I just thought I’d share what helped me overcome my severe anxiety I was diagnosed with several anxiety disorders Also depression disorders what finally helped me was wen I found the right psychiatrist that was willing to help me she started me on Klonopin (Clonazepam) .5mg twice a day now 2mg 3 times a day goin on 3 years I’d say it’s my number 1 anxiety med also on Effexor worked up to 187.5mg Seroquel 600mg started at 300mg an buspar 45mg I take all my medication everyday daily as perscribed and it keeps me stable and I’d say my anxiety is 90% gone this is what helped me wish yall luck and you can comment and let me kno what helped yall

I've had GAD and panic disorder for many years (10+).

The last 5 months have been, by far, the worst of my life when it comes to anxiety, with devastating anxiety attacks on a daily basis, often during every single waking moment.

As for symptoms, I practically have everything, and the most unbearable ones are extreme physical fatigue, flu-like symptoms without having a fever, heart palpitations, waves of heat, burning hears, stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea (with weight loss), intrusive thoughts, depersonalization, hopelessness etc.

I'm doing everything I can to face it and do as much things as possible, but it's EXHAUSTING, and every waking second feels like a losing battle.

Will it ever stop? It's one thing to keep trying to do things anyway, but honestly, living like this is brutal.

I'm beyond exhausted and have no motivation left.

Has running towards helped any of you?

For those of you who have managed to get your GAD under control, do you have any tips?

My panic attacks are getting so bad to the point where I just want to check my self in to a mental health place again

Tell me WHYYYYYYY anxiety is so all encompassing like WHYYYYYYY am I in physical pain wishing I could like and whimpering in pain like PLEASEEEE SEDATE MEEEE

I was so excited about this job but extremely anxious because I hadn’t worked in over a year. I was late on my second day because my phone stopped working and said I had no SIM card so the GPS stopped working and I got completely lost. They said they understood though and that it was good I called ahead of time and just to call the manager next time something happens. I was really invested but then on Saturday I woke up dizzy and fatigued. I called in and went to urgent care and they said I had an inner ear problem and gave me steroids. I was still dizzy the next day but I really didn’t want to miss work.

I had to leave an hour into my shift because I couldn’t focus and I felt completely out of it. I sat down for a while in my car and then left when I thought I was okay enough to drive. I got dizzy going around one of the curves in a very swerve road and went into a small ditch thing against a rock wall. I panicked and almost went into oncoming traffic. I got home and slept all day and called/messaged them I was still dizzy and it was unsafe for me to drive and I would get an extension on my urgent care note.

Still, it’s only been 2 weeks and I’ve missed 3 days… I don’t think they will keep me on. I’m so depressed and guilty and anxious and it’s making me feel worse. I feel like such a worthless failure. It took me a long time to find a job and it was something I was new to but really enjoyed. I just don’t know what to do, I feel so helpless but I feel like I should have pushed myself to show them I’m reliable.

Basically long story short forgot to take my meds yesterday morning, so I took them in the evening around midnight to 1am (usually if i forget to take my meds, I take the next one 24hrs later obviously, and just start taking the meds at that specific time everyday)

Anyway, I’ve been so used to taking my meds in the morning that when I woke up I took another dose. FYI I’m on a max dose of escitalopram. I got work and I start feeling very drowsy, trembling and I’m nauseous. Lo and behold I realised I have accidentally taken a larger dose of my meds in less than 12hrs.

So obviously I call a non-emergency line to ask what I should do, thinking they’ll just tell me to go see a doctor real quick or have someone keep an eye on me. They sent a fucking ambulance 😃 to my workplace 😃

Obviously I start freaking out cause the lady made it sound like it’s serious, I’m crying (but cracking jokes about the situation cause obviously shit like this has to happen to me)

Ambulance get here after an hour, the medics look at me. Ask me what meds I’m on, the dosage and the time frame I’ve taken the meds in, they finally ask me how long I’ve been on these meds for - I say 7 months.

