Update on my anxiety problem.

[JustAnotherAttack]

Hey everyone. I was posting quite frequently not long ago.
I have severe anxiety issues and was having panic attacks daily up to several times per day.
I take no medication for my anxiety. I have taken them, but it was a long time ago.

Anyway...I've been doing well for the last few weeks. I had forgotten how it felt to wake up and not feel like the day was going to be terrible.
I'm able to wake up now and look forward to the day.

I don't think that I'm "cured"...I know that it will come back someday and that my life will likely never be the same, but at the moment I feel content with how things are as far as my symptoms go.
I don't feel dizzy or anything which was the main symptom for me.

I did a lot of cutting back and I worked hard to get to where I am right now.
I spent a lot of time on this forum and posted anytime I felt like I was going to have a panic attack.
I learned from and listened to the people here and took their advice and gave some of my own.
This forum was my minds home for quite a while and it made me feel like there were people out there...just like me who needed someone to be there for them too.
This place allowed for all of that to happen and I think that it ultimately resulted in me feeling better.

I kept track of some people on this forum and watched and replied to their posts.
Hearing their words of encouragement was amazing.

So, for now I am enjoying the moment of silence from my anxiety and I'm just living my life.
I don't feel like I'm in a haze anymore. I feel like I can think clearly. Its a great feeling and I hope you all feel this way too.

As of right now I'm sitting at home...just finished a couple of cups of coffee. I switched to decaf because a lot of caffeine can actually bring on panic attacks.
I've cut down on soda and tea as well and I think that I feel a lot better due to those changes. I don't feel like I'm missing out because if I want a soda...I have one.
I've also cut down on chocolate and sweets that have caffeine in them. Chocolate was hard to cut back on because honestly I enjoy having it often, but having it every once in a while makes it feel like a rare treat. :P
I cook most of my meals at home so I know exactly what goes into them.

There are many little things that I have to do to cut back on stress and anxiety. I think that my OCD has gotten stronger, but I feel more in control over my body and mind than I ever have, so its worth it.
I like knowing what goes into my body and knowing that everything can contribute to the issues that I've had with anxiety.

If you have not tried cutting back on caffeine...try it. There is no harm in trying and you might find that it works well for you.
A while back I had no idea that my intake of coffee, tea, and soda was contributing to my ongoing panic attacks.
After some research I found out that it could be a main cause, so I made some changes.
The nice thing is that I know that it works. My husband took me to get a cup of coffee the other day because I had been craving it. I bought regular coffee and drank all 20 ounces of it.
The effects that it had on me hit me about 30 minutes after it started circulating through my system. I started feeling jittery and I started getting really dizzy.
I had panic attacks that entire day and even part of the next day. Not a fun experience.


I just wanted to update everyone. Let those of you that I've spoken to frequently to know that I didn't forget about you all. I just don't check my email as often because I'm actually off of the computer enjoying the vacation from anxiety, so I don't realize that anyone replied or anything, lol.
I wish everyone luck and I hope that your anxiety problems resolve themselves or you're able to find something that works for you. I'll be back posting soon I'm sure.

[newzie]

That's really great news, from reading your posts you sound like you had a lot of symptoms in common with me and seeing as you have overcome it is very comforting to say the least.

Isn't it true that once you get over an episode you find yourself searching and posting on forums less and less; big ups to you!

Keep up the awesome work, hopefully won't see you are here soon:P

[tailspin]

Really happy to hear this JustAnotherAttack!! It's always good to hear positive stories like this!! It's great you like de-caf coffee and that you've been able to successfully eliminate caffeine (and so the anxiety attacks too) from your life!!! I don't drink any coffee, tea or soda so I don't think caffeine is an issue for me (though I do eat some dark chocolate). I think sugar is probably more of an issue for me and I'm definitely trying to cut back on my sugar intake a bit.

Thanks for coming back and giving us an update!!! Wishing you all the best!
'

[chewie90]

That's wonderful! I have the same story as u as well. I haven't had an episode for about 2 weeks now! I don't take meds because I'm sensitive to side effects but I am taking my vitamins everyday also with some calcium. Still get hot flashes here and there but nothing to crazy. I am seeking employment because my anxiety was so bad I could no longer work. Got quite a few interviews this week. It still feels a lil weird feeling normal lol but I'm getting used to it. Going to the store and not freaking out. Just one step at a time. Wish me luck and congrats on your progress and hope everything is going well for you.

[NeverToo...Fear]

This is great news to hear JustAnotherAttack..it really gives a lot of possibility and hope that things get better! I can attest to the caffeine affecting anxiety. I drink a moderate amount coffee, and it's not long after drinking that I get a day of panic attacks..so I'm too working on cutting out the caffeine from; sodas, coffees, teas, chocolate (yes, a very hard one to limit) to see if I improve...I'm quite glad you are doing better and hopefully you will get better with each day! Thanks for updating all of us here

[JustAnotherAttack]

That's wonderful! I have the same story as u as well. I haven't had an episode for about 2 weeks now! I don't take meds because I'm sensitive to side effects but I am taking my vitamins everyday also with some calcium. Still get hot flashes here and there but nothing to crazy. I am seeking employment because my anxiety was so bad I could no longer work. Got quite a few interviews this week. It still feels a lil weird feeling normal lol but I'm getting used to it. Going to the store and not freaking out. Just one step at a time. Wish me luck and congrats on your progress and hope everything is going well for you.

Hey, thanks! Its good to hear that your anxiety is giving you a break. I wish you all of the luck in the world and I know you can do it. You're right...one step at a time is best so we don't overwhelm ourselves.

[JustAnotherAttack]

This is great news to hear JustAnotherAttack..it really gives a lot of possibility and hope that things get better! I can attest to the caffeine affecting anxiety. I drink a moderate amount coffee, and it's not long after drinking that I get a day of panic attacks..so I'm too working on cutting out the caffeine from; sodas, coffees, teas, chocolate (yes, a very hard one to limit) to see if I improve...I'm quite glad you are doing better and hopefully you will get better with each day! Thanks for updating all of us here

Chocolate is extremely hard to cut out for me, lol! I just love it so much. Coffee was very hard too, but once I found out that decaf wasn't so horrible I felt like I didn't have to give up too much of the things that I enjoy.
I do limit myself quite a bit when it comes to soda...Mt. Dew is one of my favorite drinks, so that was tough too.
I had an eating disorder for quite a while...bulimia. I was in a phase with that where I would binge and then purge. So limiting myself when it comes to food/drinks is tough for me. I always have it in the back of my mind that whatever I eat I can just throw up even though I've not done it in such a long time. For a while simply eating a meal was tough because my anxiety was so high. I had and still have a fear of eating too much and sometimes it gets the best of me.

I think that throughout this whole ordeal with my anxiety I've realized that I have several problems that have been tied to it...like my eating disorder...that I never fully realized until lately.

I think that we can all get through this as long as we have people who understand. I give credit to the nice people here who I've been able to speak with. Knowing someone goes through the same things as you are really helps quite a bit.

I wish everyone luck! Please keep your fingers crossed for me too. :P