Does anyone else have thoughts like these?

[Carla]

Hi everyone
Since having anxiety I think I have had about a million different symptoms. One being that I tend to over exaggerate! ;) However, when I am out and about in public, or in any social situation, I find myself looking at people, *I dont stare* and I try and 'work them out' Does this make sense? I dont know why I do it. :unsure: I find myself looking and thinking quite deeply sometimes, what is it is they do, or how are their lives, and are they happy, and are they contented with their lives doing the same old boring stuff, and lots of other thoughts. I think sometimes when I see certain types of people that their lives must be so dull and boring, or I look at other types and think that they must have a great life. I wonder what keeps people going and motivated when they dont seem to have much on the surface to look happy about? :? I also and I hope this is not depression, look at people and think Look at them all rushing around, like little ants, going through the same old motions, same old day to day boring routines, that we all do to a certain extent most of the time, me included! and for a few moments everything seems so futile and meaningless, like is this all there is to living? Is that what we were placed on earth to do? :roll: I am not talking about the people who have action packed lives or brilliant fulfilling careers whose work make a big difference to society. I am talking about the average day to day person. I am not depressed I am sure because I dont feel unhappy and I am quite a happy bubbly person :D apart from having anxiety! :cry: I know what it is to have suffered depression albeit briefly caused by medication some months ago and I def dont have depression I am certain. I just feel like Whats the point to all this living? I dont feel suicidal. I actually mean along the lines of Whats the meaning of life? and I hope that I dont sound like some old Hippy from the 60's when I say that! lol :o Does anyone ever feel that everything seems so futile and pointless at times, but not as in being depressed? These thoughts are not there all the time but they are there on and off at times. Has anyone ever felt like this? Am I going mad? :tongue: lol

[joey9]

There is NO meaning to life. You are here simply through the fitness of your genes. There is NO point in wondering WHY you are here (unless its an intellectual exercise), you just are. But you can give your life meaning. Why don't you try channelling your thoughts into what you can do whilst you are here. You say that you are a happy person - that's great and you are lucky. There are many millions of people on the planet who are miserable through one reason or another. If you are truly searching for some kind of meaning to your life, you could use your energies to try to improve the lives of others.

[Carla]

Hello
Thanks for your reply and suggestion. However for me personally I think there is a point to wondering why we are here. If you dont think then dont you become just an unquestioning robotic machine of a human being just going through the motions in life. I believe that we are here for a reason although I am not sure what the reason is, and I believe in an afterlife too (I hope its one where I dont have any anxiety this time!) - but then I know that trail of conversation could go on forever and I wld write forever, so I wont, fortunately for everyone else! lol Yes I could help people and have done so and I like to help people, like a lot of other people do, but that still doesnt take away how I feel. Maybe I should switch my thoughts off a little. My head is always full of thoughts...Is that anxiety do you think???

[Jay12345]

Carla, i always think about people and perhaps what situation they are in.. And it's perfectly fine to think about those sorts of things it shows you are an interlect and don't just conform to society, like a lemming!... A head full of thoughts is fantastic personality!

Regarding 'why are we here' Well, no one knows! and i guess thats why there is religion etc......I always think to myself like what the hell are we doing here on this planet in the middle of knowhere, it's quite scary to be honist, but i guess ive got more important things to worry about! I am an atheist though!

Don't be scared of your thoughts, don't feel a thought is necessarily linked with anxiety or depression, because as soon as you start thinking it may, then all this will do is simply bring it on! It's just how you are as a person.. Just take it easy my friend! :)

[elgrande]

Looking at others and wondering what their life is like or what kind of person they are is part of human nature. In addition we all suffer from the "grass is greener" syndrome from time to time. These are perfectly normal feelings. Why do you think young women read celebrity magazines or what about the rise in reality shows like big brother and the x factor? They are so mainstream now because people love human stories and are curious about how others live. As far the fulfilment in peoples lives, well this couldn't be more individual. One mans shack in another mans castle! One of the problems (or benefits depending on your viewpoint) with modern life is the sheer pace or it. Technology in particular is changing at an ever increasing rate and we are all trying to keep up. Another huge shift is the practically unlimited amount of information we now have access to. Can you imagine what it was like before the internet, phones, television, Aeroplane etc? These things have only been around for the past 100 years or so however modern humans have been roaming the earth for 200,000! Our bodies and minds have not had time to evolve into a species which is fully adapted to the world we now find ourselves living in and I believe this is partly to blame for our often poor ability to deal with modern life. I personally think that this rapidly changing world and undeniable environmental damage we have caused and continue to cause, paints a rather bleak future for our race. This however is a discussion for another time and place. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you are not alone in your feelings and I hope I have shown you that by thinking about the bigger picture you can perhaps make better sense of the underlying causes.

