This thread is about anxiety! Everyone’s favourite mental disorder!

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Folder

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So I’ve suffered with anxiety and panic for about six years now and was wondering if anyone else here does too. Although I suffer far less that I used to, hardly at all anymore, it does still flash up every now and again and it’s a constant part of my life.

Anyway, I find the following things help me and are worth sharing.

Breathing properly. You might notice that when you feel a bit anxious, your breathing will be really shallow. A few good deep breaths really help.

Sharing. I used to find myself in a situation where those around me would be constantly asking me if I was okay and even though I was feeling ultra anxious I’d say that everything was fine. This would always make things worse. These days, if I feel anxious, I just tell it how it is. 99% of times sharing it with those around me makes the situation evaporate.

Not drinking coffee, especially in the evening.

Talking about it. I like talking about anxiety and I feel that talking about it, and realising how many people suffer, has been totally key to the reduction in its severity.

Sleeping enough. The times I feel most anxious is when I’ve not slept enough. I believe this is common.

Anyway, any tips, experiences (sometimes anxiety attacks can be hilarious in hindsight) should be shared here!
 
dem said:
I hate your avatar

It always makes me sick
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You're right. Bald chin-touchers are clearly the future.
Aslo, you're a thread-derailing shit.
 
I used to have anxiety 2-3 years ago. Always when I was gonna walk up the same escalator, in a subway station I got to when I had to go to school. I had like, this feeling that someone had just punched me in the throat or whatever, kinda hard to explain. The thing is, nothing EVER happened at this escalator that I can remember that could be the source of this problem. I learned some breathing exercices, and now, it happens like, once every 6-8 months or so, which isn't really bad, considering it used to happen 2-3 times a week.

I talked with a psychologist friend, and he told me sometimes the anxiety triggers just don't make any sense at all.
 
Foreign Jackass said:
I learned some breathing exercices, and now, it happens like, once every 6-8 months or so, which isn't really bad, considering it used to happen 2-3 times a week.
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Yep, agreed. I think that when it first starts happening, it happens all the time becuase you make it happen by having anxiety about having anxiety. When you work out what's going on, it kind of dies down. Still comes back though every now and again, eh?! :)
 
Folder said:
Yep, agreed. I think that when it first starts happening, it happens all the time becuase you make it happen by having anxiety about having anxiety. When you work out what's going on, it kind of dies down. Still comes back though every now and again, eh?! :)
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Exactly. At first I thought I was having heart or respiratory problems, or whatever. It had been a long time since I hadn't really been into sport or anything (studying for engineering while working part-time had gotten rid of my good habits). But then I consulted, and I had no health problems at all. It was all mental. I was really surprised at first of what the brain can do, you know. Knowing that you have anxiety problems is really half the solution to the problem, cause then you can focus and tell yourself : "Aw fuck off, brain, I know this is bullshit."
 
Foreign Jackass said:
Exactly. At first I thought I was having heart or respiratory problems, or whatever. It had been a long time since I hadn't really been into sport or anything (studying for engineering while working part-time had gotten rid of my good habits). But then I consulted, and I had no health problems at all. It was all mental. I was really surprised at first of what the brain can do, you know. Knowing that you have anxiety problems is really half the solution to the problem, cause then you can focus and tell yourself : "Aw fuck off, brain, I know this is bullshit."
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Yeah indeed. Also, getting over the shock of when it first happens. Becuase it's so bad and totally new, it spazzes out your brain and you shit it in case it happens again. Sounds like we both sorted it out in the main. It feels like it will always be there though...
 
Folder said:
It feels like it will always be there though...
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I'm not sure about that. I went a year and a half without actually feeling anything like it. But it came back last week, when I had a stressful time. Believe it or not, it happened near an escalator again. My brain is fucked up. Maybe if I lived in a freakin village without any escalator, it would let me live in peace. DAMN YOU ESCALATORS, DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!
 
