How do I start living again 😢

[Lil4]

Hi!

I'm a 34 year old married woman with 2 small children, no history of anxiety or mental health problems. Have always been a positive, happy, enjoying life as it comes type of person until a month & a half ago when we were on holidays & I experienced what I now know was a panic attack... It came out of the blue, nothing to provoke it! Sweating, feeling sick, dizzy, cold, pounding racing heart! So into an ambulance of to emergency... Monitored & put down to stressors or the infection that was on my ear.

Since then I just haven't felt the same! Just anxious all the time on & off, can't enjoy life. I'm now just over 3 weeks on meds & 3 sessions of therapy, I'm having some really good days & have definitely improved from where I was at, but also times where I get the sensations something isn't right... Then I start to panic about my health! Even though the Dr has said you're fine, it's just anxiety! I'm finding it so hard to deal with, because when you go from feeling great one day to having an attack like I did & now these feelings for over month you just can't shake off that something isn't physically wrong with you!

How do I get my old self back, I miss me... I miss feeling confident, I miss wanting to do things, I miss living with no fear 😭

[geoff]

hello Lil4, I am truly sorry that this has begun, I can't welcome you to anxiety, but I can welcome you to the site and know exactly how you are feeling, just as heaps of other people do and it doesn't make you feel comfortable.
There may or may not be any sufficient reason why this has started, it could have been building up over a period of time, so you haven't really noticed it happening until crunch time when you began to feel this way.
I'm really sorry that you have been put in this position, especially with 2 small children who don't know what's going on, and with yourdoctor saying 'it's just anxiety' is ridulous, obviously they haven't had the 'pleasure' to endure this terrible illness.
It's been 3 weeks anda slight improvement, that's positive, and hopefully in another 3 weeks it will get even better, that's what we have to wait and see, but if your doctor isn't treating with much concern then can I suggest you try another one, because your health is far more important than someone who doesn't really care.
It's also very important that you ask your doctor about seeing a psychologist on a mental health plan, which entitles you to 10 free 10 visits.
Lil this may take a little time, unfortunately, it's not something that can be rectified straight away, but if each day improves then that's definitely a bonus.
Please stay with us and please let us know what's happening. Geoff.

[Jessicatherese94]

Hi Lil, sorry to hear you're feeling this way. I remember the first time I had a panic attack I thought I was going to die, so you're definitely not alone in how you're feeling. It's great that you're surrounding yourself with professional help. I think you should definitely continue with therapy and medication and see how things go over the next few months. Hopefully you really click with your therapist and if they aren't helping you don't be afraid to shop around so to speak to find one that suits your needs. Something that helps with my anxiety is positive self talk, regularly exercising, surrounding myself with friends and family. Also the app Booster Buddy is absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend it on top of therapy/medication. Hope you're doing okay.