tip 3: Breathing is your anchor - With this it is physically impossible to have panic attacks. Recommend from iTunes Gay Hendricks Ph. D titled “fly without fear” Tip 4:Thought replacement - Observe them but don’t let them take hold & replace them with positive thoughts Tip 5:Keep a list of your conquests - This is a reminder of how far you have come Tip 6:Rehearse how you want to experience the situation & break it up into manageable pieces - So doesn’t seem so overwhelming Tip 7: Its ok & no shame in medication - I used that for a period when I needed it (properly prescribed by my Doctor) until I could get it under control. Whether you are a believer or not, the power in the tips noted above are not diminished. For me, my greatest anchor was my faith in Jesus Christ. There was a sermon that my Pastor preached on “Courage beyond our fears” which changed my perspective & set me on a path of freedom.

Does Anxiety Make You Chatty

replies: 7

When I’m anxious I start feeling like I need to talk. I don’t often have someone to actually talk to. But when I do it’s like floodgates release, I can hardly stop myself. I don’t know if it’s because everything feels like it’s moving fast and I just... View more

When I’m anxious I start feeling like I need to talk. I don’t often have someone to actually talk to. But when I do it’s like floodgates release, I can hardly stop myself. I don’t know if it’s because everything feels like it’s moving fast and I just need to let it out or because finally someone is listening. Does anyone else find that they become like a geyser of emotions?

Does anyone else feel like they are 'delaying' a breakdown?

replies: 7

Hi there, i dont want to go into my big dark history but essentially I was on heavy medications for a decade through my teens/ early 20s. I did not find them effective. However- I know my brain is different from someone who has a healthy experience o... View more

Hi there, i dont want to go into my big dark history but essentially I was on heavy medications for a decade through my teens/ early 20s. I did not find them effective. However- I know my brain is different from someone who has a healthy experience of life. My boyfriend of 3.5years broke up with me just after Christmas. We lived together and I have been sortimg everything out. I'm working in a job where I'm sometimes expected to run someone else entire business on my own. I'm trying to move furniture, find housemates, keep the business running, keep my dog happy and not let anyone down. I feel like I am so close to a breakdown and have been for weeks. I'm dealing with panic attacks and I'm smoking way more than I should- Im just trying to find some relief. Its like I'm just delaying a breakdown until its socially acceptable (I have no commitments) to do so. Has anyone ever felt like this? I'm getting desperate. I don't want to loose my job but I need some time to deal with everything that is going on.

Anxiety and possibly depressed?

replies: 7

Hi, First time posting here, just wanted to make sure what I'm going through is just a part of life and hopefully I won't need to see a therapist. I've been graduated over a year now and I have still yet found any employment I am interested in. At th... View more

Hi, First time posting here, just wanted to make sure what I'm going through is just a part of life and hopefully I won't need to see a therapist. I've been graduated over a year now and I have still yet found any employment I am interested in. At the time I thought the degree I studied was something I am passionate about, but now I am drained and I am definitely not the same happy person I use to be. I found myself stuck in a dead end job I hate, I love my colleagues but I really hate my position. I just want to move to a new place with only one or two people I care about. I don't want to see anyone I know or really talk to them. I don't know what I want to do with my life anymore. I can't sleep properly, I've gained a lot of weight, I stress eat a lot, I need to have youtube playing a video on a device at all times (except at work)... I don't have time to see a psychologist because my job doesn't allow time for that and I also can't find another job...it hurts me to see everyone moving forwards and I'm still where I am... I just want to know all this will get better and it's normal, everyone goes through it and I don't need to see a specialist.