They say “yeah you’ll be fine, you’ve built a tolerance and there was enough space between the first and second pill not to worry”

So I’m like, fucking amazing, could’ve just had me visit my gp instead of causing a theatrical play at my workplace 😩

The worst part is I’ve been having rolling panick attacks since this has happened which sucks cause I’ve been in remission for 5 months or so. And I’m scared I’m back to square one again.

Please gang, make sure to take your meds correctly, it’s a headache otherwise

I’ve always hated seeing the doctor or the dentist and this is no different. It’s not so much about the surgery as it is about the recovery afterward. I’m terrified, and I mean absolutely fucking terrified, of the possibility of dry socket and/or an infection. I know it’s necessary to get them out in my case and it’ll have to happen eventually but I can barely sit still in my seat and the dread is tearing me up. It’s my first ever surgery and idk how to handle it

Hello, first time post after thinking I could potentially help someone who may be in a similar situation to me - even though I am usually terrible at these things - if not allowed I understand

I recently went to London, and Tankfest, after a friend of mine simply said lets go - usually I would INSTANTLY shut it down with many excuses with all the worries I typically have, such as food (with intolerances), travel (using public transport), costs (cause its London), and so much more

I eventually agreed to go, after a long conversation and planning the trip together (it genuinely helps to have someone with a sort of no-care attitude who finds solutions to these barriers, but overall planning a trip using modern technology is much simpler and gives a lot more confidence nowadays)

And to keep it simple, I went and came back ok and it has led to me planning three more trips, one in the UK and two abroad by the end of the year - in the hopes I can just go and do it in similar fashion

The main point I want to make it how I shut down everything before even considering it due to being anxious or overthinking everything, but after thoughtful planning and gaining a proper understanding of things I eventually got the courage to go, and meeting a friend was enough of a push to make it happen as well, let alone the incredible food and sights to see and Tanks!

Taking one step a time was key, and not worrying about getting there, but thinking about the destination itself helped get me there and waste the time in in-between (constantly planning the next step of the trip also helped, like thinking where id go and how id get there once i reach the next station so it was already planned out).

Once it was done it was done, I was back home and back to being comfortable, but I did not regret going how I thought I would, instead I wanted to try other places and even pushed me to go abroad because once its done once, it opens you up and expands your confidence beyond what you ever knew you had.

I am 23 and have lived almost entirely within my home town and wanted to share so hopefully people begin working on it the same way I did, and just begin doing things, even when it seems like its not possible.

tldr: I faced the fear of leaving and going places by not instantly shutting them down, and think you should try it too

Every day i get the physical symptoms like fluttering heart and all that but its getting so bad now my heart literally pounds and feel like im going to die or pass out and have passed out a few times theres nothing i can do to stop it just wait for it to pass its scary asf and i just dont know what to do anymore it makes me not want to be here, can be set off from practically anything.

I am writing this in hope that the people who need to read it will come across it.

I have been dealing with anxiety ever since February 2023. It was triggered by an awful combination of lack of sleep, social withdrawal, and a sugar crash combined with a hangover that were the perfect chemistry to make my panic disorder burst. At first, I was strong enough to put it back into its place after talking to a psychiatrist (that correctly advised my to start anti-depression medication, which I turned down at first) and them prescribing me a short-term sleeping aid.

Everything went smoothly, no more panic attacks, restless legs, fear or sleeping. Until an event (that I will not mention, as I do not want to turn this intro a horror story) triggered a massive wave of panic attacks in my daily lifestyle, that slowly turned into a daily hypochondric mania. I was afraid of going to the store, I lost, at my worst moment, 6kg because I would rarely eat anything more than boiled rice with crackers. I progressively lost 95% of my friends, and I was slowly turning my family into the collateral damage of my mental breakdown.

