Anxiety..

[MehGuy]

You're so emo, do you listen to a lot of Joy Division?

Well straight up sadism works too.

 

[snoopy500]

I had suffered through a lot of anxiety over the years. I had one really bad panic attack in High school one morning while trying too write a test I was stressed out for. One of the worst experiences I have ever had. I went too therapy for 4 years which was a free service at the same and really helped. I did have suicidal thoughts at some points. It's not really a huge issue now a days which I am thankful for. Getting away from high school actually helped me so much

 

[KitKatMatt]

High school was also a horrible time for me. I really wished that anyone would have brought up the idea that something was wrong with me, rather than letting me suffer through it with no treatment.

My grades might have been a lot better, and I may have made more friends.

 

[colorblindlover]

I have struggled with anxiety almost my entire life. I found out that it runs in my family: depression, anxiety, stress, panic attacks, and more. The whole enchilada.

I started seeing a counselor this year because after my grandma passed away in November, I started having panic attacks after a year or so of not having any at all. And they weren't like mini ones, they were really bad. I even woke my parents up in the middle of the night (I live with them btw) and told them I thought I needed to call 911. I would be driving some times and suddenly feel like I couldn't breathe and that I was definitely going to die and have a heart attack at the least.

Counseling isn't for everybody, but if you have the option, it's always good to give it try and if it doesn't work then find other ways to cope. For me, I needed someone to just let me talk without judging me for my fears. My doctor enlightened me when I went for back pain and anxiety symptoms... he said, "You should talk to someone you trust who is outside of the situation. If you don't have someone like that in your life, you might want to see a counselor." And when I thought about it, I didn't have someone I could talk to who wasn't heavily involved in my life. So I made an appointment with a counselor at my school.

I've been a Christian most of my life, and sometimes Christians can be the worst when it comes to dealing with anxiety. Prayer, "giving it to God", etc. doesn't always help. Anxiety lingers even after a good long session of "demon-binding" and whatnot (my mom's go-to solution for everything at one point in time). But talking to a counselor helped because counselors aren't supposed to push anything on their clients, so they have to be open minded to their client's problems. My counselor has been doing a good job of this. She listened to me talk about what was bothering me and didn't immediately call for prayer and fasting... she just said "That does sound really tough. I think maybe you're being too hard on yourself about all of these stressful things going on in your life."

When I tell you it took a huge weight off of my shoulders to hear those words, I'm not trying to be cliche. That next week, I almost didn't go back to counseling because I felt so much better. But I knew I wasn't done. My counselor told me to start doing deep breathing exercises and that has been one of the biggest successes in treating anxiety for me.

I tend to hold my breath without realizing, and of course it isn't good for my body to do that. When I'm breathing normally, I also tend not to take very deep breaths. My dad told me he does the same thing, and I realized that it's something my whole family must deal with. Concentrating on the breathing, and doing it for at least 10 repetitions in and out seems to calm me down to the point of feeling sleepy sometimes. I was really proud of myself because one day I was driving and had another panic attack start, and I did my breathing and forced myself to laugh, and the panic/anxiety slowly started to go away.

It sounds really weird, but it's hard to be anxious when you are laughing. Sometimes I would start to feel anxiety creep up on me, so I would think of a funny YouTube video and replay it over and over in my head. Or think of a funny picture. If I couldn't do that, I'd force myself to laugh. And the embarrassment of fake laughing sometimes overpowered my anxiety. haha

Anyway, my anxiety has significantly decreased after following my counselor's advice, and I have been panic attack free for a few weeks now. I'm still seeing my counselor because I really didn't have anyone to talk to who was going to be objective to my situation. Honestly, best decision I could have made for myself.

 

[EightSixSevenFiveThreeO9]

Well straight up sadism works too.

The S & M man?

 

[MehGuy]

The S & M man?

Eh, more than that lol.

 

[EightSixSevenFiveThreeO9]

Eh, more than that lol.

Okay, well did I help you crush anxiety?

 

[Laura1084]

I've been a Christian for over 13 years and have been dealing with anxiety for about 8 years. I was in a terrible cycle trying to deal with anxiety, worry, panic and fear within the church-- a church that wasn't equipped to deal with these things. They just prayed for me, laid hands on me… I would use Scripture like a mantra… I begged God to "set me free" and always felt He let me down. All of this leads to a DEAD END! Trust me. I've now been given amazing tools to deal with anxiety by someone who's come from being strapped down in a mental hospital and given about 10 shock treatments. She's a Christian woman and has the most amazing testimony of how she's overcome anxiety, panic and depression. I signed up for her course at Calvary Chapel in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; it was called "Unmasking Anxiety" and her name is Honor Weber. It was an 8-week course and changed my life! She's unfortunately just relocated BUT you can contact the church bookstore to purchase the course. I do NOT work for them and am only writing this to help others get help like I did-- because material like this is VERY hard to find! I went YEARS thinking God failed me, reciting Biblical verses, fasting, praying, feeling "crazy" and losing my mind… felt that no one understood me. Everyone told me to "trust God" or told me to see a Psychiatrist. I even saw a "Christian Psychiatrist" who only suggested I sit in a chair and stare at some lights moving side to side. This made me feel even more hopeless and didn't make sense to me and I never did it. Honor primarily teaches how our mental health is a direct result of the thoughts we have trained our brains to think. She goes in depth about how the brain works… about how thoughts scientifically enter into our brains and pass from one neuron to another and how they then excrete chemicals and adrenaline which then produces our anxious feelings and panic attacks. She shares Biblical verses about God's design for our minds and thought life. She makes it very clear how we "train our brains" to thinking anxiously, depressed, etc and how it forms "patterns" which need to be interrupted and broken. Anxiety is NOT a mental illness, it's not a sickness… it's a disorder that we ourselves CAUSE. Our brains have something like "muscle memory" and are trained to react to those "trigger" situations the same way each time. She teaches how to slow our minds down, to breathe correctly in order to calm all nerves and panic attacks, how to excrete chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters that are responsible for our moods. When I heard these things, it made PERFECT sense to me! We are responsible for our thought patterns and she helps you identify them. What's easier is that she's a very Type-A person with a hilarious personality. She makes you actually laugh at yourself.. PLEASE trust me and buy her course! I took her course but then purchased the MP3 CD and uploaded it all to my iPhone so I can listen anywhere at any time. God bless!

