Genuinely curious

[Carouselfish]

Does everyone have 'trauma' or 'anxiety'? (inverted commas used because I don't necessarily mean diagnosed with, but believing you have one or both).

I want to know:

whether you believe you have trauma or anxiety that affects you, (that has triggers) vote IANBU

OR

whether you have neither of these things vote IABU.

Why are you interested?

I have had shit happen to me and am currently having a run of bad luck. I would never apply either of the words to myself. Labelling yourself with such stuff isn't necessary imo - Woe is me isn't helpful.. . Just crack on with life as best you can.
Everyone is winging it and nobody gets out alive anyway...

I am probably more anxious in general than the average person, but I don't "have anxiety" if by that you mean a diagnosed anxiety disorder.

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety in their lives, dependent on the situation - it would be weird not to.

I voted because I have a clinical diagnosis and have treatment, its not just a belief.

We all have experiences that shape us, of course, but the only trauma I believe I have is from a car accident from more than twenty years ago. High speed on the motorway and I was very lucky not to be killed. I thought I was definitely going to die. I'm convinced it's affected my nervous system ever since.

I have severe, diagnosed and medicated PTSD, as well as diagnosed panic disorder. Yes, I have triggers. Yes, I have had multiple traumas which is why my diagnosis has Traumatic in the name.

What's the point of this post?

If you're suggesting that most people who say they have trauma or anxiety actually don't, I completely agree.

I’m not sure what the purpose of this is? Can you elaborate?

I have diagnosed General Anxiety Disorder and am medicated for this. I am also neurodivergent. Yes, certain situations trigger a panic attack/meltdown, so I try to avoid those situations as best as I can.

I do believe I have CPTSD, though undiagnosed, due to past experiences of abuse. I have also been diagnosed with general anxiety. Everyone experiences anxiety to some degree, but for me it impacts my daily life which I think is the main difference between 'having anxiety' as a condition versus experiencing feelings of anxiety. The former is more of a constant whilst the latter is more fleeting.

I do think the word 'trauma' is thrown around a lot, usually to describe general adversity in life. Many people seem to think that 'traumatic' is synonymous with 'a bad experience'.

because you can't swing a cat without bumping into one of these online on a daily basis. And if everyone has one or the other or both, it's the new norm. And then that leads to why is that the case? Is it because of language changes, new definitions being created, because of the internet and being able to look things up, because modern life is a disaster....etc

I'm lumping actually diagnosed and self-diagnosed together which I know isn't really fair, because online, you don't know which is the case and without prying wouldn't in real life either.
I'm surprised actually by the number of people who don't associate themselves with either.

I have neither. I've never suffered anything traumatic and I'm not the remotest bit anxious about anything 😚

I have trauma and anxiety

Everyone has shit going on, and shit in their past

👆🏻both true facts

No I don't.
(But my DD does, diagnosed, and has been debilitating, but now improved.)

What do you mean by "having trauma"? I have lived through events that most people would consider traumatic, and that has shaped me and I often think about what happened. But I haven't had any treatment and it doesn't usually interfere with my daily life.

To me having trauma is just something that happens to people and not something that's within one's control, a bit like grief.

To clarify - that effects your daily life and which you might use the word 'triggering' in relation to.

Yes, but at some point 'everyone has shit going on' and trauma and anxiety stopped being neighbours and started being housemates. So am curious as to whether the majority of MN as a microcosm of wider pop, lean more to one side than the other in self-diagnoses or official diagnoses.

I have neither.

Yeah, bad things have happened to me but nothing that isn’t a normal part of life, and it’s many sadnesses and disappointments. Just got to keep on going!

Others aren’t so lucky.

No. And we must have very different circles because I don't know anyone who suffers from either of those.

I have ACE trauma, plus other severe traumas from teenage life/growing up. Diagnosis of anxiety and complex ptsd. This thread really doesn't read as very pleasant, but perhaps that's because my answer is yes to both.

ACE trauma - adverse childhood experiences.

All information from a counsellor. Had never heard of ACE or CPTSD before.

I dont have anxiety. I feel grateful. I hope I don't develop it. Lots of my famiky have it and it's crippling.

I have had traumatic things happen like everyone but they don't impact my day to day life. I don't have ptsd, but my son does. Sometimes something will make me remember the event and it will very raw and upsetting like it just happened, but, luckily, for me it doesn't last long.

Trauma, PTSD, OCD, ADHD/ADD, anxiety, depression etc all intertwined with 'my truth', 'lived experience' etc, which is why I think a lot of times these disorders, as genuine as they are, tend to be over-diagnosed either because doctors don't have the money or time to investigate what's actually going on or the patient wants to have a label.

I have anxiety and obsessive compulsive issues, ie making sure light switches are in the 'off' position several times, and I'm talking up to 50 times, before going to bed at night, even though I can clearly see the light is off. This is the same with checking that doors are locked or shut I can sometimes spend up to 5 minutes checking that I've set my alarm clock correctly, again, even though I know I would go back and set it correctly if it's wrong.

I have depression because I grew up in abject poverty and lived with my mother who is brain-damaged, for 23 years. And during that time I was also sexually assaulted by a neighbour. I feel like life is quite a pointless endeavour most days. I know it's not, it just feels that way to me.

Nothing of what I've stated above has ever officially been diagnosed. I just assume I have those things because it's easier and I'm far too lazy to see my GP about it.

So, YANBU. I think? I don't really know, I lost track.

Yes to both, I'm in my fifties and have had anxiety my whole life, from being quite small, so it's not a new thing for me. It's probably genetic (anxiety) and my children and a couple of nieces and nephews have it too.
My gran was described as being bad with her nerves, which was probably undiagnosed anxiety, but she didn't have to work, didn't drive, and couldn't leave my controlling grandad, as it wasn't done in those days. I believe people suffered in silence then.
With each generation it passes to more people.

My favourite thing about these type of 'Nowadays everyone and their cat has trauma/anxiety/divergence of a sort/mental health XYZ' posts is that rather than see it for what it ostensibly means in the whole, in other words people placing a lot more importance on the wellbeing of their mind, it harks back to a time in which people didn't really suffer from these so-called ailments. Weirdly though, that time never actually existed. I like that rather than look at ways to improve the way we live, we'd rather giggle at the non-sense of it. Whether you were aware of it or not the esteemed 'stiff upper lip' wrecked countless lives for reasons nobody seems know.

Who needs a government to give a toss about mental health care provision when we can all just laugh at the silliness of such new-fangled words.

Can't vote but the answer is 'no'.

No neither. Of course I sometimes feel anxious, but not in a misplaced sort of situation if that makes sense? I feel sorry for people who have anxiety as it sounds like it stops them doing or enjoying a lot of normal things and takes up so much time and head space. It must be awful to live with.

I've also never experienced real trauma. Unpleasant and upsetting experiences, and grief etc, but nothing that has gone on to shape my life or character in an extreme way.