Would any one like to join in an anxiety support thread?

[Heatherandmoss]

I’ve seen lots of posts recently about people having a bad time with their anxiety and I thought an on going thread might be good do people can bob on and offer and receive support, share tips and just generally empathise with some one going through the same thing.

I’ve had anxiety since I was about ten ( I realised after my psychiatrist was able to help me pin point my earliest memory of it)

I think there is a bit of misconception of anxiety as some people think it’s just general worry - but it’s not.

When my anxiety rears her head it’s so physical. I sweat, my face can go numb, pains in my chest. I have a feeling like some one is kicking my front door in and I’m scared for my life and I could just be hoovering. Anxiety jolts me awake when I’m asleep and it rolls down my body like thunder. It makes me catastrophize at 3am and my feet start rubbing against each other ( weird) My anxiety makes me walk in to the kitchen with my kids empty dinner plates and suddenly feel so so over whelmed I struggle for breath and tears leak out in a gasp of raw emotion - all done silently so my kids can’t hear me.

I’ve had to give up drinking alcohol because Jesus the anxiety the next day was shocking and lasted days until I suddenly stepped out the anxiety room.

My anxiety has been bad since November as I’ve got some things going and I’m worried my heart is going to pack in because of the extra ‘thud thud thud’ overtime it’s being doing!

Exercise does help me take the edge of sometimes. I nearly went to the GP the other day as it was rotten but at this moment of time I need to be switched on.

Today has not been to bad. I’m considering it a win.

So I’ve you’d like to join in or have some where to say ‘holy fuck it’s bad today’ hopefully more people will be here and you will know some one knows how bad your feeling.

Looks like everyone is having a good day then

Aw that sounds horrible. I’ve been anxious since I was tiny - I remember being extremely worried a lot about the fact that the sun will crash into into the earth when I heard about this (I was about 4 or 5 and had to come home from playing with the kid up the road because I was so anxious about it). Ok so it’s about 5 million years off but where would grandpas grave be?

Now that’s not normal is it?

I'd love to join! :)

Struggled with anxiety for 12 years but I think it's always been there in the background.

Finally plucked up the courage to see the GP and was prescribed sertraline 50mg. That was 3 weeks ago. Side effects have settled now so I'm waiting to see if they can help.

I'm fed up of anxiety controlling the way I live. Of it stopping me enjoying Christmas, birthdays and time with my family.

The reason I reached out for help was because I realised I wasn't looking forward to things getting back to normal after covid - I was dreading it. Such a simplistic life has been great for me for the last year. And it shouldn't be like that! How selfish am I to be relieved that we couldn't spend Christmas together? It's messed up. But I'm getting it sorted hopefully.

Can I join too..
I’ve recently had a big set back with anxiety .. I had a few days of not eating much and my sleep was disturbed. Felt pretty bad.
This also coincided with me starting back on
Fluoxetine.
Two weeks on am feeling less anxious but am aware I can slip right back to that awful place.
Am desperately trying to exercise a bit as that always helps me. Deep
Breathing also helps and oddly making lists has a calming effect on me. Have ditched alcohol as the day after I felt ten times more anxious.
Feel for anyone going through it

Me

I’ve had anxiety for 14 years now. I can completely identify with all that you have said. LindaEllen I know that feeling - I have found it easier not having to make excuses as to why I don’t want to do or go to things. My sons wedding was postponed from last year to spring this year. I’m so anxious about it and like you feel incredibly selfish for thinking the way I do.

I started with anxiety in my early twenties. Until then I'd never understood or experienced it. I'm not sure what triggered it. For me the symptoms are very physical. I get very nauseas and often get the anxious tummy feeling that makes me need to dash to a loo quickly. This is alongside the sweats, racing heart, prickly hands and all of the other delights.

The gastro issues are the worst though because the fear of those happening actually sets my panic off now. So if I'm in a crowded room or a meeting or on the motorway and I feel like I need to throw up or use the loo urgently with nowhere to go, my anxiety then flares up because of that fear of it happening. It's a vicious cycle of mental and physical symptoms triggering one another.

I started taking citalopram last year and it helped me feel a bit stronger and calmer but there are still some situations and places I simply won't go to. I do hope that one day I will be able to overcome it for good and live a normal life like I used to.

Anxiety here since childhood! Sucked my thumb until I was 13 to soothe myself and now have the teeth to prove it. Very unhappy upbringing.

I have never taken any medication as I work in public transport and you have to go on light duties for many weeks to make sure you have no side effects. I can’t bear the thought of everyone knowing plus my estranged father is an addict so I am terrified of drugs.

Currently having phone therapy which has been on and off for the last three.

I could have written your post Op. Also very very physical with me. I don't even particularly feel worried about anything and BOOM suddenly, heart pounding and everything you describe. Also much worse since November. To be honest I'm looking for physical reasons because it seems so random?!
I'm a sedentary person by nature really but I have been walking a lot recently and find it helps (although it's borderline pacing too if I'm honest). I've given up all caffeine, no tea coffee or chocolate. Diet ultra healthy, exercising every day for at least half an hour. Meditation, deep breathing, guided online talks. The lot. If anything it's getting worse. I am actually considering starting to drink. I don't drink at all but wondering whether a glass of red wine could actually help me?!

