stuggling to keep it together

[trying to find calm.]

Hi all, Just been reading some posts for the first time and it calms me down for a few minutes to know im not the only one suffering for severe anxiety. Unfortunatly it comes straight back cause i am struggling to find my calm.
My anxiety/panic attacks came back about a week and a half ago in a big way. Just a couple a day at first but now it is constantly there and i cant seem to find that place to accept them coming without freaking out. Its just there all the time and its getting harder to deal with because i am now mentally and pysically worn out. Just writing this takes it out of me.I saw my doctor today to fill out forms to get some therapy started and thats going to take a couple of weeks to get it started. He also gave me a script for Lexapro but im driving myself silly trying to work out whether to take them or not. looking at peoples stories i can see both sides. Im worried if i take them it will mask being better, but then i think maybe both will help (therapy/drugs) and i can feel stable enough to function again.Would really love some advice from people who have been there. Thanks :cry:

[trying to find calm.]

Well its 5:30am and i havent been able to calm myself down enough to get some sleep. I think that i might go get the meds tommorrow. I cant go on like this and if the meds help to calm it down to a level that i can start to work on the problem then maybe thats a good thing. Im sitting here anxious and shaking,pysically and mentally exhusted. I dont know what to do as i cant get my mind to let go and calm down.

[Charmbracelet81]

That's the hardest part is getting the mind to calm because all it does is misinperpret all the physical symptoms we have and give us bad thoughts. I just tried to take a nap a few hours ago (it's 7pm here now) and my husband said "how was your nap?" I said, my body rested but my mind wouldn't shut off so I didn't sleep. :roll: Some things that help me when trying to sleep for the night are ear plugs, and doing "progressive muscle relaxation" on You Tube...it really calms you down, but you have to focus on it, and if a thought comes, just let it come and let it pass. I know what you are going through... my mind is the biggest chatter box I have ever met! :shock:

[jamiebass]

Hi there, I know how you feel. :(

But if it helps you, i am on tablets ( 120mg propranolol )
I would be up all night like u are stating, and i would be anxious for hours and hours on end. I was scared that the tablets would kill me or give me a cardiac arrest but as soon as i took them they helped :)
i have not had a panick attack since.

[JeffM]

I understand how you're feeling. I'm struggling to calm myself down too, and I'm finding it increasingly difficult since I have a very big change coming up (I'm moving across the country and starting graduate school). I'm looking forward to it, but all of the anxiety is driving me crazy. Also, I've been living at home for 13 months, so I just cannot wait to leave this place. However, that kind of thinking is just making things worse. Unsatisfied with the present, future can't get here soon enough... so I have my mind focused on the future, but like charmbracelet's signature quote says, the future is the source of anxiety. It's really frustrating.

I too find comfort knowing that I'm not the only one feeling like this. Really this whole day I thought I'm going to drive myself insane, and nobody else knows what it feels like.

[women coping well dot com]

I take Lexapro. It has helped me a lot, with no side effects that I notice. I am not afraid to take certain medications. I am thankful to God that He has allowed us to learn how to make some of these medications. I would rather take a pill every day to help replenish whatever chemical my body is missing in order to stop this constant, relentless anxiety. I hope Lexapro helps you. Stay in touch with your doctor about how it makes you feel. Lexapro may or may not be for you.