Anxiety

Anxiety and drinking alcohol

replies: 41

Hi all, I have been having a hard time recently with anxiety and it has started to affect my daily life. I first suffered anxiety when I was around 24, I am now 30. It was after a fairly big life event, I was diagnosed with cancer although it was cau... View more

Hi all, I have been having a hard time recently with anxiety and it has started to affect my daily life. I first suffered anxiety when I was around 24, I am now 30. It was after a fairly big life event, I was diagnosed with cancer although it was caught very early and I made a full recovery I had never really suffered from anxiety until after this, so I wonder if it was a trigger. I ended up taking CBT and it seemed to help and I got over it by changing jobs and doing something like stressful. Anyway, I then emigrated to Australia from the UK and have been fine, until recently. I have never really been able to handle hangovers and often engage in 'hair of the dog' to quell my anxiety. The last two weeks though it's got pretty bad, I didn't go to work for 3 days as I couldn't leave the house to go to work. I'd end up drinking from 9am which makes me feel better temporarily. I went to the GP who prescribed me some medication, i took it for the first day but i felt horrible on it. I resolved to myself that I would try to get better naturally by eating well and exercising etc. So last week was really good, however I then ended up getting really drunk on friday, felt awful on saturday so drank all day. Then sunday was the same. It's now Tuesday and I haven't been to work as i'm stuck in a bad cycle. The thought of going to work in the morning feels me with dread. I obviously can't keep on like this as I will lose my job if I keep taking days off. I know the alcohol is the root of the problems, I need to really moderate it and then I will be ok. Hopefully I can wean myself off today and get a good night sleep. Has anyone else been caught up in this self medicating with alcohol situation? I honestly don't think I am an alcoholic as I don't crave a drink when my anxiety is absent. It's just when it strikes, normally due to alcohol withdrawal I end up drinking again to make me feel better. I have hardly been eating the last few days and I have knots in my stomach. I woke up with terrible anxiety at like 4am and had to stop myself from reaching for some alcohol. I just don't now what's causing it. Anyway this is a good site! RELATED THREADS Anxiety after night out drinking? Drinking anxiety Anxiety and alcohol equals despair Anxiety, depression and alcohol

Anxious, Alone and Depressed...Hi, I'm new here.

replies: 7

Hi all. I have just visited this site for the first time today after a recommendation from a friend. I’ve been having a terrible time recently, with what I suspect is both Anxiety and Depression. Reading information on this site, I have symptoms of b... View more

Hi all. I have just visited this site for the first time today after a recommendation from a friend. I’ve been having a terrible time recently, with what I suspect is both Anxiety and Depression. Reading information on this site, I have symptoms of both, and I am going to see a GP tomorrow. I’m 28, and have been feeling down for many years, albeit at a manageable level. Apart from trouble sleeping, I’ve never had many friends and absolutely no luck with girls - the biggest thing that I regularly feel depressed and think about at night time. Most wouldn’t know I suffer like this - I manage to put on a smile at work and at the few social events I go to. I go to the gym a few times a week, enjoy outdoor activities, and travel regularly. Recently it has all become a bit too much. A new store manager at work, who is perhaps unqualified for the job, has made my work unbearable. There is a lot of extra workload on myself and the other assistant manager that wasn’t there previously, and some of his other habits are causing a lot of stress in the workplace - not just for myself and the other assistant, but all of the staff. I now dread going to work each morning, and sometimes physically feel like I want to vomit on the way. In contrast to this, but another cause of anxiety and insomnia, is the new girl at work. I fell for her the minute she said Hi, in a way I’ve never fallen for anyone before. Normally too shy to approach any girl for a date due to nothing but rejection in the past, I asked her out within a week. She said she's just come out of a serious relationship, and isn’t in the headspace for dating. It’s been two months now, her exams are over (causing her a lot of stress) and now all I think about is how and what I should do with her outside of work to win her heart. I’ve read through a bunch of posts in this forum and nearly all of them mention how lucky they were to have a supportive partner, or that they felt they were pushing one away. It seems almost impossible to start a new relationship with these struggles. We get along great though, and she does seem interested in spending time together - which terrifies me. Hanging out alone with the most amazing girl I’ve met in 28 years and not knowing if she’s emotionally available yet or not keeps me awake. I think having someone in my life with a positive attitude and a big smile who makes me feel wanted would help a lot - it’s something I’ve never had before, and we all deserve to be loved don’t we?

