Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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briannajacobson 05/26/2015

Hello,

I am new to this group and would like share my story. I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for approximately 6 years. I started taking paxil about 3 years ago and it really helped me I would say I was almost anxiety free for the last 3 years. About 4 months ago I cut down the paxil and stopped taking it altogether. I was good for about 3 months in which time I finished university and started to work. About 3 week ago I started to have extreme anxiety again. I have been trying to control it with positive thinking but it is really hard. I seem to have obsessive thoughts about my heart beat and that I will die. It's so aweful I feel like I have lost control of my life again due to anxiety. I really want to try and get through this without having to go on medication again but it is really hard. I live abroad with my husband and everytime I have anxiety attacks I just want to run home to my parents. How have you all coped? What tips do you have?

briannajacobson 05/26/2015

Sometimes I feel like my heart is beating out of sync and it scares me so much. Yesterday I went to the Dr and told him about it and he said I might have some kind of arrhythmia which scared me even more. I feel like I need to stop worrying about it and just let it go because it isn't something I can control anyway. Has anyone else experienced this?

chelleleigh72 05/26/2015

I have not experience arrhythmia but I have had heart palpitations due to panic attacks. I no longer suffer from those do to therapy and medication. You may also try deep breathing and as you do that focus on you chest moving up and down , on the breaths going in and out., Using your fives senses figure out things that soothe you and use them when you become anxious, it's called self soothing. You may also try visualizing, close you eyes and imagine yourself in your favorite place or a place where you feel safe and go there in your mind. Don't be hard on yourself if you decide to go back on medication, you may need to do that just for a little while. That would be better than living your life a slave to anxiety. And it may only be temporary. Hugs to you.

briannajacobson 05/27/2015

Thank you so much for your support! I went back on medication yesterday. I still struggle with thinking obsessively about my heart. I hope in the following days it will get better.

chelleleigh72 05/27/2015

Glad to hear that your back on medication. Hopefully in the days and weeks to come you will begin to get some relief from your anxiety. Good luck and know that I am here if you need to talk.

jeffinwi 05/27/2015

yep, looks like you better stay on your meds. I wanted to stay off Fluoxetine but it seems I need some of that coursing through my veins in order to stay happy. I don't want to take meds but i think I have no choice.

yeah, I know, happy thinking is good but unfortunately if you have a mental disorder the thinking can only do so much. Maybe someday you can go without the meds or take less.

briannajacobson 05/28/2015

I know I really wanted to be free of medication but I just graduated from university and am in that period of transition deciding what to do with the rest of my life. And anxiety reared it's ugly head again. I have had a lot harder time getting over it this time I think it's because I am at home alone all day I find it's really difficult for me to be self motivated to get up and do things which makes it worse. I am obsessed about my heart it seems to be all I can think about all the time. How did you overcome this?

Mid 05/31/2015

The changes in the heart rhythm can throw every thing else into a tailspin.

Taking medication as a temporary measure to give you time to relax, heal, recover is important, as you use other techniques to build up your foundation again.

Changing from school mode to home mode means you exercise at home and you give yourself assignments every single day. Once you get moving, it's easier to keep moving!

The fear of the changing heart rhythm is not easy to switch until you give yourself the once over...you're breathing normally (if not, do breathing exercise), you're moving normally (if not, tap feet/toes, snap finger/hands), you're not dehydrated (eat and drink to rehydrate). These are physical measures to help your anxiety disappear naturally fast.

You may have to do this several times a day until you get into a routine that gets you moving in a direction for a project.

Best wishes!

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