I cycle almost everyday but I still get heart palpatations. Just the other day I was at work not doing anything special and my heart decided to have a spaz attack for about 10 seconds. They're pretty scary but I can deal with them a lot better than I used to.
 
I cycle almost everyday but I still get heart palpatations.
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Is that when all of a sudden it feels like needles are poking at your heart when you're trying to breathe, because I've always thought it was a serious problem.
 
White Man said:
I've been prescribed to benzodiazepines of one sort or another since I was 15. That gets me through.
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Which ones?
 
My limited experience is that anxiety is triggered in the early 20's by a cocktail of: sharp decrease in serotonin, pressures of school/life/"why am I here on earth"/drugs. Mix together and stir.

If it hits you hard, it usually takes 4-8 years to really get control of it. You can make it worse by taking alot of drugs ('script and illegal) that aren't helping you much (Paxil and pot comes to mind).

Since all of our brain chemistries are so different, there isn't one approach that solves it.
 
ToxicAdam said:
My limited experience is that anxiety is triggered in the early 20's by a cocktail of: sharp decrease in serotonin, pressures of school/life/"why am I here on earth"/drugs. Mix together and stir.

If it hits you hard, it usually takes 4-8 years to really get control of it. You can make it worse by taking alot of drugs ('script and illegal) that aren't helping you much (Paxil and pot comes to mind).

Since all of our brain chemistries are so different, there isn't one approach that solves it.
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I find drinking helps. Though clearly that's not a fix. But still, a few pints and goodbye evil anxiety!
 
Ativan through most of high school, Xanax during senior year and my first 2 semesters at college (I was teh popular), and I've been on Klonopin ever since. Klonopin is a sort of happy medium between ativan (which would get me out of a panic and not much else) and xanax (which would make me sleepy and alternately give me sleeping problems. Also made drinking difficult).

EDIT: I am also aware that I likely harbor a physical addiction to these things at this point.
 
White Man said:
Ativan through most of high school, Xanax during senior year and my first 2 semesters at college (I was teh popular), and I've been on Klonopin ever since. Klonopin is a sort of happy medium between ativan (which would get me out of a panic and not much else) and xanax (which would make me sleepy and alternately give me sleeping problems. Also made drinking difficult).
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It was Klonopin I was interested in. Someone close to me has been trying to kick Klonopin for a few months. It's really bad, from what I've read and I hear the drug will come under scrutiny at Roche soon. Have you ever tried giving it up? If so, what happened? :)
 
It's recently become popular as a recreational drug. I'm sure the crutiny has something to do with that. I only take it when I feel especially tense for no reason. That's my indicator of a rough day.

Ativan was like throwing water baloons at a tank, and xanax was like drinking a 6 pack before class. Klonopin works quickly (ativan does, xanax doesn't), and it's not overpowerful (ativan isn't, xanax is). It doesn't really harm me physically (xanax does, via coordination), and I don't have any sleep problems. I could also drink more than one beer without going mushmouth (xanax, I'm lookin' at you again).

All these things are bad in one way or another. The current state of mental health treatment, as defined by the people that killed the era of decent psychoanalysis, is to trade a problem for an addiction, and if it's an addiction that's the problem, trade it for another. If I had decent/any health coverage, maybe I'd get the druthers to try out the mental health game again, but I'm pretty sure the chances of me finding a decent doc, not prone to handing out chemicals, is slim these days. I'd just find a doctor that would say something like, "Oh! You don't need klonopin, you need LIBRIUM!"

And then he'd go back in his office to play the PSP that Pfizer just bought him.
 
White Man said:
It's recently become popular as a recreational drug. I'm sure the crutiny has something to do with that. I only take it when I feel especially tense for no reason. That's my indicator of a rough day.

Ativan was like throwing water baloons at a tank, and xanax was like drinking a 6 pack before class. Klonopin works quickly (ativan does, xanax doesn't), and it's not overpowerful (ativan isn't, xanax is). It doesn't really harm me physically (xanax does, via coordination), and I don't have any sleep problems. I could also drink more than one beer without going mushmouth (xanax, I'm lookin' at you again).