Have you forgiven yourself?

replies: 75

There are things I find hard to even admit to myself, let alone tell a bunch of strangers on a forum. Not jailable offences but still things I am in no way proud of. I think for some of us, guilt is like a chronic disease. it erodes our soul. It make... View more

There are things I find hard to even admit to myself, let alone tell a bunch of strangers on a forum. Not jailable offences but still things I am in no way proud of. I think for some of us, guilt is like a chronic disease. it erodes our soul. It makes us think we need to keep suffering in order to pay for our sins. And it affects our relations with people in a negative way. So I can't just say I've been a victim in life because I've also been one who has caused others pain and anguish. I don't need to hear your sins, just the fact that you continue to suffer guilt like me.

I hate anxiety

replies: 6

Hi, I'm not one to talk about my anxitey as I've always managed it on my own, but 4 months ago I was weened off my antidepressants and I'm in a good place, but this anxitey is horrid.....I'm always feeling ill, tight chest, loss of appetite .....it's... View more

Hi, I'm not one to talk about my anxitey as I've always managed it on my own, but 4 months ago I was weened off my antidepressants and I'm in a good place, but this anxitey is horrid.....I'm always feeling ill, tight chest, loss of appetite .....it's like I'm breathing it through all day....I wish it would stop as I hate being controlled...I don't want to go back on tablets as it was the most horrid process getting off them, in fact I'm sure I still have side affects for them....ahhhhh don't even know why I'm here and saying all this.....just my Dr keeps saying I will be fine, it's just your anxiety, so now I just won't go see him....so I suppose I'm here to remind myself I'm not alone.....ok sorry for not making any sense

Feeling so fed up right now 😢

replies: 11

Im a bubbly nothing makes me sad care free kinda gal on the outside..... but ive managed to fool everyone. Im 35 and i use to cry every night up until mid last year. I have never told anyone that a friend of my parents abused me when i was 11yrs old.... View more

Im a bubbly nothing makes me sad care free kinda gal on the outside..... but ive managed to fool everyone. Im 35 and i use to cry every night up until mid last year. I have never told anyone that a friend of my parents abused me when i was 11yrs old. I cant stand the word molest. It makes me physically sick and i think my defence mechanism deleted that word for me throughout my younger years to help me cope in life. I get so nervous/anxious when i have to leave my house and front people. Its like i fight myself everyday. I also feel like a manipulator because inside i feel so small and broken but because i "force" myself to be social, my friends and family say im the life of the party. In saying so im not pretty at all but i think its because im funny is the reason they think that. People also come to me with their problems and i never tell them what they should do but i "advise" them. My thinking is they came to me for a reason so i should give them a reason why they did. I never compare my problems to anyones because big or small its a problem for the individual. I dont want people to think im easy to push around. Just lately ive been feeling really down. All i need is someone to appreciate me. I started going to church and every sunday i use to cry coz the sermons seemed as if it was aimed at me. Mind you i was not a believer. I realised when i finally forgave this man for what he did i then forgave myself for holding on to it for so long (it might not sound reasonable to some)but i never cried at night over it since mid yr last year. Mind you i cry when things get too much but i have a high high tolerance for things. I just needed to vent and i even feel bad for venting on here coz i dont want to burden anyone.

Inner voice

replies: 8

Do any of you argue with your inner voice? Is this normal?