Body-wide cold cold shiver brought on by anxiety?

replies: 5

Maybe it has to do with the colder weather where I am lately, but I doubt it. My biggest cause for anxiety lately is food. And lately sometimes when I'm eating, most often if it will happen in happens on the first bite of a meal. But I just get this ... View more

Maybe it has to do with the colder weather where I am lately, but I doubt it. My biggest cause for anxiety lately is food. And lately sometimes when I'm eating, most often if it will happen in happens on the first bite of a meal. But I just get this body wide cold pins and needles almost feeling. It's so overwhelming it makes my mind go into overdrive. This used to be able to totally put me off my meal and just utterly distract me from what I was doing. It has happened once in recent memory BEFORE I was going to eat. But from what I can tell it's definitely caused by anxiety and makes me very anxious after it hits me. Has anyone experienced something like this or similar? I've done my best to eliminate variables and track down the cause of this as it's fairly recent but from what I can tell it's just a new symptom of my anxiety lately. I used to just get a tightness in my chest that lasted a bit longer or a feeling like I'd need to rush to the toilet or the occasional nervous dry-reaching. But this is new, uncommon thus far but new. Am I giving this power by assuming it's related to anxiety?

Anxiety causing nausea

replies: 2

I'm currently going into year 8. my anxiety started in october of 2016 just before i went into year 7. i missed a lot of school due to the nausea caused by anxiety of change. I finally got used to it in about july of 2017 but now its coming back and ... View more

I'm currently going into year 8. my anxiety started in october of 2016 just before i went into year 7. i missed a lot of school due to the nausea caused by anxiety of change. I finally got used to it in about july of 2017 but now its coming back and i feel it again. i dont know what to do. i would often throw up before school started and leave early. this probably wont be seen but oh well.

Irrational Fear of Food Allergies/ General Health Anxiety

replies: 7

Sorry in advance for how long this is! I appreciate any advice or support anyone's willing to send my way! I've had anxiety for quite a few years now, pretty much has always been health-based, hypochondria stuff. I've mostly had health anxiety relati... View more

Sorry in advance for how long this is! I appreciate any advice or support anyone's willing to send my way! I've had anxiety for quite a few years now, pretty much has always been health-based, hypochondria stuff. I've mostly had health anxiety relating to my asthma and hayfever although my asthma has never been truly bad. My main fear is my throat swelling up and not being able to breathe, whether that be from asthma (even though, thankfully, I've never had an attack but that was my fear for the longest time ever), or in recent times, from anaphylaxis. A few months ago I began having fears of sudden allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), despite not having an allergic reaction to any foods thus far in my lifetime, (I am currently 19). Although that anxiety passed, it has come back and worse than it was last time. My sister got admitted to hospital just over a month ago with a full body rash, swollen lips and ears and low blood pressure (she is fine now). The doctors said it was a reaction to a virus as she did not experience any swelling of the throat. I was struggling incredibly hard with anxiety during that period of time and have been for the last few months and that event has made my fears seem valid. I am scared to eat foods I've eaten many times before without a second thought. I am finding it to be debilitating at the moment, thinking that I will go into anaphylaxis at any given point in time from food or other materials that could cause an allergic reaction. I have had individuals try to reassure me I would feel an allergic reaction straight away but I worry I will have one and not be able to get help in time or that I will be alone when/if anything ever were to happen. I know in my mind that I overcame this anxiety before and continued living my life as normal and eating whatever I wanted to without the slightest bit of anxiety, so l feel it's not completely unattainable to not be riddled with this anxiety, but this has lasted longer and is worse than the last time I had this anxiety. If anyone can reassure me somehow I would really appreciate it. I know this is long winded and so l apologise, it's just starting to become too much. I'm scared to sleep incase I wake up and something randomly happens in the middle of the night like it did with my sister. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thank you

Quit my job or keep going?

replies: 4

Hi all, new here. I have a job in motorsport which is very high pressure and requires decisions to be made very quickly and concisely as a result of constantly changing situations. Unfortunately after 4 years persisting and moving up the ladder I am ... View more

