Tell me your overcoming anxiety story

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I would really love to hear your stories if you managed to successfully improve your quality of life with anxiety or on the way to success.
I’m undiagnosed but clearly suffering with generalised anxiety. Lately it turned really nasty. I do my everyday stuff… I’m raising children, working, and possibly even appearing normal to other people but inside I’m burning every day. It is fascinating to even imagine that there are people out there who can process things without being tortured with anxiety. I never not worry. My anxiety just jumps from one thing to another. It’s never NOT there, it’s only the focus of anxiety that’s changing and severity. I’m anxious all my life, since I was a child. I don’t believe I can rewire myself but maybe your stories will give me some hope.

I had a really bad time with GAD a few years ago. At really bad times I started flapping my hands which was new to me. I was kept awake a lot with overthinking things. If I woke at night I couldn't get back to sleep. I used to wake my husband up to tell him what I was worrying about.

When I saw.my.gp he said it was a mix of anxiety and depression and I was put on some medication to help. Once it all kicked in I did feel better but when I started counseling that's where I really saw changes.

I did something called an Automatic Thought Record for moments of high anxiety - basically I tried to label feelingsin a situation and then rationalise it all.

It really helped me to see what was an anxious thought and what was a genuine concern (honestly. Most things were just my anxiety talking!). I was then able to reframe my thinking. In time I was consciously doing this and able to recognise "this is my anxiety talking" which really helped me.

I don't have medication anymore, and I feel so much more in control.

I do still get moments of anxiety - the other night I was worried about talking candidly a out our boss and thinking "what if she recorded that on her phone and shows it to him", but I was quickly about to think that I was being irrational. Sometimes I will entertain an anxious thought and then problem solve it - it helps with the "what if" worries.

Hope you feel better soon.

My sister takes citalopram, on and off. and goes back to a good therapist when her anxiety flares up. She has more or less accepted that it’s not going away permanently , and that these are the best tools to help her. She tries to avoid situations which set her off, but that’s not always easy.

Similar to above - really trying to dissect the problem helped/helps for me.
Allowing myself to think ‘ok, so if that thing did happen, what would I do about it?’ - having a plan for if the worst was to happen is what allows me to sleep. It helps me realise that life would go on and I’d survive.

Mine started in 2014 with the anxiety and depression getting slowly worse. It came to a head in 2017 when I had a breakdown. I got signed off from work (later sacked as was still in probation period) I spent 3 weeks in bed feeling suicidal, I tried anti depressants and felt worse so was given diazepam for a week, offered counselling and a mindfulness course. I had 6 months of CBT, did the 6 week mindfulness course. I took up yoga, meditation and walking. I cut out caffeine and alcohol. I tried acupuncture, reiki and massage which were pleasant but not really helpful. I had hypnotherapy which was amazing and worth the cost. It took about 18 months to get to the stage where I wasn't feeling anxiety every day. The trick is (and it's not easy!!) firstly be try to be grateful, grateful people are generally happy people. Secondly try to not react to the anxiety when it creeps in. It can't hurt and it's the reacting/fighting it that makes it feel so bad. (Like I said not easy) some other coping mechanisms- tapping pressure points and breathing techniques, in for 6 hold 6 out for 4. It reduces the carbon dioxide in your body which increases with shall anxious breathing. Carbon dioxide can make the anxiety symptoms feel worse

How old are you? I am 47 and HRT fixed mine

For me? Citalopram. Just being frank.