Just wondering how many people have had a lovely life year still suffer anxiety?

[Makinganewthinghappen]

Just that really ! I have had a good life so far I have a happy marriage lovely children.
And yet I am constantly struggling with panic attacks, anxiety, intrusive thoughts , and tics!

When I meet other people with anxiety problems they have a reason for it whereas I really don’t - as a result I kept my mouth firmly shut about it in general.

I just wondered how common that was as i feel incredibly ungrateful for the life I have had when I am a wreck constantly!

I find that the happier I am the worse my anxiety is. It's quite perverse. In times of actual turmoil and stress I'm ok. I deal with it. It's afterwards when I'm settled that my anxiety tends to kick in.

Your anxiety is caused by an overload of cortisol hormone, that's it. It can definitely be managed and there are be several reasons for it. How old are you? Peri-menopause is responsible for many women's anxiety issues.

I’m also at my worst with anxiety when at my happiest

I think it’s a heightened fear of things going wrong

Social anxiety is awful as well
It’s no fun

Aqua - I am 36 now but I have been having this since I was in my early 20s. It is very bad now in particular though.

Well, you're not to young for the start of peri, and I would think back to when your anxiety started and look for clues. Did you start or change hormonal contraception back then? Then you have also had pregnancies which wreck havoc on your hormonal balance.

www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/113666670/perimenopause-lead-up-to-menopause-very-uncomfortable-and-poorly-understood

I'm sure that being peri does cause some women anxiety, but there can be plenty of reasons to feel this way.

Have you ever spoken to someone about this OP? Might be worth going to the GP and asking for some therapy. Yes, the waiting lists are long - but it sounds like you've already waited a long time, so might as well get the ball rolling now.

Or if you can afford it, go private?

I've not tried them myself, but apps like Headspace and Calm are supposed to be good for relaxing your mind a bit.

You're definitely not alone

Have you tried any medication? Literally saved my life.

Polly I was on fluoxitene after my last child was born and my gp took me off it a few months ago. It did help a little but even on it I felt like I was barely holding things together half the time.

The only reason I was out of it was that after my last child the anxiety was so bad I ended up literacy picking bits off my arms (it was hideous) without even realising it !

My gp went to take my blood pressure looked shocked and handed me the prescription that was that until a few months ago

I’m not going to be any help at all, just wanted to let you know it’s not just you, hand hold

I’ve been taking anti anxiety meds for over a year, as you described, just holding it togeather

Me, OP. I have everything my family need and pretty much all of what we want and I am intermittently basket case.

I do all the usual meds/diet/excercise stuff but the big breakthrough for me was realising that my anxiety was coming from a lack of self esteem rather than the other way round. I've been doing some work around that and my anxiety has never been better managed.

I haven't tried the one you mention but my GP gave me beta blockers and from the first day I felt like I could breathe and relax properly.

I needed them for a year and then stopped taking them. Occasionally I'll have one if I have a stressful situation coming up.

My life is back on track now and I'm so grateful she recommended me to take them.

Yep. I’m the same. I live the life of Riley in some ways and still have high levels of anxiety daily. I take medication which does control it.
You’re not alone.

Did you have a lovely childhood too, OP?

Omg this is me. I have such a lovely life but I constantly over think everything and I have mini panic attacks all the time: no one would ever think it because I seem so confident but I suffer with anxiety really bad it's horrible

A pile - pretty average I think ! My mum died when I was a teenager but other than that everything was fine! Had a loving family and wasn’t lacking for anything !

Kate foster yup - a few days ago I spent all night crying and having a panic attack alone in the bathroom because - wait for it

I was bleeding while having my period .

For some reason at that specific moment even though it must have been my billionth (or so it feels like period) I was totally convinced I was going to bleed to death.

Crazy times !

I think my anxiety comes from being anxious as a child and teen, that's why I asked. In the present day I get anxious if I don't acknowledge grief or sadness. I often think anxiety is just the flip side of sadness. Or you're carrying the sadness around inside and suppressing it causes anxiety.

I'm also great in a crisis and tend to be sad or anxious in calm times, but I think this is because of not having time to deal with my feelings when there's a lot happening.

Your Mum dying must have been very difficult.

I wouldn't underestimate the impact of loosing your Mum at such a young age. I believe my anxiety and mental health is linked to my Mum's alcoholism, I was 7-12 when she drank during my formative years. Have you felt able to explore this with a professional? It doesn't necessarily go away but it might help you understand why you feel the way you do.

I think loosing your mum as a teen would definitely cause your anxiety. Have you had counselling?

I've had severe anxiety in the past to the point of not being able to leave the house or even my bedroom some days. I had a lovely, secure childhood and have been very lucky to have avoided any major traumas or tragedies in my life.

I had therapy for a year and it helped me massively, anti depressants made me 100% worse unfortunately. There's a book called fearing the fear by Josh someone that I found very useful.

Yep, blissfully happy ....yet sometimes anxious. I worry about the world imploding and my lovely life being obliterated. I also have occasional periods of health anxiety. Most of the time I’m fine, relaxed and content..and then something will trigger it and I’ll have a couple of weeks of anxiety and worry.

You would think I am pretty much bombproof if you met me, and I am, most of the time, but there is a scared child within me that sometimes I cannot shut down. She likes to tell me negative stories

@Makinganewthinghappen I have anxiety but there's not really a reason I can find for it. My childhood was OK some good bits some blah bits. Nothing terrible. Neither can I find anything in how my life is now. I find it so frustrating! I atke citalopram and on 30mg I'm fairly ok. Iver tried coming off but my anxiety comes back. I've started to accept this year that this is how I am. I've tried counselling, CBT, moving area, various jobs all sorts.

I've had awful health anxiety too. So I understand the thoughts while on your period. I've worried (had full on panic) about tss, that I didn't wash my hands properly, that I've left a tampon in etc. Is exhausting.

But the medication does help. So I'd encourage you to find an understanding GP and properly dicuss your anxiety.

Me! As pp have said anxiety kicks in mostly when I'm happy. I am an expert at worst case scenarios. However things have improved in the last year or so, in the last 2 months I have started therapy and this helps me put life into perspective and have a healthier way of thinking

I suffer with bad anxiety too and barely leave the house these days. I have all sorts of horrible physical symptoms from it too.
My life isn’t amazing but there’s nothing wrong with it - comfortable financially, close to family, loving DP, reasonable job, not much stress etc.