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Wow. I could have written this going on 20 years ago.
Your story hits home to me and the path I took for what seemed like an eternity
You are doing many good things to lessen the symptoms but I would suggest you spend more time focusing on the mind
I was also on Effexor after a few tries on other meds that didn't help as much
I also came off of it because I didn't want to be on meds forever
That was dumb of me since it was the first thing that helped so much and I chose to stop it
I went back on the Effexoer, started to feel much better again and then decided to end the20 years of hell
I went on a mission to learn about anxiety as what it is, how it affects me and how easy it is to stop
Knowledge was truly the power. It really is true that your thoughts and beliefs are your reality
And since I was thinking all the doom and gloom, no surprise I continued the same old pattern
Once you understand what anxiety and panic are, just something you have like others have poor vision, dandruff, high blood pressure....pick one
It just seems scary since it is a "mental" disorder so that freaks people out understandably and feel it is a stigma so they do whatever they can to "not have it"
Well you do and that is undeniable
But it's quite simple to be in control, whether you use meds or not. The meds help greatly, especially when you are in a very sensitive state such as you are
Once the meds have your brain balanced a bit, then you go after the cause. The Anxiey itself. Don't fight and treat the symptoms
Learn and understand it. I, to this day still get what used to start a panic cycle. The difference is I don't fear any of it anymore so it's merely a split second thought but my mind automatically dismisses it.
Much like it used to automatically send me in the other direction years ago
Good news to you is that as much as it is hard to believe, you will be anxiety free. I am not sure if you can actually be cured but others suggest you can.
I believe you just train your mind back to where you want to be
If you haven't ever seen the site, anxiety coach.com is a great website that really explains things that will make you feel empowered to feel like this is temporary
It's a very simple site to navigate and you will recognize so many things you are doing that he easily explains away
Go whip this things ass.