ReanimatedAngel
06-02-2012, 10:15 AM
Hey everyone!
I am so glad to have found this forum. Like others, I feel I am in a time in my life where I need support. My anxiety in recent weeks has escalated to the point where I am not sure how to handle it. I am 23 years old and have been suffering with anxiety since high school.
So, here's a bit of a background on my life(I say a bit but it will most likely turn into a lot):
I feel that my anxiety probably started in high school but I was in so much denial about it that I refused to believe that what I had was anxiety. I can even pin point the exact time I think this all started. During finals week I fainted during one of my tests. It was the worst I have ever felt in my life. I became severely lightheaded, I had tunnel vision, I was completely out of it. From this point on I wasn't someone who fainted, I was someone who faints. I fainted several times in high school. I went through test after test. Everything came back normal(much to my frustration). I eventually had a tilt-table test which came back positive. This was still frustrating because this basically just told me I faint. In high school I refused to believe this was all because of anxiety.
Throughout the years I never really paid attention to it, but I avoid going places where I feel I may faint. It's not until I sat down recently to think about it that I realized that it's not normal to avoid going places because you feel you may faint. I've been able to get by though until recently. Recently I was sent on a temporary assignment for my job. It's been years since I've fainted(high school being the last of the episodes) but within 5 minutes of meeting my supervisor I came the closest I have come in years to fainting. I broke out in a sweat and I couldn't think straight. I had to lay down on the ground which eventually helped. I felt so angry and depressed after that. That was approx. 3 weeks ago and I have felt anxious every single day after that. Afraid it's going to happen again.
I have trouble sleeping at night now and I am constantly worried about fainting. I am afraid of fainting in front of people, losing my job, and generally just feeling anxious. I am not here all that long. I remind myself that in order to calm myself down but these past weeks have been some of the harder ones in my life.
I guess I am looking for comfort and a support group I can turn too. I have trouble talking about this because this anxiety is so different from who I am. I am very outgoing and bubbly and actually very care-free. Some of my friends ask how I can be so laid back about things. So in general I'm not anxious but when it comes to being in places where I fear I can faint, I am always a few moments away from a panic attack.
That's a little more than a bit for my background but it feels nice to just say it. I am not really sure where to go from here though. Thanks for taking the time to read this though! :)
I am so glad to have found this forum. Like others, I feel I am in a time in my life where I need support. My anxiety in recent weeks has escalated to the point where I am not sure how to handle it. I am 23 years old and have been suffering with anxiety since high school.
So, here's a bit of a background on my life(I say a bit but it will most likely turn into a lot):
I feel that my anxiety probably started in high school but I was in so much denial about it that I refused to believe that what I had was anxiety. I can even pin point the exact time I think this all started. During finals week I fainted during one of my tests. It was the worst I have ever felt in my life. I became severely lightheaded, I had tunnel vision, I was completely out of it. From this point on I wasn't someone who fainted, I was someone who faints. I fainted several times in high school. I went through test after test. Everything came back normal(much to my frustration). I eventually had a tilt-table test which came back positive. This was still frustrating because this basically just told me I faint. In high school I refused to believe this was all because of anxiety.
Throughout the years I never really paid attention to it, but I avoid going places where I feel I may faint. It's not until I sat down recently to think about it that I realized that it's not normal to avoid going places because you feel you may faint. I've been able to get by though until recently. Recently I was sent on a temporary assignment for my job. It's been years since I've fainted(high school being the last of the episodes) but within 5 minutes of meeting my supervisor I came the closest I have come in years to fainting. I broke out in a sweat and I couldn't think straight. I had to lay down on the ground which eventually helped. I felt so angry and depressed after that. That was approx. 3 weeks ago and I have felt anxious every single day after that. Afraid it's going to happen again.
I have trouble sleeping at night now and I am constantly worried about fainting. I am afraid of fainting in front of people, losing my job, and generally just feeling anxious. I am not here all that long. I remind myself that in order to calm myself down but these past weeks have been some of the harder ones in my life.
I guess I am looking for comfort and a support group I can turn too. I have trouble talking about this because this anxiety is so different from who I am. I am very outgoing and bubbly and actually very care-free. Some of my friends ask how I can be so laid back about things. So in general I'm not anxious but when it comes to being in places where I fear I can faint, I am always a few moments away from a panic attack.
That's a little more than a bit for my background but it feels nice to just say it. I am not really sure where to go from here though. Thanks for taking the time to read this though! :)