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...
I’m not sure I’m in the correct group for what I have going on. My 15 yr old daughter has recently been having anxiety attacks. So bad that she can’t attend school. Long story short- after many doctor appts they have determined it is stress and anxiety. She was having involuntary body movements & facial expressions. A healthy 15 year old girl suddenly had these movements that looked similar to a seizure but wasn’t. After cat scans- labs etc... the doctor said she needs therapy. She did well over holidays cause she was home. She saw. A therapist and liked it. She was still having weird movements and her mood swings were there but somewhat settled. So we thought this was something that passed. But when Christmas break was over and time to go back to school - she was excited to go back and see her friends. Although she’s a home body and doesn’t care to go out with friends and do much of anything. But she texted me to get her. That it was too loud and she was embarrassed cause she was shaking again. I got her and the school has allowed homebound schooling for now. She’s seeing therapist and I’ve done a lot here to try to set her up for overcoming this . But I haven’t seen anyone or anything online saying these attacks cause these involuntary movements or facial expressions. Or crying and laughing all at the same time. She is not herself for a couple days after these attacks. And doesn’t remember much of what all happened. This is only the second time that it’s been this bad. She also grabs my arm and pinches it or squeezes my hand. She says her face is numb. And if noises are loud she cringes. She truly reverts to a young child & seems her senses are super sensitive. I know this is a lot of info and all over the place. But I’m finally realizing this may be a way of life for a while and she may not be able to go back to school right now and need home schooling or a smaller school. I’m at a loss and not sure if these reactions etc is anything anyone has dealt with.
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I haven't written in my diary on my computer since May because I thought that my computer was dying. I got away from writing but my computer is hanging in there. I think that I will start writing in it again. It's so therapeutic.
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First, I hope everyone is doing well, and continuing to fight that good fight! Keep up the great work on yourselves; I'm rooting for all of you!So, I started doing therapy at the beginning of the year, when I was in my most depressed state, but with my therapist, I made big changes and steps in the right direction. But, over a month ago, she couldn't take my insurance anymore, and I had to stop...
The therapist is a great idea and how wonderful that your child likes going. The school sounds like they are going to work with you and your child, which also sounds great.
Good luck. I am sending positive thoughts your way for both you and your child.
Yea, that is allot of information and second-hand info, at that. However well we think we know somebody, or how long we have lived with the symptoms, ourselves, the insider view of any given anxiety attack is pretty well guaranteed to be different than the outside view. Aggressively asserting my view of the attack over the patient's is far more likely to hurt than help. ^It^ is not *mine* to sort. I shoot to *simply* offer stabilizing support while my brother or sister-in-healing works through the crisis in their own time, speed and manner.
Meanwhile,the loved ones with the outside view are going through their own sets of crisis over the struggle. I've been both patient and supporter and I do believe providing support is harder than going through ^it^, myself. In order to be there for them, I need to provide lots of extra self-care to be sure I CAN be there for them without spiraling the drain with them.
It's allot to sort. whatever your place within the equation. More than anybody can sort in a single sitting. Easy does it, Leah. Set a pace you can keep. Gentle support while you sort.
Welcome aboard.
I have been playing around with sound cancellation headphones. OMG, I walked through Target so relaxed today. Sounds in large places are big panic creators. You see that she wants to be with her friends and feel good so don't let anyone try to make her feel like she's doing this for attention or to just tough it out. Toughing it makes it worse. Think about it. Digging heels in and fighting it dumps more and more adrenaline into your system and makes it worse. If you two can practice at less fearful places she will learn to stay in the scariest of places. I have actually walked in and out of Target and grocery stores until I could shop. I would self talk...I feel great outside...I am now inside so what's the difference?" Anyways, all the bombardment of all the stimuli is too much. The sounds of the refrigerator coolers go unnoticed by most but to those of us with anxiety we feel under attack and want to escape.
She needs to get help now. Leaving a situation makes it worse and will start some really bad habits and reinforce different places as being places to stay away from.
Having said please don't try to convince her she's okay and be a cheerleader. That makes us feel worse since if we felt okay we wouldn't have called you to come get us. She has no tools yet. It takes baby steps. You don't go back to the scariest places first. You try the easier fears first. Then when you succeed and celebrate it reinforces the good feeling.
People don't understand and I was fortunate to have found a fantastic counselor here in the ATL that specialized in anxiety. Look around find an expert in children as well as children with anxiety. One or two visits won't cure her. She might also need to go on meds which those of us with anxiety resist.
We are basically the princess and the pea. We feel every heartbeat, the floor move beneath us in a large mall, so many things others filter out.
Just knowing she isn't crazy nor alone will be a huge help. I suggest you go to guidance counselor and ask for a referral. Your daughter is definitely not the only one struggling with this.
Good Luck!
and if it is any sort of comfort... my senior year in high school my anxiety got so bad i was schooled at home with a tutor for almost two months... i was still able to go to college as a division one athlete and graduate with two degrees. Mental illness does not have to ruin your life... she and you just need to learn how to live with it.
sending love and healing thoughts your way as you navahate this difficult time. and feel free to message me if you need a friend xxx