I've managed to get "stuck" in a rut and I can't work out what to do to change it?

replies: 5

One of my favourite quotes; "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein. Hi guys, I don't really know why I'm here, I guess it's because I've been thinking about the same things over and ov... View more

One of my favourite quotes; "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein. Hi guys, I don't really know why I'm here, I guess it's because I've been thinking about the same things over and over again for months without ever coming to a solution/plan that I can commit to.. Life keeps throwing huge hurdles at me and although I wish I knew the solutions to make the hurdles stop, I'm proud to say that I'm still here, managing as best I can.. I've had mental health issues for as long as I can remember, I've had a pretty broken life thus far which seems to have added to the ways that my symptoms manifest themselves. Mostly, anxiety is the condition that I feel affects me the most.. I'm on medication with benefit but I don't really have any friends or support. I've been on my own for years so I don't know why I'm having so much trouble moving away now.. I'm thinking about taking my son and moving a few hours away in time for him to start school next year. I think it might be good for us to start fresh, go to a new town where everyone doesn't know everything (or think they know everything) about our lives. Whenever I'm far enough away from where I am now, my anxiety is better for it. The only reason that I am where I am now is because I've been trying to keep other people happy at my own sacrifice and I don't think that it's best for me or my son to stick around. I am stuck inside the house where I am at present but I can actually get out to the shops, do errands ect in this said town (I lived there for 2 years, 2 years ago and still visit). I'm also happier with the schools available there for my son whereas I'm not in the town that I'm being pressured into (my brother and I were abused at the local school when we were children). With all of these points in mind, it seems like a easy solution to the problem but I don't know why I'm finding it so hard? Is it just because I don't want to disappoint everyone? Perhaps I'm just afraid to fail (it's not like I'd be stuck there forever even if It didn't work out)? I'm tired of being remembered and talked about in the community by the misfortune and failures in my life/my family's life when it doesn't define who I am eg, these been family suicide over the years (my uncle and now recently a cousin), there's been drug abuse (my father), drug induced phsychosis (my father), social issues.. Nothing feels "personal" anymore. I just want to start fresh?

My life with anxiety

replies: 3

Hi everyone, so my name is Miriam and this is how my whole life turned around. I used to have the 'perfect' life. Loving family and friends but it's all gone now. My own 'best friend' of nearly 7 years left me and started treating me badly and backst... View more

Hi everyone, so my name is Miriam and this is how my whole life turned around. I used to have the 'perfect' life. Loving family and friends but it's all gone now. My own 'best friend' of nearly 7 years left me and started treating me badly and backstabbing me. I also found out that my dad was kind of cheating on my mum. There's no happy place for me anymore I really need help I'm not feeling like myself anymore

Anxiety triggered by peripheral neuropathy

replies: 2

This is my first day on here. I have recently developed anxiety after a difficult year. I was coping with my peripheral neuropathy symptoms in my legs and feet quite well...but since I developed this anxiety suddenly I find myself worrying constantly... View more

This is my first day on here. I have recently developed anxiety after a difficult year. I was coping with my peripheral neuropathy symptoms in my legs and feet quite well...but since I developed this anxiety suddenly I find myself worrying constantly about the sensations...and feel they are getting worse which triggers the anxiety and it becomes a viscious circle. I have been on medication now for 4 weeks but the anxiety is still there. I have my first visit with a psychologist next week. Has anyone been in a similar situation who can give me some encouragement. Thankyou

Anxiety and Humour

replies: 8

We all have different senses of humour I know. What I'm interested in here is how much anxiety plays a role in making us laugh. John Cleese used to make me laugh on Fawlty Towers when handling difficult situations/people and his own incompetence as w... View more

We all have different senses of humour I know. What I'm interested in here is how much anxiety plays a role in making us laugh. John Cleese used to make me laugh on Fawlty Towers when handling difficult situations/people and his own incompetence as well. I think when I most want others to take me seriously, is when I look the most vulnerable and possibly the funniest. I can remember giving a speech at Toastmasters once and I was so nervous, my hands and arms were going everywhere. The feedback was "Scotch, your content seemed OK, but it was so hard to concentrate on what you said, because of innapppropriate body language." I often try to use humour to diffuse anxiety. But it can backfire if not accepted well. I remember an appointment I had with the boss I was a few minutes late and I said when he arrived "oh he won't mind me being late, he's only the boss." He didn't smile. I think it helps my mental health to try and see the funny side of things. Comedians like Bob Hope and Woody Allen, often use it, I noticed. I sometimes say to myself "OK what's the worst case scenario? I'll be homeless, never afford to have a phone, computer or TV and not be able to post on forums like BB!" Hey that doesn't sound so bad, actually.

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Anxiety and drinking alcohol

replies: 41