Can anyone relate to this?

[Slammed Vdub]

Ok so ive had anxiety for about 1 year. Im 19 years old and i love cars. The doctors are calling it anxiety after i had a panic attack during my first semester class at college. I felt feint, arms were numb and heart was pounding which sent me to the doctors. My doctor sent me to a counselor who diagnosed me with GAD.

Symptoms:
-Head Pressure, feels like tight band on forehead
-Chest pain, sometimes only when breathing.
- cold numb hands, but sweaty
- I can feel feint and light headed
- I feel like i living a dream
- I'm scared like im always on edge and going insane ( my biggest fear)
- nauseous
- Vision blurry, double vision, like im in a fog.
- sometimes my surroundings feel trippy idk how to describe it
- and all other common syptoms

My most recent attack was at school reading in front of the class. It felt as i was watching myself from above myself. IDK it was weird.

I just got diagnosed with OCD and DP because i have to say Ill see you soon, or ill text you later to everyone or it feels like i wont make it. My health scares me alot, like i dont see how so many symptoms can be caused by anxiety. I have had many tests which all came back normal. I just want to be normal again, it feels like its just getting worse and i refuse to take medicine. If you are still reading you made it to the end and thank you!

[Brad72]

Sounds like good old anxiety to me. I have also had all those symptoms, sometimes individually and sometime all together. Are they frightening, hell yeah, do you sometime feel like you are going to die, yep to that one also but I can tell you you will get over this and you will get better

I haven't taken drugs as I found they did not work for me. What did work was getting to know as much as i could about anxiety and realising that anxiety is just telling stories, or lie's to be more specific. But that's what anxiety is, expert in making us feel how it wants. I also found that mindfullness and cbt therapy really worked well.

Regarding you anxiety reading in front of the class, I bet if you asked your classmates if they were nervous they would all have said yes. This is a normal reaction to such things. Even key note speakers who earn a living from public speaking get nervous beforehand. It's just that the anxiety brain perceives that nervousness as something it isn't, then blows it completely out of proportion.

I like the 2 people waiting to get on a roller coaster story. Both can feel the adrenalin starting to pump. Their hearts start to race, mouth's become dry, feel tension in their forehead and butterflies in there stomach's. One of them finds the experience exciting and fun whilst the other is totally terrified. Both have felt the same thing but it's how they perceive the feeling that make the difference. So that is all anxiety is doing, taking normal feelings, sensations and emotions of blowing them into something they are not.

I find it helps to slow everything down when anxiety starts. Take so slow breaths in and out, counting up for the in breath and down for the out. Do this a few time then Concentrate on the cool air entering your nose and the warm moist air leaving it. I also learnt not to constantly struggle with the feeling I have because it just doesn't work. A bit like if I tell you not to think about a pink elephant. I bet your now thinking about a pink elephant. The more you try to push it away the harder it fights back. A technique call Urge Surfing also works well.

Remember that anxiety cannot hurt you. It is only a thought. Also remember that you will get through this and you are a lot stronger than you think you are.

[victor.gatto]

hi slammed,

what you are feeling is exactly the same as what im feeling

im 19 too and i love my cars, i work for an autoparts company, but the stress sucks.

i need to get rid of this anxiety asap, the derealisation is haunting me!

best of luck! peace!

[PanicCured]

I wanted to address this:
"I'm scared like im always on edge and going insane ( my biggest fear)"

You won't go insane!
I used to describe this feeling as I had multiple brains and they were doing summersaults over each other. I know EXACTLY what you mean. I totally watched my thoughts spiral out of control to the point where I thought I'd never come back. Well, here I am, anxiety/panic free and I am not insane. Well, maybe we all are to some degree. haha

So ride it out. Those feelings will ALWAYS fade.

[Martintlane]

Hi Slammed It sounds to me your nervousness is causing you to suffer panic attacks. Being nervous about things is normal, the trick is to be able to control it. There are many natural remedies you can try to help you with this. Do some checking on the internet for natural anxiety treatments and you will find there are a lot to choose from such as meditation, breathing exercises etc. I am sure you will find one that can help you

[Slammed Vdub]

I have been scheduled to see a psychiatrist but i refuse to take medicine. It seems at night or if my routine changes everything acts up to the max. Or if i talk about natural catastrophes, (earthquake etc.)

[Brad72]

If you don't want to take meds and the psychiatrist is hell bent on meds then see a psychologist. I personally found a psychologist to be better as they weren't as focused on drugs, but more about discovering the root cause of the anxiety and giving me the tools to overcome it.

Night times are always worse for anxiety as there is less stimulus to keep you mind occupied. I aways used to find that watching a comedy on tv really helped with this. Also do not watch the evening news or current affairs shows. They will never make you feel happy and the media really like to pedal doom and gloom.