to think a lot of anxious people feel this way?

[dreamedout]

I suffer from anxiety. I'm starting medication so aware that in the early days it can get worse before it gets better.

I'm constantly worried to the point that I don't enjoy anything. I worry about my parents dying, my son growing up too fast, if I'll be able to cope when I stop breastfeeding as I love it so much, getting older even though I'm only 28, etc etc. They're all things that I'm sure people worry about on a normal level, but my mind is consumed by these thoughts and I'm not enjoying my life as a result.

Does anyone else feel like this? I want to be better.

It's almost like I don't see the point in life when you know everything good ends. It's a horrid feeling of doom. Awful.

Yes, I have been like this my whole life. As a child I was consumed with thoughts and worries and it just got worse. The problem is I just thought everyone was like this, especially growing up in the 80s and 90s when it wasn't really talked about. Sometimes I think I am being held hostage to my terrifying thoughts. this

My husband helps me, he tells me you can't worry about things that are out of your control like death etc. Reading a book on Buddhism also helped - they say everything is temporary and you will experience good times and bad times in life but just to keep going. I'm massively para phrasing there! I'm older than you and my life experience (especially with children) has taught me that I can get through anything and most of the time things turn out Ok. Surround yourself with people who care and be your own best friend. You will be ok, you have reserves of strength you probably don't know about, you will get through. Keep fighting.

Yes I have this too.

I am 43 and I have had much of my life consumed by anxiety. A few years ago I decided I had really had enough and so I saved up and went for some hypnotherapy sessions.
I had tried all sorts of medication and therapy previously and had mixed success.
The hypnotherapy honestly made such a difference. I was sceptical, and I still maintain that it might not work for everyone. But it DID work for me.
I still have anxiety, most days it is absent. Some days it's just hanging around in the background and some events will trigger a huge anxiety response. But overall it is no longer have such a negative impact on my life.

You CAN rewire your brain to stop dwelling on negative thoughts. It is not easy, but you can do it.

Yes I feel like this. Some of my children have been or are being diagnosed with adhd and autism and now I am almost convinced I am the same. It explains a lot of the difficulties I have had and actually I feel better knowing why I have struggled so much.

I was the same at your age. Meds really gave me a temporary break. Although apparently they made me look like a junkie (diazepam) it was worth it just to give my addled mind a rest from the constant rumination. Think it helped me recover a lot quicker than if i hadn't had them.

Yes totally understand OP.

Even small things I can't enjoy. If I go out for the day for example, I just think about how we'll be going home soon enough and it puts a damper on the whole day.

When I was suffering with anxiety badly (on ADs now to combat it), it was mainly surrounding health. Not of me though but of the people around me. I'd constantly worry about DH, my mum and dad, my family, even my pets. I'd be a wreck if the dog didn't want to eat his food one night for example thinking he was going to die because it was only a matter of time until something awful happened.

I totally sympathise. It's a horrible way to feel. Like something is always about to happen but I was never sure what. Just constant dread.

hopefully the medication will help. It has for me although I still do have moments, they are not as severe as before.

Honestly OP it does get better! I felt like this as a child and it got a thousand times worse after I had DS, DS is now 14 & finally last year I got help and it took 6 months but I feel great now just wish I had done it years ago can’t believe I wasted that amount of time feeling like that.

The medication is working for me (citalopram). I definitely felt worse before better - that awful feeling that you are about to fall, but constantly. It took about 6 weeks before I noticed I was feeling better, could breathe without thinking about it, etc.

went for some hypnotherapy sessions

Be really really careful here.
A lot of hypnotherapists are not properly registered and can do a lot of damage.

My mum saw a hypnotherapist who did a special type of hypnotherapy called regression therapy where they basically believe problems are caused by issues in your childhood and they hypnotise you to go go back into childhood to remember then let go.

I won't go too much into what happened but it was absolutely horrific.

I'm sorry to hear the anxiety is stopping you from enjoying your life to its fullest. Things do always have a funny way of working out but it's impossible to see it when in the midst of an anxious episode.
I've had medication in the past (beta blockers) but they didn't really help the underlying issue that the work I did created a great deal of anxiety for me. Also my diet didn't work for me at the time (too much caffeine/sugar etc). Also had undiagnosed PCOS. My anxiety always got worse if I had a mental overload & also during a hormonal blip. I can't say I have any magic cures but it did help me to realise that my anxiety manifested itself in having repetitive thoughts like thinking that would avert any problems. All it did was rob me of my sleep & kept me in a daydream all day! Unfortunately problems will always come up in life. It's just about figuring out what release (time out) strategies work for you so you can get a bit of a reprise/break from it. Sometimes I've just had to step away from the problems for a bit. Rome wasn't built in a day type thing. Here's a link to an article on OCD thinking which is something I definitely have which doesn't help if something is making you feel edgy. beyondocd.org/expert-perspectives/articles/ten-things-you-need-to-know-to-overcome-ocd

When people say they got help, do they mean medication?

