My anxiety - seeking help

[Daniel_LK91]

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum. I have anxiety and i think that it is ruining my life. I have no friends and cant socialize. I have a job and can sometimes work but lately I have not been able to work. I spend most of my time alone at home with myself but luckily my parents live with me too so it is nice to have them there. I would really like to get myself back on track. I want my life back and want to be "normal" again even though i feel like that is impossible and think that things are only going to get worse. I really do hope to get better and feel better, hopefully sooner than later.

Can anybody else relate? Anxiety really does suck.

Daniel.

[missep123]

Hi Daniel LK91,

I hear you, anxiety sucks. It really, truly sucks.

You are definitely not alone though, I can completely empathise with you on how much anxiety can rule our lives. There is hope though! My own anxiety is what I tend to think to myself -they aren't actually true once I do some thought challenging.

You mentioned wanting to be 'normal' again, what does that look like for you? The fact that you are self-reflecting now and showing that there is something you want to work on is already the first part of the journey!

We are definitely here for you so I hope to hear from you.

[Petal22]

Hi Daniel LK91,

Wellcome to our forums!

Sorry you are feeling this way, anxiety does suck!

One thing I learned with anxiety was don’t do what your anxiety is telling you to do this will only reinforce your anxiety………

I had severe anxiety OCD……. I have now recovered from this condition thanks to health professionals.

When my anxiety told me not to go out side I went outside…… defy your anxiety…..

There came a time in my life were I decided to stop running from my anxiety and turn around and face it head on……. By doing this I gained a lot of self growth…… my recovery started from seeing a gp we did a mental health plan together this enabled me to see a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist and I did an 8 week therapy….. my gp also put me on a antidepressant to help me to manage my anxiety….

You can learn to manage your anxiety…… please seek help from your gp let your gp know how you are feeling and how it’s affecting your life… you could do a mental health plan together this will enable you to see a psychologist…..

You can get better……. Take your first step towards recovery 😊

Im here to chat

[Pumpkinella]

Hi Daniel,

I can definitely relate to that, and I was in your position without friends, but living with my parents and having extreme anxiety. I had to go home from work once because it was all too much. I felt like a weird person, I felt lonely and like I would always be strange. The anxiety is so strong it feels like it can never change...but it can.

I recommend seeing a GP and perhaps being referred to a psychologist to help you with your anxiety. I'm not sure whether you have general anxiety, social anxiety or both. Either way a psychologist can give you strategies and tasks so that you can get stronger and start doing the things you want to do. Sometimes you need to change psychologists at the start to get one that you connect with. Just know that is a normal process, you have to find the type of help that works for you. You can also google different authors, ted talks and books on anxiety as well. It's so common that there are a lot of resources and help so that's a good thing too.

It can be a bit of a long road, but its one that once you are on it and stay committed, it tends to only get better. That is what happened with me and with many others. The first step is just to reach out like you are doing now.

I can see that despite your anxiety you have some hope and commitment. These are the most important things. That and appreciating your family, as you already do! and knowing that there is nothing 'wrong' or 'defective' about you. You are just struggling with something and are going to get the help you need. Its all good.

I'm here to chat when you need.

Love Pumps

[Daniel_LK91]

How do you thought challenge your anxiety?

I think life looking normal for me looks like having friends, being social, laughing and being happy and active physically. Having a good job and earning good money and having some kind of routine in my life.

Thanks for your support

[Daniel_LK91]

Yeah its kind of like that isnt it, that you shouldnt listen to your anxiety.

But also true that you should face it head on and as a result receive the self-growth that comes from it.

I currently see a psychiatrist regularly and am on three different kinds of medication

Life has been getting better since I wrote this post so well see how things go in the near future.

I think that for me finding some kind of group therapy or in person support group with people who deal with these issues would also help - to have that social aspect and also to connect with like minded people.

Daniel.

[missep123]

Hi Daniel LK91!

That is really good that you are able to visualise what normal and optimal life looks like for you. I think that if we are able to think about it and visualise it, it makes it a little bit easier to get there.

Okay so the way I challenge my thoughts is to first recognise what I am thinking.

For example one thought I tend to have (since I am a perfectionist) is that I am not good enough at what I am doing compared to others or I should have gotten higher. Because I am thinking this way I am feeling low or anxious. Once I recognise that I am thinking these thoughts I challenge them by thinking all the examples for and against the thought. Often what you will find is that the list of 'evidence' against what you are thinking is way longer and more believable than the 'evidence' supporting that thought. For example:

For:

- Some of my friends got a higher mark than me

Against:

- The assignment was very difficult and I also know of people who didn't do so well

- I put a lot of effort into this and it is the best I could do at the time

- No one has ever told me that I wasn't good enough, it is something I tell myself.

I hope this makes sense! We are definitely here for you!

[Petal22]

Hi Daniel LK91,

Yes true we shouldn’t listen to it but it’s the feeling that it gives us that makes it hard, but you can go against it.

Yes, the best thing I ever did was face it head on…. I did obtain a lot of self growth and I was very blessed to have the professionals that helped me along the journey.

Thats great that you are seeing a psychiatrist and that things have improved for you.

Yes I highly recommend a group therapy when I walked into mine I felt so at ease to know that I wasn’t the only one.