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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I've never done this before.

bloodandform
bloodandform
Hey, I'm very new regarding both anxiety (1 year diagnosed) and talking about myself (never).

I'm 23 and did 12 sessions of CBT last year, it worked alright at the time, but now i'm at almost exactly the same point I was before the CBT, exactly 1 year later.

I was initially sent regarding health anxiety but ended up being diagnosed with GAD. I can't tell if the start of the new year has something to do with my downfall or maybe its attributed to something else, but either way I'm starting to struggle. I went a little while without palpitations and flushes but they seem to have crept back into my life with a vengeance and I feel like I'm back at square one.

I don't really know what to do now. CBT isn't an option on my healthcare plan anymore and I'm at a point now where I just can't do anything without dread consuming me.

I also have some sort of vendetta against medication which may be a bad thing.

I don't know what I want to achieve by writing this. I just need to learn control again and I didn't know where else to start.
flnts01
flnts01
CBT really helped me when I had a really rough time when my mom died in 2009. I am hear probably for the same reasons as you, I need to talk to people that understand and have been through similar since the people around me do not understand at all. I can't go to the doctor because I'm so afraid of what might be discovered and I physically manifest my fears. I will think Im going to die from a heart attack and then suddenly i will have chest pain, etc. My dad from lung cancer last year and now i have rib and back pain and think its lung cancer. I know it sounds crazy but that is how anxiety controls me. Talking to someone helps me to feel better and maybe realize that I am over analyzing. I am here if you need to talk to someone.
bloodandform
bloodandform
Thank you for your message. I'd love to talk. I often feel overdramatic and try and trivialise how I'm feeling but I can't really keep doing that when its what I'm actually experiencing.I also manage to manifest the weirdest of sensations then obsess and obsess. It's a horrible cycle.

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. I think like you said, we both are gripped by anxiety in the same way.

You don't sound crazy. Never worry about that.
kathryn01
kathryn01
Hi bloodandform: If your healthcare plan will cover it, find a good therapist who can teach you a wide variety of coping mechanisms (meditation, breathing etc.) I think of all coping techniques as tools, and the more tools we have to help with anxiety the better.

Medication has really helped me, but I realize it's not for everyone. And you definitely know what's best for your body.

Outside of medication, a few things really help me: yoga (there are actually a few online yoga classes designed specifically for anxiety), getting outside and going to a place that feels still, reducing my caffein intake, and journaling. If you like to read, you could search out a self help book because there are hundreds out there about anxiety.

I also take supplements. I don't know if they help, but what harm could it do? My doctor said magnesium is especially important, so I take that one on a regular basis. There's an interesting article about magnesium here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill

One of the most frustrating things about anxiety is that different things work for different people so you have to get out there and experiment.

Good luck, and I hope you find the right treatment that gives you control again.
bloodandform
bloodandform
Hi Kathryn, thanks so much for your response. So many great suggestions and I'll definitely look into some of them. My partner bought me a journal for Christmas for this exact purpose and I think I'm still a little scared to start.

In regards to medication, I may be hasty, I've never tried it but I'm just very scared of becoming dependent I think. If I was recommended to start taking them by my GP I would definitely try.

I live in NL and I'm looking into the limitations of mental healthcare within my plan, here's hoping.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.
Community LeaderMid
Mid
If cbt worked before, look for free workbooks, check out adventure guides twelve week and use the journal to help you figure out the patterns of thought that put you square in and know you are not alone.
Panicker
Panicker
Try reading "Hope and Help for Your Nerves by Claire Weekes
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