All these things are bad in one way or another. The current state of mental health treatment, as defined by the people that killed the era of decent psychoanalysis, is to trade a problem for an addiction, and if it's an addiction that's the problem, trade it for another. If I had decent/any health coverage, maybe I'd get the druthers to try out the mental health game again, but I'm pretty sure the chances of me finding a decent doc, not prone to handing out chemicals, is slim these days. I'd just find a doctor that would say something like, "Oh! You don't need klonopin, you need LIBRIUM!"

And then he'd go back in his office to play the PSP that Pfizer just bought him.
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Thanks man.
You're right, the whole thing sucks.
As for Klonopin as a recreational drug, both times I tried that, I just fell asleep.
 
Although I'm sure you're aware, there are other classes of drugs that are much less habit-forming that benzodiazapines, but are still very effective as anxiolytics. One of the most popular are the SSRI's and related antidepressants. Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor and a number of others may help you, and they don't have the same potential for abuse or extreme psychological dependency. Of course, they may not work as well for extreme panic attacks, but for G.A.D., social anxiety, and lesser panic attacks they may be just what you're looking for. They've certainly helped me in the past. Maybe you've already looked into these, but if not you might want to ask your doctor. Best of luck to you. :)
 
i'm on effexor for anxiety/panic attacks.

my first panic attack was shortly after the birth of my first son.

basically it was at night and everything seemed like it was closing in on me. i started pounding on the walls and saying "noooo" and my heart was racing with dizzyness.

my wife woke up and said "what's wrong" and i said "i don't know, it feels like i'm going to die!". she called the doctor for me who called back right away(which was nice) and said take some benedryl and try to breath deeply and fall asleep. it helped. the next day i went to see him and he diagnosed it as anxiety.

i've battled it ever since. i'm on 75mg of effexor a day. sometimes i have to take 2 a day.

i do find getting enough sleep really helps. also cutting down on sugars and caffeine.

also staying busy and keeping your mind preoccupied with things around the house, etc seem to help me also.

it sucks having this. does anyone else have tips?

thanks.
 
well i always get these weird heart palpitations things. it feels like something is squeezing my heart and it hurts for a few minutes at a time or so. and it's always at the oddet times. i could be sitting at work and nothing of consequence is happening and BOOM! it's like heart attack city.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
well i always get these weird heart palpitations things. it feels like something is squeezing my heart and it hurts for a few minutes at a time or so. and it's always at the oddet times. i could be sitting at work and nothing of consequence is happening and BOOM! it's like heart attack city.
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Does your heart beat faster when you get these irregularities? If it does, it's called tachycardia and it has the potential to be dangerous. Ventricular tachycardia can cause your heart to go into fibrillation under stress, which of course can cause you to die. You should probably see a cardiologist for an EKG, whether or not it's anxiety related.
 
Inumaru said:
Does your heart beat faster when you get these irregularities? If it does, it's called tachycardia and it has the potential to be dangerous. Ventricular tachycardia can cause your heart to go into fibrillation under stress, which of course can cause you to die. You should probably see a cardiologist for an EKG, whether or not it's anxiety related.
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While your point about seeing the doctor is correct (you should go and do that), probably the last thing you want to tell people with anxiety is that they might die from what are probably common anxiety/stress related palpitations. People with anxiety worry enough as it is, and they start down the path of worrying about their health, that can be rough.

And evil solrac, I used to get very similar things, I used to describe it as someone twisting my heart, (in fact, one episode started all my problems). I got checked out by the doc, and everything was ok. Now, with regulary exercise/sleep/ cut down on stress, and less worrying, I very rarely get these heart palpitations. I will repeat, anyone that has anxiety, and does not get regular exercise is really missing out. Maybe exercise helped me out more than other people, but exercise was a lifesaver for me.
 
marko said:
While your point about seeing the doctor is correct (you should go and do that), probably the last thing you want to tell people with anxiety is that they might die from what are probably common anxiety/stress related palpitations. People with anxiety worry enough as it is, and they start down the path of worrying about their health, that can be rough.

