edebbe31
11-20-2015, 12:13 AM
Hello everyone,
First time poster here. I am glad to have found this online community an open space to discuss anxiety with people who get it.
Up until the last month I would have categorized myself as being low-level anxiety. I had been coping with mild to moderate depression for 10+ years due to a lot of trauma and abuse, without going into too much detail. As I'm sure you know, when you get stuck in certain patterns and ways of doing things, they become your default and before you know it you feel trapped. Or at least I did.
A couple of years ago, I started getting into yoga and meditation. I have always been a pretty healthy eater but I educated myself on organic vs non organic, GMOs, healing leaky gut (linked to depression), etc. These things helped a lot and I began to see a lot of improvements in my physical health. But my energy was still low and I was still having difficulties in managing my negative thinking.
I've been a social drinker my whole adult life. Mainly, anytime there were social situations where alcohol was involved, I partook. To feel more comfortable, because other people were doing it too, whatever. About a month ago, I got a hangover from two glasses of wine, and I finally decided it's not worth it. I'm a writer and I've been trying to write a book and I figured I don't need to be engaged in many social events right now anyway. So I quit drinking completely. At the same time, I gave up all wheat, gluten, dairy, meat and refined sugar - which I wasn't consuming that much anyway, but decided to completely eliminate.
I thought I was being proactive about my health and I felt great! I I had so much energy at first to hit the gym, go to yoga, go to my office job, come home and write, and then sleep well at night. I felt more connected to everyone and everything and I was really feeling the love.
But in the past week I have had two severe panic attacks and another weird experience where it looked like there was a fire in the building across from mine so I ran outside but when I went outside, the fire wasn't there. I went back up to my apartment and was freaked out for the rest of the night. The last panic attack came yesterday and it was brought on by an allergic reaction I received after I got a couple of fillings at the dentist. My body had a reaction to the anesthesia and/or filling right away and I asked what ingredients they used and they didn't know, made me feel like I was being problematic for asking, which caused me great anxiety. I went to the ER last night covered in hives, feeling like my throat was closing, and a rapid heart rate. They didn't know what was wrong but gave me an ePI pen, which I've never had to use before so it makes me nervous!
Now, I am still having strong heart palpitations and my heart feels just very heavy.
I guess I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Either with reactions after dental work, or greater anxiety after quitting alcohol, or anything related. Maybe I have always had this bad of anxiety but I am just more aware of it now. It's just weird that I have basically had 3 bad panic attacks in the past week, when I have only had one other in my life, about 5 years ago. Was I just suppressing my anxiety with alcohol and keeping myself depressed? If so, how do I manage BOTH anxiety and depression and get to an equilibrium without drugs and alcohol?
Any comments, thoughts, help is greatly appreciated. Thank you guys :)
First time poster here. I am glad to have found this online community an open space to discuss anxiety with people who get it.
Up until the last month I would have categorized myself as being low-level anxiety. I had been coping with mild to moderate depression for 10+ years due to a lot of trauma and abuse, without going into too much detail. As I'm sure you know, when you get stuck in certain patterns and ways of doing things, they become your default and before you know it you feel trapped. Or at least I did.
A couple of years ago, I started getting into yoga and meditation. I have always been a pretty healthy eater but I educated myself on organic vs non organic, GMOs, healing leaky gut (linked to depression), etc. These things helped a lot and I began to see a lot of improvements in my physical health. But my energy was still low and I was still having difficulties in managing my negative thinking.
I've been a social drinker my whole adult life. Mainly, anytime there were social situations where alcohol was involved, I partook. To feel more comfortable, because other people were doing it too, whatever. About a month ago, I got a hangover from two glasses of wine, and I finally decided it's not worth it. I'm a writer and I've been trying to write a book and I figured I don't need to be engaged in many social events right now anyway. So I quit drinking completely. At the same time, I gave up all wheat, gluten, dairy, meat and refined sugar - which I wasn't consuming that much anyway, but decided to completely eliminate.
I thought I was being proactive about my health and I felt great! I I had so much energy at first to hit the gym, go to yoga, go to my office job, come home and write, and then sleep well at night. I felt more connected to everyone and everything and I was really feeling the love.
But in the past week I have had two severe panic attacks and another weird experience where it looked like there was a fire in the building across from mine so I ran outside but when I went outside, the fire wasn't there. I went back up to my apartment and was freaked out for the rest of the night. The last panic attack came yesterday and it was brought on by an allergic reaction I received after I got a couple of fillings at the dentist. My body had a reaction to the anesthesia and/or filling right away and I asked what ingredients they used and they didn't know, made me feel like I was being problematic for asking, which caused me great anxiety. I went to the ER last night covered in hives, feeling like my throat was closing, and a rapid heart rate. They didn't know what was wrong but gave me an ePI pen, which I've never had to use before so it makes me nervous!
Now, I am still having strong heart palpitations and my heart feels just very heavy.
I guess I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Either with reactions after dental work, or greater anxiety after quitting alcohol, or anything related. Maybe I have always had this bad of anxiety but I am just more aware of it now. It's just weird that I have basically had 3 bad panic attacks in the past week, when I have only had one other in my life, about 5 years ago. Was I just suppressing my anxiety with alcohol and keeping myself depressed? If so, how do I manage BOTH anxiety and depression and get to an equilibrium without drugs and alcohol?
Any comments, thoughts, help is greatly appreciated. Thank you guys :)