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...
Hello Everyone,
First I just want to thank whomever reads and responds to this thread. I do appreciate you taking the time to do this. I just want to lay a little ground work. I'm a 24 year old male who has never had a lick of anxiety in his life. I have always been a very non-chalent go with the flow guy. Well 10 months ago that changed when I woke up one September morning with a tight chest. I thought hey it must be a pulled muscle. Well 3 days later I was in ER with a 180 heart rate and a lot of questions. That start the journey that I am on now trying to get to the root of my cause which has been the most frustrating time in my life.
I have had almost every test done to rule every other major medical condition. Cardiologist tests all came back fine, gastrologist found "acid reflux" but it is not something I notice after I eat. I don't have a huge burn with food and I have been eating less acidic foods and drinks for the better of 6 months. I have gave up drinking and smoking marijuana for the bast 6-7 months as it is not worth it right now as I just don't feel 'right'.
I have been medicated for anti-anxiety meds for a good 6 months now. 4 months of Zoloft I saw no major improvement, same with Lexapro for 2 months. I am now a week into Prozac so fingers crossed. I have been taking Atarax and Buspar everyday also. I have also been on many supplements from my chiropractor/nutritionist. But like I said I feel the only major thing I have gained in these past 6 months has been knowledge of how my body feels and to not freak out to the point I throw myself into a full panic attack. Nothing I have taken consistently has shown a big improvement where I am like "wow, this is really helping".
I figured cleaning up my body (no alcohol, marijuana) for the better of 7 months plus to caffenine would help get me to a better spot. I am very healthy, work out everyday and eat very healthy. I am a very social perosn and love hanging out with friends/traveling places but now all I feel is that I am a burden to whatever situation I am apart of. I just feel out of place and way out of my element and it sucks. I cannot shake this tight chest worry feeling. Work isn't perfect but if it was that big of a deal I would have left when it was bad.
I guess bottom line I am running out of things to try to help. I feel I have tried everything. From meditating, to yoga, to deep breathing, to reading, etc. Lots of other little things and they work for a couple weeks and then I grow tired of them because I am not seeing results. It is obviously frustrating because the anxiety feeling came out of no where and for someone who has never delt with it it feels unshakable.
If there are any tips/tricks out there I would love to hear. Even if they are extreme trust me I am determined to shake whatever switch went off in my head back to how I was before I was dealing with this. I appreciate all the help!
Thank you.
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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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Years ago, I won a mirrored armoire from my job. It's in my bedroom but I rarely stand in front of it. Yesterday, I had to have a dexascan done so I had to change into a gown. There was a full length mirror in the changing room. I'm aware that I gained 5 to 7 pounds over the last year from cheating on Keto but I didn't know what it looked like. It was a reality check.
It sounds like you have tried a lot of things. The thing is, anxiety may not go away over night. It is something most of us manage on a daily basis. It is good that you are aware of it, have been to doctors, etc. The tightness in your chest is a common anxiety symptom. If they diagnosed you with acid reflux, that would certainly cause chest discomfort.
Have you been working with a therapist, psychologist? I think talk therapy would be your next step into figuring out - what caused the anxiety to begin with, and how to get control of it now.
You will be okay. I know it's frustrating. You are not alone.
This was given to me by a psychologist I used to see. Hopefully it can help you too?
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/unhelpful-thinking-styles/
I'm taking Lexapro and Lamotrigine and have been for a couple years. If you google Lamotrigine, it will say for bipolar disorder, but with my anxiety, depression and slight OCD, the Lamotrigine is a mood stabilizer. I also take Ativan for when I have my anxiety/panic attacks. Maybe if you find your current treatment isnt helping, you can bring these up to your doctor to see if these medications are suitable for you?
Hope this helps <3
Not a single one of my own anxiety management tools --not even medications/drugs-- have provided a quick and easy panacea. Mental health management is as much a question of balance as physical health. It takes allot of elements working together to bring balance.
*****clink*****
Here's to hoping this little stretch of your comfort zone will lead the way to a sustainable balance. Welcome aboard.
Three things to do every day. Write in a private journal. Stay hydrated. Practice even breathing - in through nose, out through mouth, in through nose, out through nose when you feel anxiety. Then write about it in your private journal.
Writing here on a public board is helpful as well, as people here support, encourage, and understand the feelings and emotions associated with anxiety.
Anxiety is natural and it is a part of us and it is neutral when calm.
The more you talk it out, adding different words, and write it out, adding different details, often the pattern comes out and you are able to work through the anxiety.
Best wishes as you find your better balance.
My anxiety is medication resistant as I have been on Zoloft, Lexapro, Buspar. I've tried a few benzos but the dose has to be so high to have any effect that I'd be sleeping all the time, plus I'd be an addict within a week. So I don't do any meds. I just live with it.
I always recommend The Anxiety Guy on this board. He's active on all social media. He has many youtube videos and podcasts. He does weekly live FB sessions. He is absolutely fantastic. He will help you peel back the layers to find the reason for your anxiety. He has programs available to purchase if you want but it's certainly not necessary. His name is Dennis Simsek.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Anxiety has root causes and sometimes it takes some digging to find out what it is. It's not easy or always apparent.
I went through 3 therapists before finally finding 1 that I like. And, being honest here, after 5 years, I am considering switching to another new one. It is good to get new ideas, new techniques, fresh perspective, more enthusiasm on their part, etc.
I wish you the best.
Take one step at a time, you can do this
It is bizarre to experience anxiety and panic symptoms that seem to come out of nowhere.
I found a therapist a few years ago that helped a lot. It was a little pricy - about $300 for I think a 10 week course. He specialized in anxiety and panic disorder. It helped a lot and gave me a lot of tools to deal with it. I think finding a therapist that has a lot of experience in this area is key. I've only recently been having problems again but I think this whole coronavirus situation is ramping up my anxiety levels.
Distraction is a good way to get out of the moment, for some reason Candy Crush works for me lol. When it gets too hard to break out of the cycle, I take a small dose of xanax. I've also had good luck with meditation.
Hang in there!