Recently Developed Bad Anxiety

[AdamJosiah]

As the title says, I have recently had my first two serious anxiety attacks. First of which sent me to the hospital because i thought i was dying. Seeing as that is a common "side effect" of anxiety attacks I was able to get through my second one last night a little easier. I now know how miserable it is to experience this, and am looking for some form of counseling i guess. I have always been a socially anxious person, so much that i would say high school was very traumatic for me. I am 22 and still live at home. It's been hard to get out of my "comfort zone" and go to college as I believe it will be no better than high school, but i now see i can't afford to think like this as it will completely ruin my life. I would say i have a serious case of depression and now with this anxiety it makes for a very bad combination. I come to this forum, because i know that I'm not alone in this and that several people suffer from the very things i do. I haven't been to a doctor about this yet, but I do believe it would be a good thing to do. I just want to get over all of this and feel normal i guess? I really want to get started in college this coming fall semester, but I feel I have to "get better" to manage that. I feel like im in a small room and the walls keep closing in on me every second. I am still having trouble breathing right after last night. Anyone going through this have any advice?

[stocktona]

Hello! You are definitely NOT alone in this.... I get severe anxiety through out different periods in my life.... I'm 24. I got them when I turned 18 and when all the stress of becoming an "adult" kicked in. Sent me to the hospital as well. In fact I went three times in a week because I thought I was dying! I would wake up gasping for air at night it was really awful.... What got me through it was I finally had to just tell myself over and over "you are fine. You are okay stop freaking out!!!!!" Mine got better with time. Of course they've recently started up again but I know it'll pass and yours will too :) just know you're OKAY. Sorry I wasn't much help. Take care of yourself.

[AdamJosiah]

Thanks for replying. Yeah, I'm confident i can get through the attacks I just worry I will get them while at work when i get a job or at school. I wouldn't know what to do then. Unless co-workers and teachers understand what its like then i wouldn't expect them to understand and they might get frustrated with me. That is my fear and i guess I just worry too much. I really think if i could be rid of my social anxiety it would all go away, but i have developed if over my entire life and its like im stuck with it. I know that's not the case, just wish i could say F social anxiety and move on.

[smurfychris]

Hey Adam, really sorry for what you're going through, but as Stock says you're not alone at all, try to think more positively, from the first post you wrote it kind of sounds like it was already set in your mind that you would have a second attack, because you had a first, this is where you can try and nip it in the bud as I say and be as positive as possible (trust me I know this isn't easy at all) . What was you doing when you had your first attack? I'm 29 and have been living with it for just over 10 years now, when I first started having them at regular intervals I would carry like a bag in my pocket all the time, it was very reassuring because I knew that if I had an attack blowing in the bag helped and in turn my attacks were cut down straight away. But you're doing the best thing you can do at the moment and that's talking about it.

[AdamJosiah]

Actually i hadn't been thinking about the first one. Was just in bed and just fine then i just hit me out of nowhere. Then i realized these things can come at anytime. I looked it up and they say you can have a delayed reaction to something stressful and get an attack out of nowhere. I'm going to dedicate myself to more positive thinking and hopefully stop this. Thanks for replying

[smurfychris]

Actually i hadn't been thinking about the first one. Was just in bed and just fine then i just hit me out of nowhere. Then i realized these things can come at anytime. I looked it up and they say you can have a delayed reaction to something stressful and get an attack out of nowhere. I'm going to dedicate myself to more positive thinking and hopefully stop this. Thanks for replying

Can you remember anyting about what you was thinking at the time? I've had the odd one because there was too much quiet in a room aha, I mean you've recognized it early so that can only be a good thing, good luck :)

[AdamJosiah]

Can't really remember what i was thinking exactly. It was my birthday and an uneventful one. Guess its just stress building up from being at home without a job and not being in college. I have put things off too long and I'm constantly kicking myself for it. Probably a combo of low self-esteem and overall depression. I'm really trying to push myself to getting into classes in the fall so stress from thinking about that too. If only i could win the lottery that's up to i think 600 million lol