Hey Guys.stay positive

[MarcL]

I’m happy to have found this site.

Sunday I am turning 42. I have been dealing with Social/generalized anxiety since right out of high school. Had problems in High school. Oral reports. But things escalated out of high school. It’s been really bad at times. I’m sure you can all relate.

After all these years I’ve really learned to live the best I can with this condition. I am continuously working on it trying to feel better, and to rid my anxiety. It’s exhausting at times, but worth it when you feel better. being stressed and anxious, and worrying all the time is exhausting, so it’s difficult to have the energy to at the end of the day work on ‘positive affirmations’ or to ‘read’ or ‘listen to tapes’.

But I haven’t given up. I do have anxiety and have dealt with Panic attacks, but I’m very happy and my life is very good. I have a wonderful family, and I have accomplished a lot. I do feel like I miss out on things. I do find myself avoiding doing things, though I try not to. While my wife is looking forward to an event or vacation, Sometimes I am worried about it.

Anticipation anxiety has always been something I have to deal with. I’m always worried about something coming up. But I must say that all this worry is almost always for nothing. But I still do it. There was a time I could not do anything that I could not escape from immediately. Dinners, vacations ect. But I can now.

I have tried everything and have had some success. On a scale from 1-10. 10 being the worse at my worse I was probably 8, where today I’m probably around 3. but it seems to be a constant battle. Diet is huge for me. Cardio exercise is very important. Reading, and writing in a journal. Listening to tapes. I have my favorites. Reading a good book. Just reading about your condition and understanding it more helps. I’ve been to therapy, and have seen counselors. Roll it up and it helps.

I can tell you that when you suffer for so long, and then get better you appreciate the little things the a lot more. A walk in the park that somebody may just walk through is much more beautiful to somebody who at one point wasn’t able to walk through it.

I may be contradicting myself in this post. That’s because like I said I have bad days, but these days there are more wonderful days.

If anythbody wants to talk please shoot me an email.

[Lulu]

This post made me cry marc. I'm 33 and have been sufferign with anxiety since I was 18. Going through phases and then being absolutely healthy "normal" for years. But as I've got older the anxiety seems to have taken over the normal part of me. I know part of my issue is I'm so damn angry this happens to me, and I will constantly search for answers as to why. I'm going through a really bad phase at the moment and it's really got me down right now. I'm in the mindset where I feel anxious permenantly, and in my twisted little mind this stops me from having panic attacks. The day's when I do feel ok will be the days I have a panic attack out of the blue. Like I've let my guard down. After one of these I just cry and cry for hours.

I do as you used to, I avoid situations where there is no escape for me, flying, getting in cars for long journeys etc. This has taken the confident woman I was 2 years ago and made me introverted and overly cautious. Not to mention me beating myself up over being a less than perfect mother and an even less than perfect mother. I've tried medication, and I now go to counselling. Right now, I'm trying to learn to manage it on my own. I have a dream that one day I'll wake up and be "cured". Because feeling this way for the rest of my life scares the hell out of me. I talk to friends, but they dont' really understand where I'm coming from.

I make myself get out there and do thing, but I never enjoy them I'm soo worried about embarrassing myself by panicking.

Any tips would be gratefully appreciated.

[MarcL]

Lulu if there’s anything I can do for you, PM me.

If I can offer any advice, and I’m not sure how good of advice it would be, I would say to don’t go to extreme measure to try to beat this. And like I had said if I should be even attempting to give advice. But in my personal experience, fighting anxiety is kind of like a diet. You go on an extreme diet where you’re always dealing with the diet, and the diet is basically burning you out and taking all your time. After a couple weeks of that you burn out, drop the diet, and stop working on your weight. Or you can drop back a few calories here and there, tweak what you eat, and not be so worried about sticking to the strict diet. You’re will probably be able to stick it out longer. You may lose weight slower this way, but you will lose it.

(Did that make sense?)

I think it’s the same with anxiety. Consistency. Work on it a little all the time. But be consistent.

- Don’t take on too much. Life is fast paced. But don’t try to take it all in.
- Go to bed a little early and listen to relaxing tapes, and practice on your deep breathing. Positive affirmation CD’s, subliminal CD’s. tapes with positive messages, and breathing exercises.
- Stay away from alcohol and ciggys. People smoke when they get stressed but it’s a stimulant, and they are probably feeling like it’s relaxing them because they are deep breathing.
- Go on the internet and look up anti-anxiety diets.
- Candles
- Good a good book. Email me and I’ll tell you my favorites. Lucinda Bassett has a really good one.
- NO ENERGY DRINKS
- Write in a journal, talk to other sufferers through emails, and talk the people you trust. And don’t be embarrassed.
- Exercise to me is one of the most important things
-
Do things your way. But do them. If you’re going to dinner but it’ll make it easier to go somewhere familiar or sit in a certain spot, do that. If you are more comfortable sitting at the end of the aisle at a movie or a game, sit there. But go. Every time you don’t go somewhere or avoid something the anxiety gets stronger. If you’re more comfortable driving when you’re going on a trip you should drive.

Cognitive therapy did not work for me. What worked more for me was a therapist who most of the time sat there, listened to me, and asked ‘What do you think?’

The two times I was at my worse is once when I decided I wanted to take Zoloft, and once when I decided I wanted to try Paxil. It was that initial first week, and I wasn’t able to take it. I stopped both after 3 days. I’ve taken small doses of xanax a couple times to take the edge off but it’s been years.
I have 2 kids and to be somebody who has suffered like I have it’s so awesome to see my 2 kids are so normal, and outgoing. That’s what motivates me the most. To ot show any symptoms of this around them because they pick it up. That’s why I have my biggest gains in the last 7 years. I need to get better so I can take them on trips, and camping and to Disneyland, and actually enjoy it, too.

This is all personal experience, and if any of you read all the way through, thanks for reading.