 

[mora68]

Does anyone here suffer through anxiety?

I do, while it's mainly an annoyance sometimes it can flare up real bad.

I'm worried its going to flare up soon, I sure hope not.

Anyways, anyone else suffer through this? What do you do to cope?

i experienced anxiety attacks for a week and it was the worst week of my life. i did a lot of research online and came across a herbal medicine called L-Theanine. this is a japanese green tea extract and works like pacifier without all the side effects of medication. i took my first pill as soon as i felt the anxiety coming. miracelously within 10 min my anxiety was completely gone. i felt so calm and so in control. this is truly a miracle cure. pills are cheap and u can get it from your local vitamin shop like GNC. take one in the morning and one in the afternoon. or whenever u feel anxious. i hope this will help u as it helped me. i remember i ask god for help when i was having it. he helped me find the cure. god bless. let me know how it worked for u

 

[William67]

I was diagnosed with agoraphobia when I was in my early 20's, but had been having anxiety attacks since I was 14. Fortunately, I learned coping skills and how to deal with the attacks. Martial arts helps since you obtain more control over your mind and body.

 

[TheGirlOnFire]

Does anyone here suffer through anxiety?

I do, while it's mainly an annoyance sometimes it can flare up real bad.

I'm worried its going to flare up soon, I sure hope not.

Anyways, anyone else suffer through this? What do you do to cope?

Yes mines comes and goes I can control more now after 15 years but I do get bad days.

Coping well reminding myself that I am working myself up for nothing trying to stay calm and if I feel panic attack could come on I start talking or end up reading something to calm me

 

[sundewgrower]

Very rarely I've had that feeling where you're paralyzed.
Usually from undue stress and sensory overload.

 

[Cearbhall]

Remember, this is always your choice. Anxiety IS a choice, you're not a victim to it.

I realize this post is old, but oy vey. Seriously?

 

[KitKatMatt]

I realize this post is old, but oy vey. Seriously?

I think you need to give them credit where credit is due!

All known medical knowledge has suddenly been thrown flat on its face! We don't need medicine or therapy anymore! This is a breakthrough! Just don't let your illness get the better of you and you'll never be sick again!

 

[Cearbhall]

All known medical knowledge has suddenly been thrown flat on its face! We don't need medicine or therapy anymore! This is a breakthrough! Just don't let your illness get the better of you and you'll never be sick again!

I can't tell if it was a poor attempt at life coaching or a blatant denial of medical facts. Maybe both. I mean, attitude and seeking help are important factors, but they aren't cures.

 

[ReesePiece23]

I actually went through a breakdown in November last year. I'm now 100% anxiety free, and I was just sharing an opinion and some of my experiences. I don't understand where the attitude is coming from? Can't a man do that any more without it being somehow offensive to everyone else?

 

[Cearbhall]

I actually went through a breakdown in November last year. I'm now 100% anxiety free, and I was just sharing an opinion and some of my experiences.

I'm happy for you, but that's not what you said, and I highly doubt that this is what you meant to say.

I don't understand where the attitude is coming from? Can't a man do that any more without it being somehow offensive to everyone else?

Spouting incorrect information that belittles other people's medical diagnoses is generally considered to be offensive.

No, I don't see any reason why you should be able to do that without receiving criticism. To call your statement anything other than harmful would be to diminish the significance of medical research.

 

[KitKatMatt]

The attitude is probably coming from people who hate being told that they just aren't trying hard enough to deal with their illnesses (like me!).

I have huge breakdowns about every other week, and anxiety and/or panic attacks nearly every day. I have a slew of medication I need to take just to calm down enough to go to work (I'm at work right now, and I'm shaking and feel sick because I am having an anxiety attack just like every. single. day. I go to work).

I've had these all my life. I will always have them. This is a chronic illness and will never go away. Thinking positive might help a tiny fraction of myself feel better, but it does nothing more while my body is wheeling out of control thinking I'm actively dying.

Anxiety disorder is an illness, just like the flu. I have yet to see anyone tell people with the flu that they "choose" to be a victim of the flu. Unfortunately, the difference between anxiety and the flu is that anxiety is a chronic, lifelong illness.

 

[Cearbhall]

The attitude is probably coming from people who hate being told that they just aren't trying hard enough to deal with their illnesses (like me!).

I don't actually suffer from any mental illnesses myself. I just generally despise ignorance and anti-science statements. I'm sure it's 10 times as aggravating for you to read, though.

 

[ReesePiece23]

I'm happy for you, but that's not what you said, and I highly doubt that this is what you meant to say.

Spouting incorrect information that belittles other people's medical diagnoses is generally considered to be offensive.

No, I don't see any reason why you should be able to do that without receiving criticism. To call your statement anything other than harmful would be to diminish the significance of medical research.

I was actually still going through cognitive behavioural therapy at the time of me posting that exact message. What I was saying was simply the result of MY therapy for anxiety, on a thread for, anxiety.

Again, I have my views.