When did you start feeling anxious?

[brittany32888]

As a young child, like maybe 6.. The first time I remember getting extremely anxious was when I first started public school, it was 2nd grade(homeschooled for k & 1st) at the end of the school day, the students were asked to put their chairs on their desks to wait for the bell to ring, and next go off into the world whether it be to the bus or a parents car or walk home. As all the students were excited to leave I found myself bawling uncontrollably and when a kid asked me what the matter was I said, "I don't know if my moms going to pick me up!" My thinking was, what if my mom is outside waiting for me, and i don't see her so I get on the bus and go home and no one is there, meanwhile she is panicking at the school because No one can find me and I'm stuck outside of my house alone. And it never really ended. I had night terrors for most of my adolescent life, so I was afraid of the dark and silence, and formed OCD. I developed an over active bladder, was constantly have accidents. I feared restaurants, could never eat in one and found myself vomiting a lot. I had a lot of strange digestive issues, couldn't drink anything carbonated because I physically couldn't release air from my body. Anything that would normally excite a child would cause anxiety and panic. Though most of these issues I eventually grew out of, the anxiety is still there and the trauma of growing up feeling so alone and different affects my today life and makes me fearful for my own son. My parents never thought anything was wrong and punished me for always overreacting. It was just something they didn't want to deal with I suppose. I'm just curious as to when everyone started to notice symptoms, whether they understood it or not? I've read a lot of people that developed it as young adults... Any lifetime anxiety sufferers like myself?

[Ryaan]

I think it's hereditary, I can relate 100%, Iv'e always been shy, disconnected, and nervous, ever since I can remember, however, I believe with the right lifestyle, its possible to almost completely rid yourself of these symptoms.

[Christopher H.]

At first as a young child I was happy go lucky and did whatever I wanted to do. Not having to deal with social anxiety at all. But for some reason come around the 4th grade is when social anxiety became a huge part of my life. I remember that when I had to present my work at the front of the class I wouldn't say anything until my teacher allowed me to present my essay while underneath my desk. I don't know why my social anxiety came around this. It mostly can be attributed to the fact my Mother suffers from an anxiety, a different kind, and that I was kind of bullied into not be so loud and in everyones face all the time. I am very lucky that I no longer struggle with social anxiety like I did throughout my Elementenary/Jr High/High School/Early college years in the past. Shit it was like a miracle magic pill that got rid of all the stress that crippled me so much. I also somewhat agree with Ryaan that a main determiner in whether or not someone has anxiety is what type of genes they have. However, I believe environmental factors can also be the cause of someones anxiety in their future. I can remember times during elementary school that I was so embarrassed in social situations in class that really helped in making my social anxiety worse.

[brittany32888]

Thank you for the comments, it makes me feel better to know people understand, I just hope I can stay strong and do for my son, what my parents couldn't do for me. It's scary knowing he could be faced with the same obstacles...

[AnxiousBob]

I think I've always been anxious.
I suspect I masked it for years with alcohol.
God, I wish it would just stop.

[brittany32888]

I feel ya bob. it's so unfair. I actually spent virtually all of my teen years abusing drugs/alcohol and I don't remember being so anxious then. I was still a train wreck none the less but not anxious. I wonder why that is?

[AnxiousBob]

I feel ya bob. it's so unfair. I actually spent virtually all of my teen years abusing drugs/alcohol and I don't remember being so anxious then. I was still a train wreck none the less but not anxious. I wonder why that is?

Your teens sound suspiciously like mine. I think anxiety as a condition is far more wide spread than society realizes.
It's just that countless individual self medicate the issue away with alcohol and drugs.

[Ryaan]

I feel ya bob. it's so unfair. I actually spent virtually all of my teen years abusing drugs/alcohol and I don't remember being so anxious then. I was still a train wreck none the less but not anxious. I wonder why that is?

I take it you are off all substances now?
For me, I self medicated myself from the age of 15-20 with marijuana... I'm still 20, I quit all drugs 2 weeks ago due to a severe panic attack, Only am I just realizing iv'e been battling anxiety all this time, it was the panic attacks that showed me that, but let me tell you, I've been going through hell the last month, I keep telling myself "sometimes you have to go through hell to experience heaven", serenity is so close yet so far away...

[brittany32888]

yes I haven't touched anything in over 4 years. it didn't seem too hard at the time because I had alot going on that distracted me... but now that I know I'm no longer addicted, that little voice is coming back. wine was my poison if choice, and pain meds. after a couple of years of smoking weed, it started causing panic attacks. I would never do anything illegal now because I have a son but I would be lying if I didn't say I craved a glass(or a gallon) of wine every now and again. I mostly just miss the feeling you get when you first start getting intoxicated. The drowning of anxiety was nice... but then of course I would destroy that feeling of bliss by getting completely trashed..... If we as humans are meant to live and face our feelings while sober.... why is it so damn hard?

[Ryaan]

yes I haven't touched anything in over 4 years. it didn't seem too hard at the time because I had alot going on that distracted me... but now that I know I'm no longer addicted, that little voice is coming back. wine was my poison if choice, and pain meds. after a couple of years of smoking weed, it started causing panic attacks. I would never do anything illegal now because I have a son but I would be lying if I didn't say I craved a glass(or a gallon) of wine every now and again. I mostly just miss the feeling you get when you first start getting intoxicated. The drowning of anxiety was nice... but then of course I would destroy that feeling of bliss by getting completely trashed..... If we as humans are meant to live and face our feelings while sober.... why is it so damn hard?

I'm religious, I believe in the lord Jesus Christ.
I also believe that we all have a cross to bare.

Christ suffered, he was lashed, whipped, beaten, stabbed, betrayed, nailed to a cross and forced to bleed out slowly in one of THE worst ways to die, a crucifixion.

What Iv'e come to realize is life is not perfect, I don't think it's suppose to be.

I cannot show you happiness until you have experienced hell.

Sunny days wouldn't be special if it wasn't for rain, joy wouldn't feel so good, if it wasn't for pain.


Sorry for getting right religious on ya, but if you look into it, it actually makes allot of sense.



"Fear none of those things which you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days: be you faithful to death, and I will give you a crown of life"

[brittany32888]

I'm religious, I believe in the lord Jesus Christ.
I also believe that we all have a cross to bare.

Christ suffered, he was lashed, whipped, beaten, stabbed, betrayed, nailed to a cross and forced to bleed out slowly in one of THE worst ways to die, a crucifixion.

What Iv'e come to realize is life is not perfect, I don't think it's suppose to be.

I cannot show you happiness until you have experienced hell.

Sunny days wouldn't be special if it wasn't for rain, joy wouldn't feel so good, if it wasn't for pain.

Sorry for getting right religious on ya, but if you look into it, it actually makes allot of sense.

"Fear none of those things which you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days: be you faithful to death, and I will give you a crown of life"

I also believe in God, whether his name be Jesus or Buddha or Allah, I feel is irrelevant. I was raised in a Christian church but felt I have learned more of God and life outside of church walls.
I do agree that life is beautifully imperfect, but I do not believe we have a cross to bear. Jesus Christ died on the cross so we may all be free, the perfect example of mercy and unconditional love that us as humans will never understand or be able to return. God created the earth in a perfect way so that mankind may live harmoniously, but us as imperfect beings are what destroy that which has been created. Selfishness and greed is what makes life so hard. Something that is not of God.
If life is hard, it's not because God intended it to be, it's because of the choices of people, that make life harder for themselves and others.