Been awhile

[alfred24]

Haven't been on here much in awhile. I've been super busy with school and work. So I wonder if there are any new people now? If so, hi! Haha. I know I know, it sucks to be here. But if we are we might as well try to help the rest of us through this journey to recovery.

This is month 9 with this anxiety. And man, those first few were tough to get through. But I got through, thankfully. How am I now? Tons better than back then. Honestly, I can tell that with each month or two that passes I feel a bit better than before. I haven't even been eating all that well either. Still, I see progress. I haven't had any symptoms besides anxiety. No heart palps or sharp pains. Just the feeling of anxiety really and a bit of tension sometimes. I guess I've been pretty positive lately and I hope it continues. I'm not completely like my old self but a lot more myself now then I was a couple months ago, that's for damn sure. I wish the best for all of you. I picture myself being one of those people who have fully recovered from anxiety and spend a lot of time helping others through their tough times haha.

That is the dream for a lot of us now isn't it? Lol just getting past this point of our lives. I believe we all will. And I think that accepting the anxiety is the first step. Believing and trusting that the symptoms are not serious. Those feelings aren't coming from something that is going to kill us. It's only anxiety. It's fear, and tension from fear plus over stimulated nerves. That's about it. Every time you feel them remind yourself you aren't going to die. You're dealing with a symptom and a fear about why you have it every single time. And they're always benign conditions. We're dealing with discomfort. Not death. Every time you feel anything that begins to worry you remember, it is only discomfort. Relax your muscles, stretch, breathe and try to get through the discomfort without becoming preoccupied with your thoughts about it until the next time they arise. But remember that when they come again it is still only discomfort. Eventually you'll get the hang of it and it'll become a habit. Be persistent. Anxiety feels serious, but it isn't. Sure, some days you may be able to do this and others you will suck at it and become a bewildered wreck, but don't despair a single bit! Try again and keep at it. Remember, It's only discomfort. Beat it. Until next time, Be Well friends.

[petrified]

Hi thanks for the great advice your post gives me hope. It's been 2 months for me now and I hate it. I've just started on some meds and they are helping a little. It's a struggle especially with the little sleep I get but in getting there. I'm so pleased for you and like I said you have given me hope, thanks :-)

[alfred24]

Hey (:

Yea, the first few months suck. But they will get better. I actually have never been on meds. The only medication I tried for awhile, though, was alprazolam. But that, id only take when I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I didn't take it much at all because I didn't want to be dependent on them so I stopped. So im not sure how different my experience with anxiety would have been had I been on meds. I tried vitamins and natural supplements. Teas and such. My dad actually had panic attacks when he was younger. He says it lasted about a year, he went the natural route and his anxiety went away. Ever since then he's been a health freak. With good reason. He drinks coffee almost everyday, I can't imagine doing that yet lol. I'm not a caffeine guy anyway though.

Sleep is hard to come by that's for sure when you're anxious. But all these things get better. I would drink teas that would make me sleepy like valerian root. But if you're on meds you should of course always ask a doctor if it's ok to take natural supplements along with your medication.

I'm glad I could give you hope (: try to stay positive more often than negative, because I know how hard it is to be positive every single day. But let your nerves rest over time, don't stimulate them so much with stress and fear. Remember nothing serious will come of the anxiety and it's symptoms. You will just feel really crappy and if you start feeling pains don't worry. Let them come. Tell yourself you'll try to just get through the The crappy feeling and keep doing what you were doing.

I had a month of agoraphobia. Bad too, I Would stay home in bed most of the day because I was afraid Id have a panic attack in public. I started to go out though and do things sometimes to see how id feel. It was scary but worth it. luckily my job understood and let me take as much time off from work as I needed.

So don't worry about the future. You will get better, just do what you have to now to get there. Do things, exercise helps a lot. Basketball is my exercise and I play a couple times a week. I almost never feel bad afterward. Just get yourself used to things again. It will take time for sure but you'll be glad you helped yourself (: