i certainly agree that we shouldn't let our anxieties run our lives. I think you have a lot of good positive spirit, too. But I have to disagree that all medications are dangerous, or that anyone's trying to convince me that I'm crazy. I went to the doctor and told him I thought I was going crazy, because it felt like I was going crazy... he's the one who told me I wasn't crazy :-)

Your determination is great and will certainly help you handle your anxiety. Good luck!

Bravo! May everyone today who feels anxious turn the energy into something that works for them and gets things done that need to be done. This is a great day to make our lives a little better and someone else's life. :)

Life is short! I relate To having a "before anxiety" and "after anxiety" experience. I've also had years of time where my life has been limited by the disorder.

Good attitude! Fight the good fight and get yourself back to being functional and happy.

First I want to say that I am on Prozac & at my age (62) I have tried many many years to live without medication but in my case it is a lifesaver. I still struggle with some issues but I can cope so much better. Having said that, I do want to support you with your positive intentions & your vow to no longer allow anxiety to limit & control your life. You said it well & you are an inspiration...so I am with you.

I feel the same way. I can remember dealing with stress and obstacles really well when I was young. It seems like the older I get the more I take things super seriously, that and I become overwhelmed by distorted thoughts that run amok. The distorted thoughts are just anxiety/fear/ {insert negative emotion here} generating thoughts. When I was younger, I used to just let these roll off me, or stick to what I knew was reality. Now, it seems like I am plagued by stuff that is just "what if".
For example, I think everyone thinks I am stupid, ugly, and all sorts of things, when in reality... I have no proof of that at all. In reality, I am the one that think these things about myself. This causes me all sorts of problems, and has actually ruined relationships i have had with others... because I will get so upset about these kind of thoughts, and others (that are just generated by my insecurities, or fears) and actually bring them into reality.
Once I started to realize that there was nothing "scary" going on around me, besides the worry that I was creating, I started dealing with my anxiety a lot better.
While I am not free from anxiety or stress by any means, I deal with it better, and at least don't have panic attacks anymore. I think its because I became focused enough to calm myself and trust that I was ok.

Your a wise person with lots of strength. I hope to follow you soon

I take exception with a lot of what you said in your post. First of all we are not "weak" just because we suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. We can't will them away. Don't you think if we could just think our panic attacks and anxiety away that we would?

As for medication well let me tell you something sweetie it saved my life!! It still is saving my life because as of this moment I am hanging on by my finger nails!

Your thinking is a pollyanna or lucinda bassette type of thinking. I spent over 400 dollars on her system and I am no better today for it. I worked that program exactly as instructed and it did not work. Medication is sometimes necessary.Not everything can be done by will power alone. Would you say to the diabetic to just think their diabetes away? No of course not. So why do people ignorantly think that because our illness is psychological that it can be willed away?

you are so right!!! i totally agree with you that anxiety takes all the joy out of life. its so hard to live each day with fear and anxiety controlling your every thought and move. im so glad i read this it really helped me alot!

I think a lot of anxiety simply comes from a lack, an emptiness in our own souls. If we fill ourselves with love, spend quiet time relaxing and communing with our loving source, whether we call it God, Allah or whatever, then reach out to others, keeping one eye open on them, of course, to see them and their intentions toward us, life is not so scary.

I believe that your out look is very positive> I wish I had that mind set with my problem. If you have more suggestions on how to accomplish this please let me know: Rick.

good on you 'keepinitzen', if you have found an attitude thats gonna work for you then i applaud you, some ppl have made comments that totally reject what you have said, and to those ppl, i'm sure his intention was not to offend anyone who is on meds etc... he's been through the same thing we've all been through, we are here to support each other, if he's found a light inside the tunnel that he believed will lead to the end or close to, then we are here to support, not critizise. i may not agree with everything he's said but he's in a place that says 'screw you anxiety' and thats the place where changes happen.
keepinitzen, i'm with you!!

i am so totally with you. for me, my anxiety issues have largely been little fears which have built up and created fearful habits. The moment you feel that rising panic, you don't want to confront it, you want to pacify it. which usually means running to hide. I catch myself all the time making plans to do things, and then feeling that prick of panic and thinking "Oh, nope, can't do that." what i should be asking is "wtf, why not? what's the actual problem?" fear of the unknown is always worse than facing the real thing, at least in my (limited) experience. When I get the courage to make little changes, ask more of myself, convince myself I'm able to separate from anxiety, i'm ALWAYS amazed at the benefits. So far I haven't actually died from any of the things the anxiety told me were deadly. but it's still an uphill battle, because habits which have become so ingrained over the years take what feels like for-ev-er to reset. at this point i'd like to whip out some wisdom from my favorite old, dead philosopher: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." ~Aristotle. I've found the word 'excellence' is interchangable with anything you like- peace, positivity, wisdom, determination, spontaneous dancing, etc. Whatever healthy method of coping and treatment you all are using, i wish you the very best!