Thanks

[joey9]

You don't need to become an unquestioning robot going through the motions of life. There are millions of questions you can ask about the world. You can spend most of your days trying to unravel the complexities of the universe, life on Earth, the human condition etc. These are all fascinating and absolutely worth every moment you dedicate to thinking about them. To accept that there is no predetermined meaning to life doesn't mean you have to switch off. I think that a person can have a far more productive life by channelling their thoughts into the realities of life rather than focusing on a theological perspective.

[Carla]

Thank you to all who replied. They are really good and interesting replies! What was mentioned about how fast the pace of life is these days, I can really relate to. I am still youngish but I feel like modern life is a bit much sometimes - too loud and too many people about and too many people who are materialistic and greedy plus all the other things I dont like about society today. I feel I would have been more content living pre 1960's. I would prefer a much more simpler way of life. I dont like the fast pace of life Sometimes I think that I feel like how I would imagine a pensioner to feel! This has only surfaced since I became unwell.
Someone that I know said that I was strange when I was talking about such things the other day and I told him that it hurt me being called strange. He said he didnt mean it be nasty and that it was 'cute'! but it has stuck. Last night someone else I know said a similar remark. I do tend to think since having anxiety that what I am saying or thinking can be a little odd at times when I look back at what I say. I think the problem is that I am scared stiff of becoming mentally ill to an extreme level and I keep checking my anxiety by my thoughts. I only have mild anxiety now but I worry sometimes that it may spiral or go away and come back later on much worse than how I have been. I find myself constantly questioning how I am coming across when I talk with people and I worry that I may seem strange.
Thank you for your replies. They have really helped and given me something else to think about lol ! :)

[Bluesky]

HI Carla,

I registered with this site just to recommend you a very good book which has saved the lives of millions of people around the world including me. I had my first panic attack on August 3rd this year. I then suffered anxiety disorder due to constant anticipation of another panic attack. I lost 5 pounds in 5 days. Words would fail to describe how badly I felt. My family doctor did not help much. She even prescribed me anti-depressants. Every moment I lived in a state of disabling anxiety until I came across a book highly recommend by a panic disorder forum. The title is "Hope and help for the nerves" by Dr. Claire Weeks. To say it's a godsend is an understatement. The book itself is a therapy. This is the only book that can help you even at the peak of a panic attack. As a scientist and physician, Dr. Weeks suffered from panic disorder herself. And she knew exactly what the panic sufferers were going through. I believe I am nearly totally recovered using the methods decribed by Dr. Weekes. Please do yourself a favour and read it. Some people swear by this book and take it whereever they go. It's very inexpensive. And please let me know how you feel about it. Good luck!



Hi everyone
Since having anxiety I think I have had about a million different symptoms. One being that I tend to over exaggerate! ;) However, when I am out and about in public, or in any social situation, I find myself looking at people, *I dont stare* and I try and 'work them out' Does this make sense? I dont know why I do it. :unsure: I find myself looking and thinking quite deeply sometimes, what is it is they do, or how are their lives, and are they happy, and are they contented with their lives doing the same old boring stuff, and lots of other thoughts. I think sometimes when I see certain types of people that their lives must be so dull and boring, or I look at other types and think that they must have a great life. I wonder what keeps people going and motivated when they dont seem to have much on the surface to look happy about? :? I also and I hope this is not depression, look at people and think Look at them all rushing around, like little ants, going through the same old motions, same old day to day boring routines, that we all do to a certain extent most of the time, me included! and for a few moments everything seems so futile and meaningless, like is this all there is to living? Is that what we were placed on earth to do? :roll: I am not talking about the people who have action packed lives or brilliant fulfilling careers whose work make a big difference to society. I am talking about the average day to day person. I am not depressed I am sure because I dont feel unhappy and I am quite a happy bubbly person :D apart from having anxiety! :cry: I know what it is to have suffered depression albeit briefly caused by medication some months ago and I def dont have depression I am certain. I just feel like Whats the point to all this living? I dont feel suicidal. I actually mean along the lines of Whats the meaning of life? and I hope that I dont sound like some old Hippy from the 60's when I say that! lol :o Does anyone ever feel that everything seems so futile and pointless at times, but not as in being depressed? These thoughts are not there all the time but they are there on and off at times. Has anyone ever felt like this? Am I going mad? :tongue: lol

[Carla]

