Hi All! I am new to the group, but excited and hopeful to talk to people that are in similar situations and know what it is like to suffer from anxiety. I was diagnosed with GAD when I was 7 years old and I remember bouncing around from doctor to doctor trying to figure out if I had some type of stomach issue because I spent every day of school in the nurse's office begging to go home. I took my first anxiety med at 7 and have been on and off medication for the last 18 years. I have completely irrational fears and worry about everything. I am a hypochondriac and land myself in the emergency room often believing I am suffering from things which end up just being anxiety and panic. I also suffer from migraines which are usually cured through IVs..but I get panic attacks being hooked up to IVs and not having the ability to leave! Most of my anxiety stems from feeling trapped...so planes are a no go. Restaurants have been hard to deal with in the past, and I often get myself worked up in unfamiliar places and in crowds. With all of the craziness going on in our world, I am constantly fearful of terrorist attacks and believe everyone has the ability to harm me. My mind is constantly racing, and just recently I have started with some compulsions to manage my anxiety. I am not good about taking medication because I am afraid to rely on them. I am afraid that if they don't work well, I will have nothing to fall back on. Basically, everything that most people would normally not think twice about, I obsess over. I hope to be able to find people I can talk to and be a listening ear for as well! Having anxiety for 18 years I have become an extremely compassionate and empathetic person and if anything good has come out of anxiety, it has been being able to relate to others!

Take care :)