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View Full Version : My story - would value your opinions



elgrande
09-09-2008, 02:33 PM
Hi all

I'm a 29 yr old single male who works as a life assurance claims assessor. I suspect I'm suffering from some sort of anxiety condition and I would value any opinions.

I believe I can trace my symptoms back to a rave I went to when I was just 16. I took various recreational drugs that night and partied through to dawn. On the journey home I felt tired but mostly happy. Anyway I slept for most of the next day but the day after that I was back at school. In the afternoon I was sitting in class when I suddenly felt very anxious about being there and slightly trapped. I ended up leaving the room to try and sort myself out. This was the start of a period of intense anxiety which lasted for months. Basically the intensity faded to a mostly manageable level but I feel I've been left with a permanent lowish level general anxiety. On the surface it does not appear to have held me back much. I went to uni, made lots of friends, got my degree and have worked in a large corporate environment ever since. The thing is its always there in the background niggling away and lately I think its become a little bit worse. I'm now at the stage where the following list of things are problematic:

flying - unable to for about 2 years now. Feel trapped and agitated. Throat dry and palms very sweaty. Find the whole thing too intense.

meetings at work - this is tough as its something I have to do. Again I get the trapped feeling and feel agitated and a bit detached. I also say very little and cannot wait to get out of them

large sports events - feel dizzy and overwhelmed. cannot concentrate and gain no enjoyment from the experience

sleep - find it hard to wind down, mind sometimes races, get the feeling I'm losing it, I also wake up sometimes covered in sweat and feeling like I am on the verge of dying, kick my legs out in panic at the though and heart races

Alcohol - now drink every evening but only 2 - 3 glasses of red wine. find it takes the edge off. never during the day

relationships - find it difficult to let anyone close, tend to focus on the negative aspects, find it difficult to talk about my feelings

physical - tension headaches, tense down the back of neck, tiredness, very dry eyes, frequent urination, psoriasis

emotional - this is a tricky one as I don't experience these all the time, sometimes I can feel quite relaxed especially socialising, during the weekends and on holiday. at work I feel tense and keyed up a lot of the time, find it difficult to concentrate and mind races, focus on the negative too much.

Well that’s about it for now, thanks for listening and I would welcome your opinions.

kaialian
09-09-2008, 08:09 PM
Hi!

What have you done to help you with your anxiety? You mentioned red wine, but have you tried anything else? I find deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation helpful to do just before bed.

Since you have been suffering with this since you were in High School, I would suggest seeing your doctor. He/She can be a good resource. If you aren't interested in meds, doctors can usually recommend a few therapists you can go talk to.

As well, read some books. The book that IS helping me the most is called "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" There is many many exercises and techniques in it.

Good luck!! Let us know how you are doing!!

elgrande
09-10-2008, 02:53 PM
The simple answer is very little. I've just got on with things but I think I'm beginning to accept that I have a problem and that my quality of life is suffering. So you reckon books are a good place to start? I might see whats out there. As for my doctor, I've only mentioned it once and he suggested it was work related and I should consider a career change away from an intense office environment!

kaialian
09-10-2008, 03:10 PM
I don't think your doctor is quite right saying it's work related. It might be contributing to it. Do you feel it is?

And after suffering though this anxiety for quite some time now, it wouldn't just be work related. Sometimes people just have anxiety. I spent a good 3 years trying to figure out WHY I had it. I've finally accepted that I have anxiety and thinking about the why's isn't helpful. Instead I focus on what I CAN do.

I think the library is a good place to start looking for books. That way you aren't dropping alot of cash right away.