Constantly Having To Validate W/ Myself

[h0pie]

When I first attempted to tell my closest friend about my anxiety she told me I was faking and that I was self diagnosing (I've been diagnosed) and then spread to the rest of my friends how I was faking anxiety and I got bullied about it for months and it still really affects me even a couple of months later.
I constantly get worked up because I think I'm faking anxiety which is stupid, but feels so real. This past 3 days have been very low anxiety for me and it's making me think, what if I never really had anxiety all of this time? what if I'm okay now and I was faking before? So long story short, I'm getting anxious because I think I'm faking/don't have anxiety. Has anyone else gone through this? Any advice?
Thanks :)

[K8LN]

First I think you should find some better friends if they are going to say you are faking an illness. If you have been diagnosed by a therapist saying you have anxiety, you probably do to some degree. And honestly, just the fact that you are overthinking whether you think you might have anxiety or not then you probably do. You shouldn't have to prove anything to anyone. I'm really sorry you got bullied for that. That is terrible. I hope you are able to get past it and find some better people to spend time with

[Kirk]

I agree with K8LN.

[Dubc5000]

Also agree with K8LN. Your overthinking about it sounds a lot like someone with anxiety problems (sounds like me!). Don't be ashamed of it though as everyone deals with it to some degree. It makes you interesting and you probably have a pretty great mind since you think so much!!!

[K8LN]

Yep! People with anxiety are said to more intelligent because we think so much

[gypsylee]

The amount of "what ifs?" in your post tells me you're one of us :)

Is it cool to have anxiety now? LOL. I've always been ahead of my time!

[Kirk]

I tell very few people I have health anxiety. I can't really tell any of my clients as they will think it will
impact the accounting and tax work I do for them. I once made a mistake and told a friend of mine and
he just said to forget about it. Acceptance of uncertainty is the key and that can be very difficult to attain.

[metal4life]

Hey Hopie,
The same thing happens to me but with ADHD, while ive done a lot of research and im 100% sure that i have it (the same thing hapenned with SAD and then i got diagnosed). So i tell my family and they say you dont have this or that and then i think what if i dont have it and im just a lazy idiot. Also theres something good about that, you said that your anxiety got less after they tell you youre faking it and shit, and makes u think u dont have it so your brain thinks that too and makes the anxiety less. What im trying to say is that mental illnes as it says, is caused by the brain and what the unconcious part of the brain thinks, thats also a way to reduce anxiety just to say yourself u dont have it and it gets better, like it would do the oppsite way.

[stellaclark25]

I think what you are describing sounds like anxiety, and yes, the fact that you worry about whether or not you have anxiety, you probably do have it. I too have anxiety/depression and I often question myself and wonder if it's all just in my head and if I'm being silly and not taking life seriously enough. So you are not alone, I have and am going through this as well. It's too bad your friend said that you are faking it, maybe they didn't mean it in a bad way. If possible, try and explain to them what anxiety entails and that you have reason to believe this is very real, and not just your imagination. If your friend does not understand even then, then sadly you can't do anything about changing someone's mind. Continue to be yourself and know that you are great the way you are, and surround yourself with people who like you for who you are :). One of my friends/acquaintance a long time ago said something along the lines of "I hate people who say they are depressed. Just deal with it." I wanted to give him the riot act for that statement, but at the time I was too insecure about myself, and didn't say anything, in fact I almost agreed on the surface, but in my mind I felt like punching him. Clearly he had never experienced true anxiety or depression, otherwise no rational person would make that comment. Yes, if it was as easy as "dealing with it", I think we don't need to be Einsteins to figure out that we all would have done it by now.