And evil solrac, I used to get very similar things, I used to describe it as someone twisting my heart, (in fact, one episode started all my problems). I got checked out by the doc, and everything was ok. Now, with regulary exercise/sleep/ cut down on stress, and less worrying, I very rarely get these heart palpitations. I will repeat, anyone that has anxiety, and does not get regular exercise is really missing out. Maybe exercise helped me out more than other people, but exercise was a lifesaver for me.
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Point well taken marko, you're absolutely right. I probably shouldn't have gone into such detail, and of course I'm in no way qualified to make a guess, much less a diagnosis on his condition. That said, while I should have been more vague, as someone from a medical family and having a best friend who actually has inappropriate sinus tachycardia, I believe you should see a doctor if you think you are experiencing something abnormal. Chances are you don't have something this serious, because there are a multitude of other, less serious, or purely psychological reasons for your symptoms, but still, better safe than sorry. Don't let it stress you, but knowing the reasons behind this symptom will lead to less stress for you in the long run. Knowledge is power, etc.

I'd also like to put my vote in for consistent workouts reducing stress. They do more for me than anything else I can imagine, and I can really tell the difference when I've missed a few days or more.
 
Yeah, I've had it since last May. To make a long story short, I thought I was having a heart attack, as most people do in the beginning. I thought this was directly attributed to the absolutely HORRIBLE diet I'd been on for the past few years. Pretty much all fast food of one sort or another. That's easy for a college kid, I suppose. Still, I thought "oh no, I'd finally done it...I'm going to die!" Well, of course, it was diagnosed as anxiety. I've had tons of different tests for all kinds of different maladies, and they all came back negative for the most part. However, I still end up going to the doctor/emergency room once in awhile when i feel a panic attack that seems different and new.

The things that most often trigger my anxiety are:

1) Food. Since I perceived my health problems as relating to having a really, really bad diet, I always thought the next meal could kill me. I've improved my eating habits since then, dropped nearly 30 lbs, etc. but I still worry sometimes.

2) Going out. I fear something will happen to me concerning my health if I go out, basically. Its not social anxiety, but I don't want something to happen to me in front of people I don't know, or even people I *do* know, so its easy to get shut up in my room all day.

3) Sensations in my body. I seem to have an almost persitent stiffness/heaviness in my upper left chest/shoulder area. Obviously, this does not bode well for my anxiety, as I constantly fear its something to do with my heart or blood flow. However, once again, various tests conclude that I have no heart problems. So I know its possibly bullshit that the anxiety is making up, but I take medicine for my anxiety and still feel it sometimes. Its probably a muscle or nerve thing, if anything, and I also take Ibuprofen for it, but it still doesn't totally go away.


Currently I'm on 100mg Zoloft and it helps some, but I had a panic attack about a week and a half ago.and haven't been to school since. It messed up my sleeping schedule and I just feel anxious about walking around school all day.

This disease SUCKS and I'm always preoccupied with death or dying or something, even if it isn't going to happen, so its just an endless cycle of worry. I just hope it clears up sooner than later. :\ Its put a serious dent in my social/academic life.
 
I suggest meditation.

It helped me a lot.

It's a great way to relive stress and have a much more focused mind.

I found I was anxious about really nothing important, and then I would get anxitey about having panic/anixety attacks and that sort of thing.

I finally came ot the conclusion that this was ridiculous and decided to sit down for a second to take alook as to what is actually going on in my head.

