A little about me

[blccomp]

Hi I am new here but not new to anxiety. My psychologist thought it would be good for me to talk with others that are in the same boat as me so here I am.

I guess I would be viewed as a normal guy. I have two children and a wife and have a B.S. in electrical engineering. I am a stay at home dad and I love it!!! I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember but it didn't get really bad until about five years ago when I was in my mid twenties. I am not sure but it may have started due to my childhood and my best friend committing suicide when we were 18. I held a lot of things back and one day it just felt like it exploded. I have all the usual symptoms such as rapid heart rate, tingling in my fingers, extreme fear, and on and on.

My biggest problem right now would have to be my wife's family. They think this is all made up and tell my wife so. Even though I have proof otherwise. I am a huge INDYCAR fan and go to as many races as I can stand to make it to with the anxiety. Of course my in-laws use this as proof that I am not sick. They do not know how hard it is for me to even go out in public like that. I was wondering if anyone else had problems like these? I know I can't be alone. Thank you ahead of time and I look forward to participating on this forum.

[tailspin]

Hi blccomp. Welcome to the site! I'm really sorry you're having this problem with your wife's family and that they feel the need to belittle your problems in this hurtful way. I realize that many people, unfortunately, just do not get anxiety disorders. But still, these people are your family and it sucks that they are so unsupportive.

I think the main thing is that your wife needs to be on your side. Hopefully she is somewhat supportive? And hopefully she can have a word with her family and explain that their attitude is unhealthy and very unhelpful? At any rate, this site is a great place to share experiences with people who really understand. You are definitely not alone! And all of us here know that an Anxiety Disorder is a very real problem. So have a read through some of the posts and I hope you find them helpful. Please let us know how you are doing!

[cm1983]

Hi Blccomp. Also sorry to hear you're not being supported by your wife's family. I really dont understand people who have this attitude. I guess being something that they can't "see" on the outside, they think its not real. Im hoping you have some friends and your own family who do understand though. It sounds like your wife needs to be reminded how their attitude affects you. I mentioned this in my first post a few days ago, about how do you tell people you dont want to see them, without sounding dramatic, or offending them?. Its hard to go out sometimes and enjoy life when you are feeling awful inside, but like you sometimes i just go as i feel like i need to make an appearance, as anxious as i may be about the situation