My anxiety is worse than ever

[Gem2]

Hi, 

I've suffered from anxiety and depression since I was 13 I am now nearly 17 I have struggled for 4 years with generally life, school, being social and actually having a life. 

I've always been able to put up with the struggle of it all but last year it got way to much so I started seeking help through a counsellor she helped for a few weeks just to get things on track. And now all of a sudden the past 3 or so weeks my anxiety has been worse than ever, I'm constantly having break downs and freaking out over the littlest things. So the doctors have started me on medication which I've only been taking for a week. It seems to have made me worse! I'm constantly thinking about bad things and worrying. I'm hoping they started to help me soon. 

I just need some hope that things will start to get better. I am so exhausted from suffering from this. I've tried to be positive for so long and accept that I have a problem. But why all of a sudden has everything just gotten so worse and heavy on my shoulders. My anxiety just comes over me and I don't know how to control it. 

Can someone help me or tell me how they control there anxiety! 

[white knight]

Hi Gem, welcome

The very best thing that can come out of replying to you is to educate you about your illness and how you can overcome it with advice and self help ways.

Firstly many illnesses like anxiety and depression are life long issues that should be looked upon by the sufferer as things to best manage but not assume you will fully recover. just like a diabetic or polio or a speech impediment people have to live with these issues. But anxiety, you can actually recover- I did. So things are worth a try.

Like most remedies you need a mix of approaches. Correct diagnosis is crucial, then proper medication which will take time and fine tuning (more of that soon) therapy and self help.

Medication. For my depression I had tried 12 tablet types over 7 years. Finally I had found the best one and settled on that. Meds need around 6-8 weeks to work. So don't be premature after one week of trying them. Give them a go!  Medication should be altered only by your GP so never alter dosage amounts without approval.

Self help- To give you an idea of the severity of anxiety my anxiety that I had most of my 31 years of life peaked in 1987. I began medication and therapy. 12 months of therapy saw me being taught relaxation techniques. After 12 years I was calm enough to cease medication. 13 years later my anxiety was not traceable. So for me 25 years total. It may well be less for you especially that you are so much younger and more adaptable.

Try to dedicate time every day for total relaxing. Not reading or anything else. Find a nice quiet place without interruption. Tell others to leave you alone for 30 minute. Place a do not disturb sign on your door perhaps. I'm lucky I have a golf course behind our property and I can get lost in the forest there. Muscle tensioning exercises is what I was taught to do and your doctor or counsellor can get you to learn these. The effect is amazing, your heart rate slows and you feel totally relaxed.

Other self help things- don't associate with nasty people and certainly don't have them on Facebook, limit your time and involvement on social media. Halve your friends on Facebook. Do more sport and hobbies. Sport and exercise helps and hobbies divert your mind of nervous topics.

Finally, select a career that will most likely not add to your stress levels. And be it your goal to learn to do things that make you laugh.

Good luck.  Tony WK

[blondguy]

Hi Gem

Anxiety does go away...but it takes time....(Thankyou Tony WK..spot on)

Just a couple of tips Gem

* 'Controlling' Anxiety is counter productive...it only feeds the fire...

* Accepting the symptoms...takes time but works...

* Anxiety cannot co-exist in a mind that has a 'true calm state' It loses its power...

* 'Fighting' Anxiety also can increase/maintain those nasty symptoms...

* Calmly accepting the symptoms works...same as a physiological issue...no difference

* Using cellphones or an ipad before you go to sleep...they both stimulate brain activity...

* Quality of sleep...If you can its a huge help the next day when coping with anxiety

* Facebook...TonyWK is right here....many sufferers still checking & re-checking for posting...Its stressful

* Avoid overly critical and negative people...they will hinder the peace/recovery

Thankyou for posting GEM...I do hope there may be something here you can use 🙂

Kind Thoughts

Paul

[Dwwmills]

Hi Gem.

The time of life around late teens can be quite stressful at the best of times but if you’re suffering anxiety as well will make it more difficult.

It is possible to get control of anxiety. I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder and my daughter had an obsessive compulsive disorder. We both managed to get on top of it with a combination of medication and cognitive based therapy. It took my daughter a little over a year and took me about 18 months. We both used a psychiatrist to prescribe medication and a psychologist to teach us cognitive based therapy. Cognitive based therapy is just looking at what you are thinking, challenging any irrational beliefs, replacing them with more helpful thoughts and making plans to overcome the irrational beliefs. It is a really simple idea but it can take a little bit of learning. Once you have learned that you can use it anywhere, any time. I still use cognitive based therapy nearly every day to keep track of what of thinking and to prevent anxiety from creeping in.

My experience of medication is that it is not like taking an aspirin for headache. If you take an aspirin a couple of hours later the headaches gone. With the psychiatric medication it’s a more gradual thing. You find that in a month or two that your general mood is a better and you think or positive thoughts. It is very gradual although. My psychiatrist always said that the medication helps but the CBT is what makes the big difference. The CBT is what will carry you through after you’ve stopped medication. As said before don’t stop taking medication on your own only do it in conjunction with your doctor or psychiatrist.

Good luck

Dean