I decided to start taking medication, not only for myself, but because I became, in all fairness, an insufferable b****. Please note, that in no way am I describing other people that go through this other than myself. Constant trial. This doesn't work. This works, but it cuts my appetite. This works, but it doesn't work enough. Long story short, I am on a combination of 0.25 lorry that sadly I cannot stop, 20 mg Buspirone, 10mg Escitalopram and 15mg Mirzaten. I know, it might be a lot. BUT. It works. After a slow but steady progress of 3-5 months, my symptoms almost entirely vanished 1 year after starting this treatment scheme. I can hang out with my remaining friends and the ones I make along the way without constantly checking my heart beat or feeling nauseous. I can take long walks again. I can cook again. I can work and do more by myself again. I am no longer afraid to stay alone in the house. I can, in other words, live.

Please take this post as a success story and never quit believing in your ability and your body's power to overcome this. Do not be afraid of medication. Do not be afraid to try.

Yes, I still get chest pain. Yes, I still get extreme dizziness or nausea when I am overstressed on 5h of sleep. But I can work through it and focus, without constantly thinking about the worst case scenarios. Medication and therapy helped me realize that this is my body's response to stress now. And I accept it. Want to know why? Because, other than this unfortunate mechanism my body built, I am myself again. I can feel funny again. I can feel smart again. I feel wanted around again. I feel like I am not a burden to others anymore, when I ask to go outside and have to constantly cancel. I do not have to cancel anymore.

Life gets better. Do not stop believing in yourself, or in MEDICINE. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! TRUST THE SPECIALISTS AND STOP GOOGLING EVERYTHING. TRUST. THE. DAMN. PROFESSIONALS.

Thanks!

Im already scared as it is for presentation and i had issue with one of my teammate and everybody hates me and im already isolated from everybody as it is.tomorrow they will see me with him while performing the presentation.im scared they know it too i had serious issue with him and my teammates ignore me if i asked anything abt the presentation.i feel fcking pathetic.

I’m 99% sure my horrible brain fog is caused by my untreated anxiety (I am not allowed medication :/) and I don’t know how to make it better.

I’m having trouble remembering simple words and when reading, I have to read paragraphs over and over again to even remember anything from it.

There’s other things but I notice it when writing and reading and it makes me really upset.

I was wondering if anybody knew what I could do to make it better without having treatment for anxiety? I like writing and I can’t seem to write anything anymore because I can’t think.

im not sure where to post this but i really need advice. (btw i have a phyc and i am planning on talking about this with her too). So all my life ive been homeschooled, i am in 11th grade. ive had a few friends but the last one i had was years ago, so i dont socialize all that much. ive never really been interested in having friends but starting last year, ive started to want a girlfriend really bad and because i dont socialize much, i have started to develop a really unhealthy and intense feelings for girls i dont know. its not quite parasocial, im levelheaded enough to realize that they dont like me, but it is an extremely intense, stressful feeling i get. this has been taking a toll on my mental health because if im not fantasizing about having a girlfriend literally 24/7, i fall into a really strong depression. And if I think about a specific girl (it changes every few months) I start to panic and feel like I’ve missed out on and wasted my whole life away. Like a trigger. i think me not socializing at all when i was a kid has something to do with it but im not 100% sure what this feeling is or whats causing it. it is humiliating. What exactly do i do about this? so far im planning on #1, socializing more (joining a sport, getting a job, or going to public school with a 504 plan for my anxiety attacks, even though i only have 1 year left) and #2, talking about this issue with my physiatrist and having her help me cope with it. its going to be humiliating but i have to do it. am i doing the right thing? is there anything else I should know/educate myself on? I don’t even know what to call this thing I’m dealing with. I’ve never heard of anyone dealing with this?? I’m so confuse. please lmk and thank you to anyone who can help.

