General Anxiety

[Daisy21]

I am new to anxiety in general, but lately I feel like it's taking over my life. I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD. My symptoms for anxiety first started when I feared that I no longer felt the same way about my boyfriend. I was terrified to hurt him and was unable to eat for a week, couldn't sleep and was having panic attacks daily. I talked to him about it and we both decided we needed to go our separate ways anyway. However, we lived together, moved to a new town together and basically only had each other there. We were together for two years, he's 24 and im 20. I couldn't stand to be in this town we made our life in together so I moved home. I feel like since then my entire life has been uprooted. I'm anxious about him every day even though we agree this is for the better and are friends. I'm anxious about everything now though. I'm terrified to see my friends, I'm terrified to go back to school, I'm terrified about meeting my new roommate. Everything about life is terrifying to me, it all seems pointless. Even the most simple things like getting up in the morning. I dont want to leave the house or make an effort to do anything.I look at Life in a different way now. When I was with my ex all I wanted was to do was have my freedom and act like everyone else my age. Now I just want to crawl in a hole and die because of how much anxiety I've been feeling. I'm scared I'm going to feel like this for the rest of my life, and it just doesn't seem worth living. I take 20 MG celexa and 10 MG Ritalin. Could the ritalin be causing me more anxiety because it's a stimulant? I have cut out caffeine because I'm terrified for anything to make this worse.

[cdfrank]

Hello Daisy, I have been suffering from anxiety for about 3 years. It can take over your life and cause many unpleasant symptoms that can lead to much more anxiety! As for your boyfriend, if he didn't understand you and try to at least be there for you then maybe it was best for you guys to go your separate ways! People with anxiety need a support system and not somebody who gone look down at them for feeling the way they do! With my anxiety I have ALOT of symptoms such as headache, dizziness, paplpatations, GERD, chest pains, depression.... I'm fearful of dying all I think about is negative things! Anxiety is nothing something simple that you can get over with you have to try things like therapy with medications, self help techniques things that will help you get better! For me, I'm also scared to leave the house I don't have the energy to do anything but lay in my bed and I can't be alone or I have severe panic attacks!

[Shy_1]

Hi Daisy,

When I was first diagnosed with depression and anxiety, my anxiety increased because of the fact I hold been told I had these issues. Also the added anxiety came from the thought of having to tell loved ones and the fear of them judging you (of course they didn't). The other potential reason for an increase in anxiety is that the medications tend to have a 'settling in period', for peroxatien it was 3-6 months. It also mentioned an increase in anxiety and depression as a possible resultant side effect!

I can assure you that the feeling doesn't go on forever. The saying the bigger the storm the bigger the rainbow comes to mind. As difficult as it can be stay positive and dig deep inside to fight it within, the drugs are an aid, but your minds a lot more powerful. Surround yourself with positivity and people who make you laugh, I found that helped me a lot!

Also I agree with cdfrank; if someone can't accept you the way you are at your worst then they sure as he'll dont deserve you at your best!

[Enduronman]

depression, anxiety and ADHD. boyfriend. panic attacks 20 MG celexa and 10 MG Ritalin.

Daisy...
This is how I roll..hope you dont find it unappealing as it may seen kind of "nosey" but it really isn't.

1. Depression, anxiety,..adhd.
2. Anxiety generally tags along for the ride, with depression.
3. Are you an only child?
4. How long was your relationship before you moved in together and how far from "home" were you?
5. It seems as if, you just "weren't ready" but that's ok, it's normal.
6. It does seem as if you feel like you've uprooted your entire life, but, were you really hoping inside that he would follow?
7. You're anxious about everything because you are "second guessing" yourself, every day. STOP. Forget what has been done, in the past, just learn from the event.
8. No reason to be terrified to go anywhere, and the reason you are is because you know people are going to "ask you what happened?...SO WHAT.
9. Let them ask, answer their questions with whatever makes you comfortable. You were suffering from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_anxiety_disorder.....and that's why you made the decisions that you made. SO WHAT.
10. Anxiety, wants you to hide it from everybody, that's how it grows stronger and more powerful, to control YOU..OPEN UP about it..(just like you did here) then you'll get the support and answers that you can't seem to figure out. They're right here, right there, at school, with him, your family...Quit hiding it.It is NOT anything to be embarassed about.
11. The reason you have ritalin, is to give you some "get up and go" and to work on the dopamine area of the brain. Sometimes it is used off label for severe depression anyway,..you don't seem adhd to me. I am. I take 60mg everyday..for ever.Although I'm not depressed, I will sleep all day long..I have narcolepsy too, along with every other thing you can think of.
12. No, it isnt raising your anxiety, YOUR thoughts, questions that aren't answered, did you make the right choices, that replays in your mind every single day,,...cause the anxiety. Period. STOP the replaying. Period.
13. You're not allowed to "crawl into a hole"...Because, everyone cares about you, they just DON'T KNOW what exactly to do about it, because they don't know what (it) even is....TELL THEM WHAT IT IS>........
14. No caffeine is not going to make this separation anxiety, mild PTSD, Severe depression, panic, fears,..worse. In fact, it may help you to begin to "re-focus" like it does me.
15. Stay on both of those meds, and "open up" to those that can really help you..that are close to you.....
16. Last but not least, allow others to help, so don't be selfish and keep this all bottled up inside....you're making them all suffer too.

Anything there make any sense at all?

I'm done there friend....

E-Man..:)

[Daisy21]

Thank you all! Even just hearing that I am not alone makes it better. My boyfriend and I grew up in The same small town in Humboldt County CA and lived there for a year together- not moved in but staying together almost every single night. When we were together for 8 months he went to rehab for alcohol abuse and in stuck by him through it all. He is still sober but while we were together he was not going to meetings or counseling like he should have been. Two months after rehab, we moved to Oregon together (7 hours from home) because Humboldt was very destructive to him and his sobriety. we lived in Oregon for a year and while I really loved it there, and we had a lot of amazing times together I could help but feeling like I was missing out on my college years. I fully agree that we moved too fast of how young we were especially since I got with him when I was 18. When we broke up though, it wasn't because he couldn't support my anxiety, he was very supportive about it, but he was causing my anxiety! It was almost as though I fell out of love with him and was scared to tell him. Our relationship was in no way perfect, I supported him financially the entire time we lived in Oregon while also attending school, and while I cared about him deeply it took a toll on me. The idea of him wanting me back or following terrified me, it gave me so much anxiety. I do miss him and care about him but I could never imagine being in that relationship again because of the anxiety I felt at the end. I feel like there's a void because I mothered him and took care of him when nobody else did. It seems as though this breakup has caused my anxiety, even though I was the one who wanted it! After the breakup I made the decision to move to Santa Barbara for school, which was something I've wanted since I was 18, but put off because of him. I was so excited after the breakup, but now I'm so anxious about it. What if my roommate doesn't like me? What if I'm a nervous wreck and am throwing away this amazing opportunity due to my anxiety? Every day that gets closer to moving I feel more and more sick. I want to move so bad, but I can't convince myself that I'll be okay there. Oh and about the only child question- I have one sister. Two years older, we hang out and get along but are not extremely close. I have great support in my mom and her wife (my parents divorced in 6th grade) and my dad also supports me.