Hi all, new here. I have a job in motorsport which is very high pressure and requires decisions to be made very quickly and concisely as a result of constantly changing situations. Unfortunately after 4 years persisting and moving up the ladder I am coming to realise that my ability to handle the pressure in a manner where I can enjoy my job is non existent. Ever since I first began years ago now, in a lower position with less stress I struggled to enjoy it and I found the only time I enjoyed myself was when it was over and I could go home. I persisted though, because motor racing is the dream job and I was apparently living that dream and my peers often made a point of how great I was doing to have such success in this niche industry. So to quit simply wasn't an option. Gradually I moved up the ladder, I am good at what I do (mostly because I'm terrified of failure so I work hard to ensure I don't) and as a result the opportunities continued to come. The anxiety of it has also climbed with each opportunity though and I've continued on with the belief that more experience will make it easier to cope and that is true to an extent however I'm finding that in my recent role I am crumbling with no improvement in my anxiety as I gain experience, if anything it's getting worse. There's usually a 3 to 4 week break between each event and the strange thing is when I get back home after each event I feel fine, almost like I forgot how anxious and stressed I was during the previous event but still I never look forward to the next one, I instead always count down the weeks, wishing I had more time before having to leave again. Whenever I have been offered a new, bigger opportunity in the sport I don't feel excitement, I feel dread, that awful sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach and almost instant sweating of the palms, it's not the reaction someone should have if they're pursuing their dream. I'm not on medication and the issue is that anything which could cause drowsiness and a lack of concentration would be a big problem for the role, not to mention having a reliance on medication to cope into the long term future wouldn't be healthy. I've realised writing this out that I'm basically making the decision already, but I'm extremely worried about the fact I have nothing planned to go back to and my skillset useful in that industry applies to little outside of it. I'm struggling to come to terms with the thoughts of regret to let the "dream" go. Cheers,

I have a long flight coming up at the end of January and the anticipatory anxiety is killing me

replies: 21

Hi everyone, i am new to to the forum but certainly not new to anxiety. I have had anxiety since I can remember. I am scared of everything at the moment. It has all come about since confronting my fear of flying in September. I have been exposing mys... View more

Hi everyone, i am new to to the forum but certainly not new to anxiety. I have had anxiety since I can remember. I am scared of everything at the moment. It has all come about since confronting my fear of flying in September. I have been exposing myself to flying in the hope it will eventually ease. I have flown 6 times and it seems to be getting worse, not better. I have a long flight coming up at the end of January and the anticipatory anxiety is killing me. I am anxious from the moment I wake up in the morning until the moment I fall asleep. I went and saw my GP today who has now referred me to a psychiatrist. I finally told my husband how bad my anxiety was and although sympathetic he doesn't really get it. I just feel so alone most of the time and can't stop crying. Frantic1

Worried & anxious

replies: 3

Hi Just looking for a bit of advice. I was recently in my local little store, where I've been a regular shopper for years. I've become friendly with one of the girls who works at the counter, mainly as we live in the same area, and I've bumped into h... View more

Hi Just looking for a bit of advice. I was recently in my local little store, where I've been a regular shopper for years. I've become friendly with one of the girls who works at the counter, mainly as we live in the same area, and I've bumped into her 2 or 3 times around the place. I wouldn't say we're friends, but we're definitely friendly, and I even gave her a little Xmas pressie, to say thanks for being so friendly. A few days ago she was serving me and we were having a bit of a chat, but she kind of blanked out on me, and we both just stood there looking at each other. I started to feel quite paranoid and anxious, then realised I was on the verge of a panic attack, and felt like I just had to get out of the shop. I quickly grabbed my bag - I had already paid - and without saying thank you or goodbye, I walked out really quickly. Now I feel as though she must think I'm awful and I feel too embarrassed to go back & explain myself. She may have thought I was really rude or angry. I'm wondering about the best way to approach her, and worried that if she sees me come in that she might not want to speak to me. Do you think I should just simply apologise & explain that it wasn't my intention to be rude? I have been worrying about this for days. Cheers

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