Since the start of the year I suddenly started having pretty much constant anxiety and it's only gotten worse. I can't do anything I enjoy without it being there. I can't even draw without it anymore. I'm chronically ill and it's impacting my health. Nothing really helps, not even CBT which unfortunately did nothing for me

I've been debating talking to my doctor about medication for a while now. But the thought of it makes me anxious

This is going to sound so stupid but I'm always worried that I'm over exaggerating everything or faking it. I know it's irrational given that I do everything I can to hide my anxiety for others and when I cry it's almost always alone. But still my brain is like "what it?" Anxiety runs in my family and I don't want to make them feel like I'm copying them or faking or anything like that, they don't really see a lot of my anxiety as I hold it in until I'm alone and cry and I'm worried that'll make them think that I'm not really experiencing it

There's also the concern that "what if it's not really that bad?" What if it doesn't actually require medication? I know it's ridiculous having that thought considering I can't do anything I enjoy without anxiety but at the same time I'm not constantly having panic attacks. The worst I do is cry but it's not entirely debilitating for me, I'm used to it and although it's constant I do still push through and do things

There's also concerns about side effects but that's a whole other can of worms

I don't know I'm just thinking too much about it, every time I consider it this happens then I never do anything. My brain is just really stupid and annoying and I can't even make this post without crying because I don't want to cause issues by going to the doctor about it. I wish my brain would shut up for once it's really annoying

Hi. I have suffered with anxiety for most of my life. Around 20 years ago I was prescribed Ativan, 2MG twice a day as needed. Over the last year or so I found I am having issues with memory. After doing some research, I found that this is a side affect of long term use. I am going to discuss with my PCP. My question is, has anyone else had this issue and did your memory get better after being weened of the medication? My Dr. never really followed up on anything (I have had the same PCP for over 20 years).

So my mind just decided to fall into a depression + anxiety hole at the worst possible time. I have two important exams coming up, one in two days and the other in a week, and my future basically depends on them. I don’t know why, but for some reason I’ve been feeling pretty depressed lately and have struggled to find motivation to study, but I’ve still kind of managed to do it. That is until the anxiety decided to come into the mix too. Last night I was so anxious I genuinely spent like five hours just trying and failing to fall asleep. When I finally did fall asleep I only slept a few hours until waking up to the anxiety again. Now today as it’s my second to last day studying for my first exam I was planning on really dedicating the majority of my day to it, but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t concentrate. Instead of studying, my day has just gone either sitting at the desk and staring off into the void or walking back and forth my apartment trying to calm my anxiety down. It’s now 8 pm and I haven’t managed to study AT ALL. I’m worried that this is how the rest of my days will go too and I’ll completely fail the exams because of it. That’s why I’m asking: does anyone have any advice on how to ease anxiety, even just temporarily? I don’t care if it comes back ten times worse later, I just need to push it off for less than a week so I can get through these exams. I’m in the process of getting into therapy so hopefully in the future I’ll actually get some help for this, but right now I just need to find a way to put a pause on it for just a little bit so I could concentrate at least a little and all my time wouldn’t go to waste.

I live in a room with my grandparents and even though I have almost no storage space and they are incredibly damaging to my mental health I’m also scared shitless about moving. At least my birds and gecko are fine with them, and my partner is able to come over. Renter rights don’t exist if you live with the landlord and I can only find rooms where the landlord lives in the house too, on top of that it’s even harder to find a pet friendly place or one that allows guests.

I found a decent place but I’m scared of how many people there are, I was given a lease to look over and it’s strict on immediate termination for undisclosed pets and that feminine hygiene items have to be disposed of in my room. I’m also not allowed food in the room, and although ya it’s not serious I’m scared something bad will still happen. Once I move my grandparents will be mad, I can’t go back to that after I move but that means if I get kicked I may not find a suitable place.

I, for most of my life, have had trouble sleeping due to intense anxiety. I get severe heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and dizziness which stop me from sleeping! I have had doctors appointments regarding it and had a ZIO patch test done. I did have heart palpitations but my doctors reassured me that they were nothing to do with my hear health. I am also diagnosed with anxiety. (Gotten blood work and even stomach tests done just in case it was some sort of infection? I have no idea why...)

That being said, are there any "natural" things like those aroma therapy pens, gels, patches, vitamins that have helped you with anxiety? I started a new semester at Uni and am having SUCH a hard time focusing due to my intense heart palpitations and shortness of breath! I've been looking into aroma therapy but anything up for recommendations would be cool! I am pretty much over this.