Memay, I had counselling and am on medication (sertraline)

Medication is not the answer, therapy and mindfulness meditation skills way better. Benzodiazepines eg diazepam are terribly addictive and SSRIs eg sertraline are not developed for this purpose.

CBT, ACT and MBCT are better than generic 'counselling'.

Have you tried IAPT? It's a talking therapy service through the NHS which does Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for anxiety and depression. I did it once and it made no difference. Finished a second high intensity 12 week course a few months ago and although at the time I didn't see much difference, a few months down the line and I've found I've just stopped worrying about things as much. I was doing a lot of stuff which fuelled my anxiety but I didn't recognise it and the therapist helped me to see where letting go of some habits and behaviours would take my mind out of the worrying zone. I've been chronically anxious for the last 9 years but for the first time in my life I feel ok.

It's worth getting NHS talking therapy (if you're in England?), but try again if it doesn't work as they have different intensity levels they can step you up to

Medication is not the answer

That is not always true at all. I was having counselling, various types and for varying amounts of time, and eventually as a last resort (at the recommendation of my actual counsellor) was put on Sertraline. It's the only thing that has calmed me enough to be more open to the counselling and I don't regret trying it at all. I was having anxiety attacks where I was literally tearing at my skin so much I was leaving scars all over my hands and legs. I haven't done that since about 4 weeks after taking the Sertraline.

I'd let you GP decide what's best for you to try. I'm not recommending anything or any sort of drug but pointing out that it is not always a blanket case of 'medication doesn't work' because it did and was the right choice, for me.

Memay, I had counselling and am on medication (sertraline)

Thanks, @CheeseIsEverything

I'm terrified of medication making me gain weight..

It’s all totally normal, all anxious people think like this and it’s really very common. It’s just a pattern of thinking that latches on to everything and anything. Your favourite question is probably “What if?”, right?

I did an online programme called Freedom from Fear. I wouldn’t say it cured me as such but it totally helped to explain how anxiety works, how boringly normal these thoughts are, and how it’s a kind of mental trick brought on by a kind of nervous exhaustion. Your nervous system is tired from all the worrying.

I learned that actually fighting it is the wrong approach, doing that programme helped me to see that you can just let the thoughts happen and see them for the boring normal thoughts they are. You have to sort of relax towards them, in fact welcome them in and laugh at them because at the moment you’re taking it all very seriously (also very normal) but actually they can’t and never will hurt you. After a while the thoughts will lose their power over you.

It’s good that you’re starting meds, that will really help.

I'm terrified of medication making me gain weight..

I was worried about this too. It's actually done th opposite for me but I realise this isn't the case for everyone. I'd speak to your GP about any concerns you have.

To reiterate - I agree with you - meds’ can be unbelievably helpful!!

Medication helped me live my life Jiggles. I also did CBT but I was in a terrible state, I can’t ever explain it but I couldn’t have continued like that. The physical manifestation of anxiety are horrible. I know ADs are over used in certain cases but they make me be able to be a mum and a valued worker and not in some sort of asylum!

I have to avoid these threads to be honest because I hate having to justify taking medication. Why is it different to an asthmatic taking ventolin? Why is there still such a stigma over mental illness sad

@Fucksandflowers

absolutely with your point about hypnotherapists. I did a lot of research and found one who was well qualified and registered, had a lot of testimonials on their website and a list of clients who were happy to be contacted personally to give a testimonial directly. They operated with complete transparency.
They even allowed a chaperone if you felt it necessary for comfort. Several I spoke to refused to allow this.
My therapist was also very clear that they could not 'cure' me....that the process was a stepping stone to allow me to heal myself.

But you are right, there are a lot of charlatans out there leaving more damage than rather than healing existing trauma.

Ignore them. I had a lot of reservations about medication too. They way it was explained to me was like putting on a cast for a broken arm: It's a temporary measure that buys you the space and time to heal. When you come off the medication your brain will have had a chance to reinforce those neural pathways that are conducive to good mental health and the negative ones will have become less dominant through lack of use. You'll be absolutely fine OP

Yes. It's called negative thoughts & catastrophising in CBT. If you buy CBT for Dummies it shows you that writing them down & then writing a short sentence next to them challenging them with the reality makes you feel more in control & your brain starts to relearn its negative thoughts pattern. I was very sceptical tbh but maybe its the getting it out on paper is a) a relief & b) helps you feel you're taking control & then seeing the reality in black & white that you're not being logical & that's not the case, really works.