My name is David. I’m a Scottish man in my early 40’s, and I’ve lived in Sydney Australia for the past 15 years. At the age of 33, following a period of consistent and continued stress and worry at home and in work, I developed Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
I didn’t just wake up one morning and have an anxiety problem - it crept up on me slowly and gradually as the worries in my life began to occupy more and more of my mind.
I had a good life and considered myself to be happy – but anxiety crept in anyway.
It started with some strange symptoms – and as these symptoms progressed and I began to fear the way the symptoms made me feel – the anxiety became a problem.
I remained in the grips of anxiety for a number of years, which led me to unemployment, despair, hopelessness, and a trip to the emergency ward. My life and mind were consumed with trying to escape the terrifying thoughts and feelings and scary symptoms that made each day almost unbearable.
Determined to find the joy in my life again, I spent time learning about my condition and how it affected my mind and body. I began to really understand why I remained trapped and why I had to approach my anxiety in a different way if I wanted to recover.
By acquiring this knowledge, and using it to break my anxiety cycle, I was able to fully recover. After 5 years of suffering I was able to once again live a life that was no longer ruled by anxiety.
David
