Hey y'all!

[ifistay_]

So... I am a 22yo female and I've been struggling with anxiety for the past 4/5 years. While I've never been diagnosed, I've done enough research to find out what the issue was. I've seen two different psychiatrists in the past years (they did not really help - only told me I was fine and that I had nothing to worry about after two appointments - which, let's be honest, only made me feel better for a short period of time...

I've had to deal with panic attacks, depersonalization/derealization, irrational thoughts & other common symptoms of anxiety that I feel like I was getting "used to" for lack of a better word, but this past week, it's been really hard to deal with it. My anxiety increased out of nowhere and I've had to deal with the "fear of going crazy" feeling basically every day for a week and it's just draining. I feel like my mind is in a constant battle of "I'm freaking out/Everything's alright." so it's been kind of frustrating. I've been considering taking an appointment with a new psychiatrist/therapist but for now, I thought joining this forum could only be a good thing for me since it's always comforting to see we're not the only ones feeling the way we do.
I also don't think my insomnia is helping. (I've been used to sleeping from 4am-12am every day for a while now and I'm exhausted most days).

I'm not a very confident person nor I am at ease with people so this is a big step for me. I've reached the point where I really want to feel better and not have to worry about things constantly. (Which seems impossible for the time being)

Thank you all for listening and for welcoming me here :)

[jessed03]

Hey there

Welcome. Good to have you here!

It's nice to have a comforting place to go to during the bad times. It's very possible that you'll meet some people here that you'll get to know on a more personal level. That's pretty nice, there's strength in numbers. I've made many good friends here over the years. I think there are even some Facebook groups around here now that you can join if that's your thing.

You say you've been suffering for a few years, do you remember what brought your anxiety on?

[ifistay_]

Thank you!

I don't know if the Facebook thing is my thing, I guess I'll have to check it out though. :) It would be nice to meet people on here who feel the same as I do since people around me can't really relate so I can't talk about this with them.

To answer your question, I think I've always been stressed out, but it really reached a peak when I had my final exams during my last year of high school. I was sleeping really badly - still am - and stressing out about my exams. I had a panic attack and had my first experience of depersonalization. Then I started getting anxious over it happening again and the rest is history.