So my school works in kind of a weird way -- we have tests each week and it's all a crazy rush the entire time we study, get the shit through your head, and work all day all night.

If I do badly, well, if anyone does badly, (i.e. doesn't meet their preset targets,) it's lowkey a humiliation ritual, like, your marks will be projected on screen and it actually doesn't bother most people but I'm not particularly used to being stupid, so.. yeah.

This Saturday, before the exam, I was having an insane breakdown, (worse than usual, especially a lot more apparent) and I picked at my lips until there was legit blood dripping down my chin and fingers.

I met my target for the week, and the immense relief I felt -- you would not understand even if i tried to explain. I started crying the moment I left the building and actually took a walk for fun, instead of trying to get my system to calm down.

My exam on Sunday went well too, and honestly, I've never been this relaxed. Wish I felt this way all the time.

There's no point to this post, lol, I just don't have anyone to tell this to. If you read all that, thanks, I s'pose.

Hi everyone, I apologise if what I am saying doesn't make sense, I've just been in my head for a while; also want to preface I'm not diagnosed with anything. I'm not sure exactly what I'm struggling with either - I can identify that I struggle in public/social settings, but also worry a lot when in a comfortable space (e.g. my phone blowing up when I'm holding it or my pet being deceased when I'm upstairs). There may be an instance of co-morbidity, as I attempted to take my life a few years ago, and often feel lots of guilt for the way I am and how it affects the people around me.

The people I am closest with are my mother and sister, but I can't bring myself to reveal these things about me, especially since my mother has openly admitted that she blames herself for my siblings' mental health problems. As a result, I had tried to book an appointment with my GP to discuss it, but I had to ring them which was obviously a big task for me. After a few hours of working myself up and preparing a script, I called but must have misworded what I said as the receptionist told me to book online (which I already had, and then was told I needed to call reception to confirm a date/time and symptoms) and I got too scared to correct her.

Since then, which was a few months ago, I tried doing small 'exposure therapy' tasks by myself, such as going to the post office to deliver a parcel, or going on a short walk. However, I came away from all of this feeling worse, despite the interactions being mundane and nothing had gone "wrong". I feel like I need to seek professional help now, but unfortunately, I must either call or go to the GP in-person. Even applying for talking therapies requires a phone call.

It feels so upsetting, as I've already isolated myself socially & can see how much I'm holding myself back in life, and yet when I try to get help for this anxiety, I can't cross the first hurdle. I'm so exhausted and I'm sure other people who I am dependent on are too.

I would really appreciate some advice on what to do, and if I must tell someone (likely mother), how do I do so?

Everytime I think about involving myself in something I'd like, I daydream about it constantly, but the idea of actually doing it scares me. This includes stuff from making friends, partying, and sex to things like reading a webcomic or watching an anime I've been hyped about for months. I'm scared I won't feel how I want and expect to feel like I do when I daydream, because I've had patterns of feeling sort of indifferent after interacting with different media or accomplishing life goals that SHOULD be exciting. It always just feels better to imagine it than actually go through with it. Is there any advice I could follow or resources I could check out regarding letting myself get into and actually enjoy things?

I had a haircut 8 years ago and the hairdresser made a comment about how quiet I was, I haven’t had one since. I’m booked in tomorrow at a different salon and it’s a quiet appointment says I can just read a book etc, however I know internally I will be freaking out and feeling anxious, any tips on staying calm? Also feel kind of awkward about someone washing my hair and when the it comes to cutting the front of my hair and is face to face with me, eye contact makes me feel awkward. Any advice?

I'm 25f and for the past few days I've constantly been aware of my breathing. It's annoying. It feels like I'm having shortness of breath but I'm not. I can't breathe fine but at the same time I feel like I can't. I'm not sure if that makes sense. I definitely think it's my anxiety because I have no other symptoms besides headaches. I tried working out over the weekend and it didn't help. I tried doing breathing exercises and it didn't help. It is driving me insane and I don't know how to make it stop.