….to think that anxiety is an evil fucker and if we all share hatred for it….

Lots of great posts here

Ahhh... found my people. The brave ones acknowledging anxiety and showing it the middle finger!

I've been struggling this past year with anxiety, with a lot of work and personal stress. Had a mini break down week before last, and hauled myself to the GP for a sob and advice. She's put me on a course of setraline. I should have done this months ago, as I could barely go half an hour without crying, heart racing, clammy hands, and catastrophizing. So, I had pre-booked annual leave last week, and starting to feel marginally better on the sertraline (first few days were really hard), but really struggling with the thought of working tomorrow.

Can't decide whether to just grin and bear it, or whether to self certify for a few days.

Apparently I can't have propranolol because I asthma.

It's bloody awful, the catastrphising is a killer. I have found that venlafaxine has made it more manageable, here's hoping it continues to improve.

It was only when I got my autism and ADHD diagnoses that I realised that no, not everyone feels like this all the time. I was doing really, really well until my mum died just over a year ago.

I only leave the house to go to work or the local shops, with the occasional visit to family. I just want to be a hermit!

Currently on 40mg of citalopram, using propanol as and when needed, and also having therapy. I think I may need a tweak in medication somewhere.

Thank you. I had considered hypnotherapy for my BP phobia but wasn’t sure of costs and efficacy. I’ll have a look at your AMA.

I use the Dare method, both book and app, and it has helped considerably with everyday situations…I was at the point of not wanting to leave the house a couple of years ago. I had a panic attack in my daughter’s school hall when we went for a meeting about exams! No one knew though. I also use it in medical settings.. even just going to the docs for something routine can set me off, as does going to the dentist. And the annoying thing is these things never used to bother me at all. I was never scared of the dentist or the doctor!

I’ve paid for 3 different therapists over the last few years and I’m still no better in terms of the anxiety. I’m currently having sessions with one now who is lovely but I’m not sure is doing much good.

Having severe anxiety has truly shown me just how powerful our brains are. I spent a year not being able to leave the house it was that bad. I’ve had therapy every week since and I got myself to a really good stage where I actually enjoyed leaving the house, in fact I spent more time outside than I did at home. Then 2 months ago I started feeling unwell and on top of that I have an autistic DD that really struggles with the school holidays and her behaviour has been awful the last 2 weeks. It triggers and overwhelms me so much that I feel physically frozen with anxiety and fear again and can’t relax even when I’m at home doing nothing. I know I’ll eventually be able to get back to the good place I was in but equally I know how awful the journey is of doing that over and over again. Anxiety sucks and I really envy people who have never suffered from it.

I would say the first couple of weeks I had a bit of a sedated feeling. It does make me eat and sleep more that not taking it, but I desperately needed to, I had huge deficits in both those things. After a couple of weeks the feeling of being tired in the daytime went away. The only minor adverse side affect I've had is sometimes after I take it I get a weird tense feeling in the muscles in the back of my legs. It doesn't hurt, it just feels odd, and is relieved if I flex and stretch them out.

My life situation is also better now, but overall, it is a very good and helpful drug for me.

I hope the anxiety stays quieter today and talking has helped.

Acknowledge it, listen to it, reassure it and let it know you're in charge and it can relax. It does work!

Not to brag however I did really well last night. Woke and a certain topic that always sets off my anxiety popped into my head (normally then awake for hours) but instead I remember thinking it’s the past it’s only ruining tomorrow and you are going to be tired. And then fell back asleep, I was so proud of myself!

Hi I once tried this but it made me eat and sleep I had zero energy except for constant eating and was sooo sedated!! Have you found this or had it settled down?

@HÆLTHEPAIN OK, so, not unsurprisingly, your subconscious has been on high health alert since you had the life frightened out of you (that phrase is very telling) - it was traumatic for you. Instead of subsiding it's (forgive me!) now like a meerkat - constantly scanning the horizon for potential signs of danger. It's not doing this to distress you but in the mistaken belief that it's protecting you. It IS possible to change this, by letting this part of your mind know that this strategy is actively acting against your happiness. Have a look at my AMA on remedial hypnosis.

It’s weird because the BP phobia sort of crept up on me. I’ve had health anxiety for years, since after my youngest was born. I lost some blood during his birth - not enough to warrant surgery or anything - but it absolutely frightened the life out of me and I think that triggered the post natal health anxiety. I’ve been on Citalopram for years because of it.

I learned to sort of cope over the years but then I had a sigmoidoscopy where I ended up having a panic attack. Because of having the panic attack my HR soared, as it does, but my fear then became fixated on that and all things heart. I also have ME and fibro so can’t exercise and that feeds into the heart thing, because I’m so unfit and deconditioned. Rationally I know taking my BP can’t hurt so I can only suppose it must be that I’m afraid of it being high and needing meds.

Oh @BabbleBee i cannot imagine what you’ve gone through with your DD having cancer. That is my greatest fear, and whatever illness my son has it always comes back in my head as him having cancer and I’ll lose him. I’ve sat on his bedroom floor crying in the dark as he’s sleeping, planning his funeral and in the end he’s had tonsillitis but that’s what burying one child does to you. It’s horrendous. I’ve had hypnotherapy which worked for a good few months but the anxiety comes back.

Today I have woken up and the anxiety has mostly gone, and I’m grateful but I know it could be back later, the bitch!

This video is very helpful in understanding what anxiety is, why we need it and how to reduce it from a scream to a manageable whisper.

Can j ask how old you are? I've always suffered (have OCD and PTSD) but my anxiety started to spiral out of control in my early forties. After several rounds of talk therapy and CBT it was no better. Started HRT and after a month I was back to my usual self. Realized I had been getting perimenopause symptoms since my late thirties. The other day i woke up in the night in full panic mode. It turns out I had forgot to put my HRT patch on so I really believe this has helped me so much.

That's just it isn't it? You can't just switch it off.nit really sucks.

I’m going through a better phase at the moment, but my anxiety started during lockdown. Looking back I can see now how I was obsessing over the news, deaths reported etc. I felt so scared for my children. Then my Dad got cancer and died and work got really stressful.

Anyway, my coping technique if I can’t exercise is watching YouTube videos of people going for walks in the snow, in the rain or on a beach. I love those. And I’ve tried tapping which helps a bit too.

Big sympathy to all those suffering. My DH doesn’t understand and just says “what have you got to be anxious about?” as if I can just turn it off.