So how are we all today? I actually think that I may have had some kind of mini stroke this week. Hi hum. Got to get this on hand!

OP sorry you're living with this it really is crap and so misunderstood by people. I think your writing style is awesome though - really honest - maybe you could write a blog as more people need to know how it feels on a daily basis. Hope today is ok for you.

Hi how are we all doing today ?

Stroke aside, not too bad. Been very busy and the storm kept me awake most of the night, so quite lethargic. Told the family that I am on strike so they can fend for themselves...

thatisnotmyusername
Sorry to hear about the mini stroke :-(
Not so good ! Have you had this confirmed ?
Yes it’s been so stormy her to though live to listen to them from inside.
Yes tell the family to pull rank sounds like you need to take it easy.

My anxiety has settled for now. This is probably due to the fluoxetine really kicking in. I did stop it very slowly and had a month or two off it then symptoms came back :-(
I need to start dealing with the fact I’m possibly on them for the long term.

Been keeping up exercise nothing major just half an hour of online classes. Trying to eat well not always easy. No alcohol for weeks now. Listening to podcasts quite a lot.

Hope we all get a good night rest tonight

Can I join? Been suffering for approx 4 years now. Started on medication around 15mos ago after a rather difficult time. Trying to move on from it but I don’t know how to. Finding each day harder tbh

Well... it's a worry. Heartbeats going bonkers. And BP going up if told any shocking stuff. Family angst has always been there. No drugs for me. Only herbal Lavender Kalms

Can I please join too? I am mega struggling and feel physically awful. I can't shift this at all. Completely freaking out about possible money issue and can't do anything about it until Monday. But in all honesty, I have been feeling like this for many months. My body is constantly on high alert.

I've been suffering with it since last April. Never had issues before. I can relate to your descriptions of the physical symptoms, waves of it going down my body all night. Shaking, feeling sick and dizzy. My brain feeling like it's cotton wool. It's horrible.

Ooh yes please. I'm a long standing anxiety sufferer and have propranolol for the really bad days. Alcohol makes it worse for me too. Feeling ok at the moment as I made myself get out for a walk today, having a walk outside every day really helps me. CBT was also very good but have to remain aware of the techniques and continue to practise. Also started using the insight timer app which was recommended on here and found that brilliant!
Hope everyone is ok today and is looking forward to a peaceful, worry free week 🤞🏻

I'm also on high dose Venlafaxine as well as the propranolol. Depression and anxiety are a bitch. 20+ years now of them both.

I’m sorry for disappearing! Been a mad few days. I’m so glad people are popping on, I’ve caught up on all the posts. Hello to everyone

Just reading the posts one thing stands out - that it’s actually very lonely. It’s an internal battle that no one can help you with how do you explain it to well wishers as you sound bonkers. It’s like saying ‘yes I know I look physically fine but three minutes ago I wanted to put my head through a window - now I’m ok ( for the minute)

Dane8 lying down on the rug is something I’d do. I wonder if people looked through the window they’d think us odd

I’ve actually started to tell ‘it’ to fuck off. If I can feel it rising I try and separate it as a ‘thing’. Although the overwhelming emotion of well ..being overwhelmed always catches me out.

Being on high alert is exhausting! Catastrophizing is exhausting!

goingpearshaped are you ok? Money worry is the pits. About two years ago I was in a bad way financially and every day I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. From the minute I woke to the minute I allowed myself to go to sleep it was on my mind. I was actually very poorly with it so I can imagine how your feeling. The shittest bit of advice is that it will work it self out. Hope it goes ok for you tomorrow x

@nowbringmethathorizon

I'm also on high dose Venlafaxine as well as the propranolol. Depression and anxiety are a bitch. 20+ years now of them both.

How do you feel on the tablets? Sorry for being nosey.

Oh I’ll have a look at the insight timer app nowbringmethathorizon

Hello to everyone. I hope tonight is not a restless one for you.

I can totally relate to everything everyone is saying here. I have never been diagnosed but over the past year have been aware more than ever that I suffer from anxiety.

It feels like I'm in a constant state of alert, worry and battle. Even when things are 'good' and there is seemingly nothing to worry about, my mind will find something. Something to wake me up in the early hours of the morning, catasophise about until it makes me feel sick.. Over the years I've had various ways of dealing with it - let the thoughts run through me and then question: 'but how likely is that to happen?' It's often helped me keep it back in check but then my mind moves on to another worry and it's exhausting....

I've never spoken about how I feel to anyone. I don't want to appear weak and don't think anyone would fully understand anyway. As someone said on here though it would be nice for Christmas, birthdays, time off etc not to be ruined by it. It would be nice to be able to enjoy the moment without fretting over something...

My anxiety has been particularly bad of late as am acting up in a more stressful job that I don't feel capable of. Everyday is a struggle; sleep and rest don't come easily because I'm constantly fretting over something around it.

How do you all cope with working life?

I was only diagnosed in summer 2019, although had been suffering for longer. What’s your job bees ?