Hello! :)
How are you? Thank you for your reply and also for registering with the site to be able to recommend the book to me. I really appreciate it. I am sorry to hear that you had a panic/attack and then anxiety disorder. It is horrible isnt it? How are you now feeling? Are you free of all the symptoms? At its very worst, for me, I couldnt move at times for how bad I felt and truly thought that would be how I would spend the rest of my life. I can honestly say I have never felt so unwell in my life. It was horrendous. It has changed my personality I think and for the better in some ways. However I am sure you will relate to how I felt. I am getting better though, and have good and bad days. Yesterday wasnt such a great day and this morning I woke up feeling a bit 'odd', so I am taking time out for now just to relax and get plenty of rest, which does really help me. I love this site because there are people here who I can relate to and who have been a great help. Nobody that I know in my personal life is able to understand and I give up trying to explain now and I find I cover up how I feel very well. I worry about being classed as mentally ill and of the stigma that goes with it. I find that a lot of people are just not willing to be understanding and compassionate of anyone experiencing mental health problems. It is still I think quite a taboo subject for some, even in 2008.
I will purchase the book you have recommended and let you know how I get on. I have been reading lately a lot of positive reviews about Claire Weekes books and I have one of her books at the moment which I am reading, called Self Help for Your Nerves and so far I find it really helpful. She has written a few books hasnt she, and I wasnt sure which one to buy. Thanks again. Hope you have a good day.

[Bluesky]

Hi Carla,

In fact, "Self Help for the nerves" is another name for "Hope and Help for the nerves". You have the right book.

I am feeling 95% better now. I have not had a panic/anxiety attack for almost a month now (I had my first panic attack in early August). I am not scared of it any more because I completely understand that fear and fear alone triggers it and makes our body secrete more adrenaline that intensifies all the symptoms. I truely believe what Dr. Weeks said in her books. I am forever in debt to Dr. Weekes. With her book, you need to read it over and over again to absort everything she said and reinforce the belief. Every time I read it, I find something new. It's like the bible for me. I found many people (such as Lucinda Basset, JOe Barry and some other anxiety writers) copy Dr. Weekes' ideas and use slightly different wording or exact the same words. I had one setback after I read her book. I was able to use her techniques and methods when I was going through the anxiety attack. And I found the symptoms were only half of what I experienced before and it lasted much shorter time. I became more confident after that setback and have not had one ever since. I think I've learned how to truely face and accept. There is one thing that I do differently from you. I tell all of my family and close friends about my panic and anxiety. I am not ashamed of it, because I know that many people in the world suffer from it every day. And to have a few bad nerves does not mean we are insane. In fact, I am very intellegent and think very logically. Since I told people about what happened to me, they started to pour out to me. Almost everybody knows somebody(a friend's mom and her sister; another friend herself and many other such examples) who experiences a panic/anxiety attack or they had it themselves. A friend told me he is still suffering from it and another friend said she has been suffering from social anxiety disorder for years. People start to have the guts to expose their problems too. This makes our bonding closer. What I also find that panic/anxiety can bring out many good things inside us. I have become more compassionate and ready to help others. I have started to appreciate small things in life that I used to take for granted. Life is so good. God used a bad thing to bring out the best out of us.

Hello! :)
How are you? Thank you for your reply and also for registering with the site to be able to recommend the book to me. I really appreciate it. I am sorry to hear that you had a panic/attack and then anxiety disorder. It is horrible isnt it? How are you now feeling? Are you free of all the symptoms? At its very worst, for me, I couldnt move at times for how bad I felt and truly thought that would be how I would spend the rest of my life. I can honestly say I have never felt so unwell in my life. It was horrendous. It has changed my personality I think and for the better in some ways. However I am sure you will relate to how I felt. I am getting better though, and have good and bad days. Yesterday wasnt such a great day and this morning I woke up feeling a bit 'odd', so I am taking time out for now just to relax and get plenty of rest, which does really help me. I love this site because there are people here who I can relate to and who have been a great help. Nobody that I know in my personal life is able to understand and I give up trying to explain now and I find I cover up how I feel very well. I worry about being classed as mentally ill and of the stigma that goes with it. I find that a lot of people are just not willing to be understanding and compassionate of anyone experiencing mental health problems. It is still I think quite a taboo subject for some, even in 2008.
I will purchase the book you have recommended and let you know how I get on. I have been reading lately a lot of positive reviews about Claire Weekes books and I have one of her books at the moment which I am reading, called Self Help for Your Nerves and so far I find it really helpful. She has written a few books hasnt she, and I wasnt sure which one to buy. Thanks again. Hope you have a good day.