Introduction

[Noso]

Hi there I'm Kieran I'm 25 and I've been dealing with GAD for just over 2 years now.

I have always been a worrier, but it started when I was living overseas in the U.K I was working a day shift at the restaurant and I was pretty hungover from the night before, I was in the process of taking some drinks over to a table when I started to get chest pains, heart rate started increasing, and the rushes through the body. As someone who had never felt anything like this my brain could only think of 1 logical answer....heart problems.

Everything went downhill from there, I had got stuck into a cycle of thinking I was gonna die from a heart attack at any given moment when in fact they were just constant anxiety attacks but because the attacks had the physical symptoms that were mostly chest related I kept thinking it was a heart problem and thus around and around it went, for weeks I slept a couple of hours every night, I'd go to bed fully clothed because I didn't want people to find me in underpants if I died during the night, took my self to casualty in the hospital numerous times has the ecg tests only for the doctors to tell me my heart was fine only for me to trick myself into thinking that they just didn't do it right.

 It started to calm down after a while when I my aunt told me that I had anxiety, turns out it can be genetic and turns my mum, both aunties and my Nanna all ​suffer from either depression or anxiety, not so severely any more so I was oblivious to it growing up so I had no idea, once I got into my head it was anxiety and not heart problems it calmed down a little bit, I still had anxiety attacks and it was always in my mind that everyone else was wrong and I did have a heart problem but it was manageable at times.

A year later I came home and within a couple of months I was put onto medication to help me deal with it, my anxiety is still there but it's not health related anymore and it's not debilitating like it was, it's just like a constant nagging in the back of my head constantly keeping on edge, I tried some therapy but I didn't really find it was for me, I find that talking to my mum, aunt and my Nanna calms me down more than anything.

That's my story so far I hope it wasn't too boring and someone out there can find some solace from my experiences and no that they aren't going through this alone.

[Kazzl]

Hi Kieran, welcome to the forum! Thank you for sharing your story. It's always good to hear from someone who has come through a terrible time and is managing well. You sound very positive and it's wonderful that you know your experience might offer solace to others. It certainly will.

It is also wonderful that you can talk to your family and it calms you down. Treasure that mate, they are gold!

Did you find it hard to open up to them at first? At lot of people struggle with that, maybe because they don't want to admit to themselves that they need help, or they are worried about how their family will react or don't want to burden them. As a mum of someone your age I can tell you you've done exactly the right thing by involving your family. Young people often try to struggle alone, because they don't want to upset their parents, but if it was one of mine I would want to know and do everything in my power to help them, as would many parents.

Thank you Kieran, it's so good to meet you. We have a special board for young people, maybe you could take a look? I'm sure others would benefit from your experience. And of course join in anywhere you wish on the forum.

Kaz

[Paul]

Hi Noso, welcome to Beyond Blue forums.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. It's definitely NOT boring, it's amazing because of the discovery you made that your family suffers as well and that you are able to find comfort by talking to your Mum, Aunt and Nana.

The last line in your post - that people aren't alone in this is so fundamental to recovery. In your own story, you were able to start feeling better by discovering you weren't alone and that your family understands from experience.

Of course, you're not alone and nor is your family alone Noso, so many people here can relate to your description of what it's like to have anxiety attacks because they experience them as well.

Welcome once again, please feel free to ask questions around the forums , join discussions or to let others know individually that they aren't alone. Every voice whether in need or providing comfort is an amazing addition to the community here.

Paul

[Noso]

Hi Kaz, 

no I didn't find it hard talking to them because at first I didn't know what was happening, but when I caught up with my aunt while she was holidaying in England I told her all my symptoms when I thought it was my heart she pretty took one look at me and said it was anxiety due to her own experience, when she told me that most people in her family had it I went to mum and asked her about it and she gave me pointers about how to deal with it, but that was still when I was at my worst so I was convinced they were all wrong and that I was sick, i thought there was no way a mental illness could have such physical symptoms, took me a while to convince myself that it was anxiety and not a impending heart attack.​