Its sooo hard getting even our closest friends and family to understand what we're going through if they have never experienced anxiety or panic disorders. I totally know how you feel. Thats why i find coming on DS helps.
Maybe you should try and find something to smile about tough (there must be something!) or try and do some sports / leisure activities, this can help with the anxiety and certainly distract you from the constant tension and worry. The easiest and worst thing we can do it sit around and avoid everything that makes us anxious. We gotta go through it to the other side to realise we can overcome it. Fear can only be overcome by facing it at every opportunity and coming through it.
Maybe you could ask yr family to read some stuff on anxiety disorders so they can at least start to understand.

Hope things improve. Take care :)

It's so hard for the people closest to you to understand. At the end of the day, nobody can understand unless they have been through a similar thing. I don't know your personal situation with your family...but with me, on advice from my therapist, it's about time I noticed what I want and not worrying about what the people closest to me are feeling.

Perhaps you could sit down and have a chat with someone closest to you in your family and explain to them that if you had a broken leg it would be visible and people would be willing to help you and look after you. Explain that it's the same thing except they can't see it. Say to them that at this time in your life you need support and help and that you would support and help them in a moment in need.

Expain to your sister that there is feeling good, feeling not so good, feeling down...and fearing for your life. At this time, you are scared and that you need support.

If you had the Flu and needed her to support you and get you drinks, food etc, i'm sure she would. It's just the same.

It pi**ses me off that there is this stigma attached to anxiety or depression!!!!

Just 'cos other people can't see any physical damage, they presume that it's your fault. My dad soes this somestimes and says "Get a grip of yourself...it's all in your head".

Well...that's what they don't understand! IT IS ALL MY HEAD...and i'm doing me best to deal with it, but at this current moment, I need your help and support.

Hope they can try to understand. Maybe try to print some stuff off from the web about anxiety and get them to just read it.

I really hope that you can get them on your side.

Hugs,

Stu

I understand how you are feeling I have anxiety at times and it is hard for family members to realize that yelling at you only makes things harder.I have a 23 year old son who has social anxiety and is bipolar .please keep writing.

I wish that I had some deep wisdom to add to these well worded replies. Everything they have said is soo true. God bless you and those who care so much about you, even when they don't know how to show it.

I totaly understand what you are talking about. I haven't drove a car by myself in 7 years and my children are like get over it. Your just wanting attention. But what they do not realize is that I visualize myself driving and actually doing it and I feel as free as a bird from how the fear has taking over in this area. When you have never experienced this disorder you can't understand it. Thank god for my husband, yes he gets frustrated, but he supports me and doesn't beat me down. I have started taking baby steps in my driving and other fears that I have. For I will accomplish it one day. First of all it is okay to have a really good cry for that has helped me to relieve some anxiety. So you are not alone and never feel like you are.

You are going through such an awful time.... Could you talk with your doc about this and get him to explain to your mom what you are going through. It sounds like you have general anxiety disorder but i am not a doc
There is help out there and you won't always feel like this. A few simple things you might try are...going for walks. deep breathing exercises..relaxation techniques.
I wish i could help as i do know what you're going through and how awful it is.
God bless you
Marigolds

When I was a teenager I was very depressed then but I didn't even know then that there was a name for what I was feeling. I remember my mother would always say horrible things to me in front of our family, nasty comments like how I would never smile, or sarcastically say, "what the hell is wrong with you now?" All it did was make me feel worse. I beat myself up over it everyday, thinking something was my fault, and that people around me hated me for it. Even as an adult, if I speak to either of my parents who live in another state, they get really nasty to me if I say I am upset about anything. I learned just to not communicate with them if I am not feeling well, or I lie and tell them things they want to hear, saying yes, work is good, life is good... Family or not family, listening to anyone telling you that you are the cause for their own unhappiness is going to make you feel worse. You need to worry about yourself and your own well being and please don't take the blame for how your parents and sister are feeling. They need to learn to better understand you and have patience.

And even if it were all in your head, (like people tell me often), you are feeling it and therefore it is as real enough as anything else!

I want you to know I get it from both stand points. I am not only the girl that will say... Smile, just act happy and you will feel happy. If you feel joy in your heart you will feel joy in your brain. My motto is "laugh long ~ live long" ok right now you are reading this and thinking bad thoughts of me...
hear me out... When you are not I repeat NOT having a panic attack you need to practice faking being happy...YES all out fake it.. If you smile and start a friendly conversation with a stranger in the local store you get to hear them talk. Listen to them and dont think about your inner demons. When they respond "how are you?" Never to the stanger, reply how you truly feel.. dont lie just fake being happy and answer with a nice thing. "I am wonderful, at least I aint pushing up daisies!" You making other people smile will indeed make your self enjoy that moment. That moment will lighten your mood. Do your best to keep the mood by smileing and chatting with the next. Keep happy nice thoughts like..your favorite time you had eating icecream by the pool or something or even how pretty the sky is or leaves.. Dont dwell on the terrible. NOW that you hate me.. I also.....
have the same problem as you... I have extreme feel like I am going to die panic attacks where everyone friends and family included dont understand and tell me to get over it. DUH we want to get over it.. If we were able too we would. I flipp out in cars, in the grocery store lines, anywhere. Since my last medicine upage I havent had one in a month. but as a professional smiler and panic-er... I know how to avoid one coming on... Do you best to keep happy before the surly to come panic attack arrives. If I am in that grocery store line. Feeling sick to my belly, dizzy, scared like, I know I am freakin out.. I try to start a conversation with the clerk or fellow line waiter. Talking nice lifts that tension that will surly only build as you get more scared that you are going to have that attack.. your family doesnt fully understand what you are going through but they do understand that you need to stop and smell some roses. Take time to smile just for fun. Block out the bad for just one minute just so you can medicate yourself with happy even if it is one minute its way better than that awfull bad feeling.. Please dont hate me. Just smile.. Please.. or I will be forced to sing.. and you dont want that ...

i have this feeling all the time. it feels like no one understands, and you start to feel bad because everyone else thinks it isn't a big deal. But problems with anxiety are soooo common--more than you know. My psychologists said "it's the common cold of psychology".

It's important to find people who are good support for you. I have this book available in major book stores like barnes and noble called "the anxiety and phobia workbook." There's a section for your family and friends to read about how to be a good support resource for you. Maybe that would help.

it's important to always stay positive. learn some stress management tactics and take time out every day. Laugh and play, do things that take your mind off of it.