mike_0
06-05-2011, 01:29 PM
Hello all, my name is Michael. I'm a 25 year old male from Texas. I have recently been through the hardest time of my life (still going through it but finding myself breaking free) involving depression and anxiety/panic attacks. I had always been more prone to see the negative of situations but was not bothered by it the way I am now. Over the past 2 years or so anxiety had been growing within and I didn't catch it early enough to forgo the worst 4 months of my life. Over the past four months I have spent the majority of each day (up until maybe 2 weeks ago when I started to wake up) worrying, and having panic attacks over thoughts and ideas that had absolutely no validity. Life was hell - *was*. I now find myself more alert, worrying less and being able to enjoy myself once again. It's been a very long, exhausting fight.
Well, the real point of me joining is to help anyone who would want to listen to my experience. I feel like I taught myself certain things that helped get the ball rolling in the right direction until the ball was self sustaining, although I do still have trouble from time to time but in no comparison to before. For the record, I take .25 of Xanax before I go to sleep and thats all. No anti depressant, although I did take Zoloft for 2 1/2 months before taking myself off with consent of my Doctor because I felt as if it wasn't working. <Yeah I know, 2 1/2 months isn't very long for the medicine to take effect but I weighed the side effects and withdrawel of Zoloft to the benefits and decided to against zoloft, granted xanax isn't any better though. I've been seeing a counselor at my College and she has been very helpful and non judgemental. I've tried to talk to my significant other and my family to explain what it is that I am going through but of course they are not professionals in the area. I get alot of intrusive thoughts, hurting people, myself, losing control, going crazy, that sort of thing. For the record I'll state how many times I have hurt myself/another and/or lost my mind - 0. Thats right, 0. Truth be told, I'll never hurt myself or anyone else nor will I ever lose my mind, I'll just be afraid of it happening - big difference. Well, thats a bit of my story, I feel as if it is my duty to help other like me, I feel blessed and fortunate enough to be waking up from my nightmare so soon when I've seen other posters on plenty of forums who have said they suffered for 10-20 years. It's unbelievable. I understand, I've been there, still am. I want to help if I can.
Michael
Well, the real point of me joining is to help anyone who would want to listen to my experience. I feel like I taught myself certain things that helped get the ball rolling in the right direction until the ball was self sustaining, although I do still have trouble from time to time but in no comparison to before. For the record, I take .25 of Xanax before I go to sleep and thats all. No anti depressant, although I did take Zoloft for 2 1/2 months before taking myself off with consent of my Doctor because I felt as if it wasn't working. <Yeah I know, 2 1/2 months isn't very long for the medicine to take effect but I weighed the side effects and withdrawel of Zoloft to the benefits and decided to against zoloft, granted xanax isn't any better though. I've been seeing a counselor at my College and she has been very helpful and non judgemental. I've tried to talk to my significant other and my family to explain what it is that I am going through but of course they are not professionals in the area. I get alot of intrusive thoughts, hurting people, myself, losing control, going crazy, that sort of thing. For the record I'll state how many times I have hurt myself/another and/or lost my mind - 0. Thats right, 0. Truth be told, I'll never hurt myself or anyone else nor will I ever lose my mind, I'll just be afraid of it happening - big difference. Well, thats a bit of my story, I feel as if it is my duty to help other like me, I feel blessed and fortunate enough to be waking up from my nightmare so soon when I've seen other posters on plenty of forums who have said they suffered for 10-20 years. It's unbelievable. I understand, I've been there, still am. I want to help if I can.
Michael