I dont want to go off on some buddhist diatribe, but even simple breahting exersizes will make a world of difference.
 
mrroboto said:
i'm on effexor for anxiety/panic attacks.

my first panic attack was shortly after the birth of my first son.

basically it was at night and everything seemed like it was closing in on me. i started pounding on the walls and saying "noooo" and my heart was racing with dizzyness.

my wife woke up and said "what's wrong" and i said "i don't know, it feels like i'm going to die!". she called the doctor for me who called back right away(which was nice) and said take some benedryl and try to breath deeply and fall asleep. it helped. the next day i went to see him and he diagnosed it as anxiety.

i've battled it ever since. i'm on 75mg of effexor a day. sometimes i have to take 2 a day.

i do find getting enough sleep really helps. also cutting down on sugars and caffeine.

also staying busy and keeping your mind preoccupied with things around the house, etc seem to help me also.

it sucks having this. does anyone else have tips?

thanks.
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Have you tried any form of talking therapy or psychoanalysis? This (albeit short) story seems to cry out for it.
 
Inumaru said:
Although I'm sure you're aware, there are other classes of drugs that are much less habit-forming that benzodiazapines, but are still very effective as anxiolytics. One of the most popular are the SSRI's and related antidepressants. Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor and a number of others may help you, and they don't have the same potential for abuse or extreme psychological dependency. Of course, they may not work as well for extreme panic attacks, but for G.A.D., social anxiety, and lesser panic attacks they may be just what you're looking for. They've certainly helped me in the past. Maybe you've already looked into these, but if not you might want to ask your doctor. Best of luck to you. :)
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Through high school, I was on SSRIs (prozac, then paxil, then I just stopped taking them).

I was also on Ritalin in grade school.
 
My anxiety attacks are set off by random things in a working situation.

I think this stems from me being sexually harassed about 4 years ago at work.

It sucks, I want to appear like a normal person when at work, since the people I work with aren't my friends, I can't really be as open about how I am feeling than I would be around friends. So trying to put on an act of being ok sometimes is really hard.

I have become a lot better at controlling them, but sometimes I will wake up in the morning with a feeling of dread because I have to go to work.
 
We all have anxiety disorders!
Great!
What a fucking pain in the arse but at least it's loads more common that you might have thought. Having deep-seeded monkey mechanics operating your brain is the bain of us humans!
 
Folder said:
We all have anxiety disorders!
Great!
What a fucking pain in the arse but at least it's loads more common that you might have thought. Having deep-seeded monkey mechanics operating your brain is the bain of us humans!
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Deep-seated. Bane. Sorry, couldn't help myself. God, I'm an ass. :D
 
In my near 7 years at grammer school I've always been crapping my pants at certain stages of my journey home. First off is the fact there is a high school right beside us although they get out at 3:15 when i get out early i bump into a few of them, its actually pretty rare that anything happens, like 5 major incidents in 7 years or so but I always think somethings going to happen. Then I get the bus, although I get a different bus on certains days 2 sometimes 3 days I get off in a dodgy neighbourhood, actually last year a guy was throwing stones at me and swearing so I grabbed him by the shirt, he hasn't bothered me since although I see him every other week or so.

I get it from my mother damn her *shakes fist*
 
Inumaru said:
Deep-seated. Bane. Sorry, couldn't help myself. God, I'm an ass. :D
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Although you a correct from a classical sense, both are now acceptable.
 
Folder said:
Although you a correct from a classical sense, both are now acceptable.
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While I'll agree that "deep-seeded" may be semantically logical, more or less, I don't think you'll find it in any dictionary, so I don't know that it is acceptable, at least as far as a copy editor would be concerned. I still take issue with your spelling of the word "bane", as well. While I know "bain" is a French word for "bath", I don't believe it's an English word at all, and have never seen it as an accepted alternate spelling. Not pressing the issue to be a jerk, but since you defended it...

Sorry, back to the thread, this is making me anxious. :)
 
White Man said:
(snip)All these things are bad in one way or another. The current state of mental health treatment, as defined by the people that killed the era of decent psychoanalysis, is to trade a problem for an addiction, and if it's an addiction that's the problem, trade it for another.(snip)
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That, sir, is well said and frightfully accurate. I'm very fond of my therapist, but even she seems to have an innordinate strong desire to keep me on various medications. I have had much better luck with SSRI's than others, for what that's worth- less anxiety, sleep better, etc.
 
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