Cured - Found The Cause

[Brichter]

Hi...

This may sound a bit strange. But hear me out. I have been suffering from panic/anxiety disorder for over 20 years. I currently have an open script for xanax ( have not taken one in months ). I have tried alot of psycotropics ( Prozac was my last ). I have suffered hard with this. I am a networking/computer consultant by trade. My hobbies include Gaming and digital photography.

Over the last several years I have been changing things in my life to see if I could somehow find what was causing all this turmoil inside of me. Diet, Excersise, Vitamins etc... Nothing helped. Same anxiety crap day in and day out. It was soooooooooooo old.

One day about 7-8 months ago I was making a mental list of everything that was in my life the last 20 years and a crazy thought popped into my head. I have been heavy into computers for 20 years. No way I thought. Thats nuts. How can a computer give me anxiety/panic disorder? Hmmmm... I waited for a slow week and stopped as much computer usage as I could. No gaming ( I could easily play games for 4-8 hours at a time ). No photo editing or art ( another time sucker ) . I kept my exposure at work to a minimum and took frequent breaks. Within a week my symtoms were were gone. I was floored. Gone... Nothing.

To make sure this was not a fluke I waited a week and went back to my old habits. 2 days later it was back.

I now use the computer lightly. I take breaks often. I do not game for extended periods of time. I do not spend time doing any kind of repetative visual activity. I watch tv lightly or not at all. I stay in motion as much as possible with different types of activities.

At this point I do not believe it was the computer causing the issue. I believe it was repetative visual activity for lenths of time that was causing it. For some reason it was effecting my brain. Just as certain games can cause motion sickness this was causing anxiety. I try to think back on what my mind was doing in my sleep after a 6-8 hour gaming binge. It cannot be good.

Life has changed... Its great to be able to drive my car in the fast lane over the speed limit again. I will not miss those days of driving in the slow lane ready to pull over at any moment so I could pop a xanax.

I am posting this in the hopes that someone may benifit from it. I know we are all wired a bit different so I don't expect this will help many but you never know.

Brichter

[brickyard_red]

Welcome Brichter. I hope you stick around. Thanks for giving us your insight and also thank you for not claiming that this will cure everyone. We always welcome anyones input on what has helped them. And let me say how glad I am to hear that you have found a way to get rid of your anxiety. I hope it continues to work for you. :) Hope to see you around again.

Cath :)

[shoe]

Brichter, its interesting to think of the possible effects doing a repetitive activity that doesn't use much brain function or physical effort could do... if it really caused you anxiety, I'm glad you were able to figure it out and overcome it. Good for you :)

For many of us anxiety disorders are a bit more complex and can involve any number of things. Phobia-related anxiety disorders probably wouldn't be so easily cured, but who knows - that stimulation you talk of could possibly contribute in some way to its intensity. *shrug*

[JackB]

I just had to reply to this in the hope that it might help someone else too.

I too have noticed a correlation between my computer use and my anxiety. I've been testing my theory out over the past year and in my case there is definitely a link between computer use and anxiety/worry/nervousness.

My business is computers and I'm on them a lot. I also love playing on the computer so I've been on it a lot lately. As expected my anxiety has been through the roof.

I've made the decision to get out of the computer business.

Anyone with anxiety/worry and is on the computer a lot should definitely look into whether their computer use is contributing to it. I think you'll find that it is.

Good luck.

[Maggie May]

Ooh, I'm so jealous. I only WISH my anxiety had such a simple cause.

I remember being anxious as a child, fear of buses, dogs, balloons popping, thunder, heights, etc, plus things that don't even exist/exist where I was living like dinosaurs, dragons, tidal waves, volcanoes, etc.

But it was only recently that my mother told me that I was extremely anxious as an infant. Stuff like instant hysterical crying as a result of someone turning on a light hear me, the flash from a camera, being awakened suddenly, my big sister popping up in my field of vision suddenly, etc. Also it would take me forever to calm down once I did start crying.

And since then, not much has changed! Just kidding. Although, come to think of it, I get really uncomfortable if someone is trying to pop a balloon near me if itakes more than a couple seconds. ;)

Maggie

[shahram72]

This is interesting, and worth considering. I also spend a lot of time in front of the computer and many nights play xbox live with friends. I hate to cut back on that, as it's a great escape for me, but I know that an intense round of Halo 2 gets my anxiety up.

[XxjustWannabeFreexX]

Hi, im new to this website!i only found it the other day, and havent posted anything yet, just been reading posts!
I found this post really interesting as i use the computer and watch the tv alot! so ive decided to give it ago and stop using it for a while to see if it has an affect!
luckly i dont suffer as bad as some people from anxiety, but it does affect me to the point were my life is control by it! iv always been sort of anxious when i was little but it seems to of gotten worse over these few years! one reason could be because iv lost quite a few really important people to me(within 5years) including my mum.i dont get upset much so maybe it comes out in axiety! but i would do anything to stop it! :(
I think this website was such a good idea! as just reading that other people feel the same makes me feel so much better! as most of my friends and family dont really understand how i feel!so thanks for your help :P ill let u know if staying away from the computer helps me! :) x

[Zuena]

I just found this post, I know it is ancient but it makes so much sense. I have definitely noticed that after spending long hours (I am a web designer) on the pc, I get up feeling almost sick and giddy, which of course brings on anxiety. I also smoke a LOT more and that of course is never a good thing for anxiety.

[Itzomi]

Interesting! Thank you, Zuena, for unearthing this little gem.

It makes a lot of sense. Being too enveloped in anything could cause depression or anxiety. We need to keep moving, keep busy, etc. Staring at the computer so many hours keeps us in our heads. And, if you're googling or looking at all the lates news and tragedies, that's even worse. Sometimes, it's NOT good to have all this information. Personally, I want to be a little ignorant. I find I'm happier that way. ;)

[coreys86]

crazy i read this. I had my first panick/anxiety attack a month ago and i was playing call of duty, scared the shit out of me, my anxietys starting to go away. i had bad thoughts while the attack was going on which was terrible. but im getting better.

[forwells]

Howdy

Interesting older thread

I wouldnt say that the computer would be the cause but more the things that are done . I spend upwards of 12 hours a day online and know many people that do .

It you were playing games that kept you excited all the time then i guess it is only right for your anxiety level to raise and learn a new normal level .

I guess the one thing it proves is that if it can set high then you can also reset it low

cheers kev :D