I can't imagine a normal life anymore

[lexiPro]

Hi! First time poster here...

I've been suffering from panic attacks/constant anxiety for a few months now. My first panic attack caught me totally by suprise at a red light in a busy intersection. Thinking i was going to pass out behind the wheel with my 4 yr old in the backseat was one of the most scary experiences of my life.

Fastforward a few months, and i'm waking up with anxiety and uncontrolable thoughts pretty much daily. By 12 or 1pm I'm scrambling for any sort of sedative, whether it's a shot of alcohol, alergy pills that make me drowzy, and recently extreme coughing until I throw up (for the life of me I don't know why this helps but it does).

basically, i will do ANYTHING to stop feeling the fear, and impending death or doom that anxiety causes. So it seems like there's only two modes for me; sky-high anxious or a complete zombie. There's no normal me anymore. I'm either freaking out or sedated. I hate this.

how do you all deal with anxiety without turning to a crutch? What do you do?

[jellybelly03]

That sounds awful and a horrible thing to go through. The hardest, but in my opinion most worthwhile thing I have learned during my therapy, is that anxiety will never ever harm you. It can try and scare you, and make you fear anything and feel like crap, but it's harmless. I think to come to terms with something like this will be difficult, but worthwhile. I hope this helps :-)

[anthonyjbro760]

Sedatives barley calm. Me down starting to think I'm screwed

[NixonRulz]

The above advice is great. As hard as it may be, once you begin to understand that all these symptoms and thoughts are just normal symptoms of anxiety and that they are COMPLETELY HARMLESS!!!!, you will be well on your way.
Once I stopped trying to be cured, it got easier.
This is who I am, how I'm wired and that will never change
I experience symptoms often but they last just briefly. I have learned not to react
Once I stopped fighting the feelings, the feelings come and go
I fought for 18 years. It didn't work
I now just roll with it and I hard,y know its there
Wishing that for you soon

[PanicCured]

On the flipside of your post, I can't imagine having an anxiety disorder anymore.

[jessed03]

On the flipside of your post, I can't imagine having an anxiety disorder anymore.

lol. A man of one-liners.

[FordingTheWaters]

Hi! First time poster here...

I've been suffering from panic attacks/constant anxiety for a few months now. My first panic attack caught me totally by suprise at a red light in a busy intersection. Thinking i was going to pass out behind the wheel with my 4 yr old in the backseat was one of the most scary experiences of my life.

Fastforward a few months, and i'm waking up with anxiety and uncontrolable thoughts pretty much daily. By 12 or 1pm I'm scrambling for any sort of sedative, whether it's a shot of alcohol, alergy pills that make me drowzy, and recently extreme coughing until I throw up (for the life of me I don't know why this helps but it does).

basically, i will do ANYTHING to stop feeling the fear, and impending death or doom that anxiety causes. So it seems like there's only two modes for me; sky-high anxious or a complete zombie. There's no normal me anymore. I'm either freaking out or sedated. I hate this.

how do you all deal with anxiety without turning to a crutch? What do you do?

I'm taking it day by day for now. At this time, I'm forcing myself to get out of the house at least for a little bit, and do things to try to distract myself. I'm also looking to talk to specialists to rule out any possible underlying medical conditions.

As for now, that's all I can really do. I'm starting to accept that it's a long road to recovery. Being able to say, every day, that I got something done, seems to help. So does knowing that I'm actually sleeping at night, even if not as much as i wish I did.

Give it time. I think we both will be ok.

[FordingTheWaters]

On the flipside of your post, I can't imagine having an anxiety disorder anymore.

My mom tells me one day I'll feel like that.

Ohhhh, gonna hope and hope. We can't lose hope.

[PanicCured]

It is up to you if you will feel like that. You have to save yourself.