GAD and Panic Disorder for over a year now, looking for help

[qwerty12]

Long story short (I'll get into the longer version later I'm sure), I'm a 22 year old male. Been suffering from GAD and panic disorders for over a year now. I'm essentially nearing the end of my rope. I've tried about 7 different medications, I've tried guided meditation and other kinds (not TM, but that's probably next), I've tried different diets, I've tried homeopathic remedies, I've tried three different therapists (all of whom essentially said they couldn't help me), and basically things have just gotten worse. Most sites I see say people usually start seeing improvement within a year, things are just getting worse for me after 15 months.

So, I figured I'd give this place a try. Look forward to seeing what y'all have to say because right now, I'll take pretty much any input I can get.

(Sorry about being overly negative, it's been a long day, which led to me coming here)

[danielhermanson]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear about your anxiety problem but you should know that there is hope and you can overcome your negative feelings with some work from your side and guidance.

One of the first steps in reducing anxiety is to remind yourself that whatever scary GAD symptoms you've been experiencing are all part of the normal range of what we're all supposed to feel sometimes. Forget the clinical formality of psychiatric diagnoses. Basically, you have been feeling like a pack of wolves has been on your trail. This is normal after a build-up of stress, you are normal.

One wolf might be scary, but many together can be terrifying. Lots of little life stresses build up into a pretty intimidating pack of stresses. Ask yourself: when did this GAD start? What was happening in your life at the time? Was there more stress than usual? Even a few nights of poor sleep can be enough to make some people feel very anxious.

- Have you been worrying about something in particular?
- Is your diet full of stimulants such as sugar and caffeine?
- Have you learnt how to relax the mind and body?

When you feel physically safe and calm, you breathe nice and evenly, your blood pressure normalizes, and your immune system works better. The more relaxed you feel, the more 'normal' other physical processes like sleep and digestion become.

Alternatively, use any method to relax that best suits you, but avoid misusing alcohol or prescription drugs, as the side effects of using these can increase the stresses in your life. You need to overcome GAD naturally.

Overcoming GAD requires that you develop calm responses to the world around you so that you can enjoy life and feel empowered. This is your true legacy.

Take care and stay positive!

[superchick22684]

Welcome to the forum qwerty12! I've been struggling with anxiety for many years as have many of the people on this forum so you are surrounded by others that know how you are feeling. Hope that you find some helpful tips and strategies to help with your anxiety here.