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[Hollywood]

OK .. I had some serious thought OCD last year, thought loops, gioving me serious anxiety every second ... I took Zoloft and it killed it after a few months. I've went off it, because it basically wasn't doing anything else for me .. not clearing up any depression or stuff like that ... but I'm pretty damn sure I got anxiety as a part of depression .. or a whole other thing with generalized anxiety. I was wondering if anyone had it and could tell me if what it sounds like ...

First off like .. I'm always restless and nervous it feels like .. can never relax ... it takes me forever to fall asleep when I try to .. I can't sleep at night really ever. I get headaches really bad like on a daily basis from being to tense and worrying about shit. I worry about shit all the time, no matter if its good or bad. And if like anyone does anything .. like people I talk to ... I always wonder if i fucked something up or said something bad, if they don't answer in the way I thought or act the way I though. Always question if I did something or shit to anybody, like if I think I said something stupid I'll worry about it a lot. It's really terrible .. IDK what it is .. I've been depressed a long time too so I don't know if this is a part of it or something else. Fuck i hate this ... =(

 

[rs7k]

I definitely suffer from some form of social anxiety, although it's definitely not as bad as it was before. I mainly have confidence issues, and my persona seems to change from day to day.

I don't know how it got better, but all the changes happened when I started to smoke pot. I can definitely say that since during the time I started smoking pot, my life started getting better. Now I can't say if the pot was involved in reducing my anxiety, because it did have some fairly serious negative side effects when I smoked too much (things such as difficulty keeping a conversation going due to distractability - this is bad if you've suffered anxiety with people before and are self-conscious).

Anyways, I've never tried meds. They are expensive, and I only plan to use them as a last resort. I've read about some nutritional supplements, such as kava kava and valerian which are supposed to help with anxiety. As someone who goes through low moods a lot, 5-HTP interests me a lot.

Anyways, I hope more people will reply to this topic.

 

[Hollywood]

I just took a depression screening test and got very severe .. with basicaly the only thing i didnt hit on was suicidal thoughts ... everything else ... restlessness ... sleep ... sadnees ... i scaled way up there ...

 

[rs7k]

I don't know how reliable the tests are. I've definitely thought of suicide before, but I'm not a terribly depressed person. If anything, I would say I get depressed because of my anxiety, which can sometimes get very severe.

The way I'm trying to fight my anxiety is by getting lots of sleep, drinking less coffee, and smoking like a fucking chimney. The last part seems to help me, but I don't condone it.

 

[way more]

Generalized Anxiety? Now I've heard everything. I have to ask how you guys are getting prescriptions, because a competent doctor should also reccomend therapy. People are the most succesful when combining two. And for gods sake you shouldn't be smoking if you're depressed.

 

[Hollywood]

They're pretty reliable as in seeing if you got the symptoms of something .. and I sure as hell got the symptoms of depression .. i think im stuck in a major/chronic depression combo ... its not that hard to know if your depressed .. that isnt even a question. I just wanna know if anxiety is like a part of it. I might try meds again soon ...

 

[NohWun]

Here's a shot in the dark (hey, it's GAF, what do you expect?):

Try getting into a serious exercise/eating well routine. Get someone to help you enforce it, even if you have to pay them.

Sometimes just a break from your usual routine can really help clear your head. Exercise is a good break for lots of reasons. And eating well can only help.

I'm guessing that some depression comes from a mixed up body chemistry, and maybe, just maybe, trying to be super healthy can help clear it up a little.

Of course, there's also lots to be gained from healthy social interaction. Dwelling in your own thoughts for too long can be, well, really depressing.

Definitely there's no one panacea. But there's lots of things to try.

 

[karasu]

Anxiety kinda puts a dent in the healthy social relations part. It really sucks to know that you should do "this", and "that" is good for you, but not being able to convince yourself to actually get involved.

 

[rs7k]

I know therapy is needed, and I'm actually getting involved in that in various ways. For example, one of my good friends is a self-proclaimed dating expert, and he's putting me under his wing.

But I'd like to hear about people's experiences with social anxiety meds. Have they made a dramatic difference for you?

 

[MrAngryFace]

I have anxiety issues but st johns seems to have thumped it for now.

 

[Boogie]

I know therapy is needed, and I'm actually getting involved in that in various ways. For example, one of my good friends is a self-proclaimed dating expert, and he's putting me under his wing.

:lol WTF? Dude, a "self-proclaimed dating expert" isn't therapy.

Spoiler

think he could spare any pointers for me? ;P

 

[rs7k]

Girls are the main anxiety trigger for me. And I know this guy has fucked more chicks than all of GAF combined.

I will keep you updated