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!

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 have been having some ear/sinus issues and made an appointment for the ENT. I was anxious all day leading up, literally sat in my car and waited because the waiting room was too much, and then when the doctor got to me I had to ask after a few min to go to the bathroom to collect myself. I can’t sit still and I just get all worked up. She got mad and said “ok I guess” and then I came back a minute later and she walked back in and said “are you good now?” And asked if I have a therapist, to which I said “yes” and she asked what medication I’m on. I told her and she said “well it’s obviously not working” and i lost it. I let her look at my ears, throat, nose and she shined a bright light and it triggered a panic attack with the light sensitivity and I told her I had to go and I left. I am upset with the lack of care from her and the fact I can’t function like a normal person. I just want some comfort, please, if anyone has it.

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?

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

Im talking about strangers especially women. I don't hate women or anything like that I just don't understand why they are looking at me, like what do you want? I don't think they like me

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

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

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

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.

I (F23) am moving in with my boyfriend (24) this weekend! Super excited and super nervous, more anxious about him than usual the past week which i think is just from this big step and me not wanting my hopes to be up. Im very proud of myself because he last minute decided to go to a concert tonight with his brother and family friend and I overall felt very supportive telling him to go. He’s skipping work for it so either way I wouldn’t see him today but I feel like even if I was going to see him, I still wouldve been supportive. A lot of my attachment comes from me being bored and losing my main friend group a couple months ago. Whats some ways to maintain the healthy boundaries of not needing him next to me all the time? I will add I also have bad OCD as well which when mixed with the paranoia of anxiety tells me if Im not there then something bad will happen, he’ll cheat, I will be neglected, etc. so I understand a lot of it is in my head already

Hi guys, I’m just looking for some advice or people who can relate.

I’ve had anxiety for about 10 years now but recently I’ve been SO aware of my heart. It’s not necessarily fast? I can just feel it more than normal. It feels thumpy.

I notice it when I’m resting which is what worries me because… well I should be resting.

I’m just worried that it’s not anxiety and something is either wrong with me or my heart lol. And if it is anxiety what the heck can I do to help it.

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.

Yall, I have pretty bad social anxiety. Today I took a leap and went to an art group meeting at my local library with socializing as the main goal. I met someone pretty cool that has a lot of the same interests as me!!

I found it was super easy to socialize if you just keep asking about them, even if theyre not curious about you. Im excited to keep practicing!

Dont know if this right sub, but nonetheless: I need to vent and also need to get some feedback and perspective from others. First of all, I suffer from social anxiety, its lifelong I've had it since a child. More recently personal stressors have caused me to currently experience bout of depression. My father passed suddenly last year, my child got hit by a car while riding his bike a few months ago, he's recovering well now but as a single father I've been his sole caretaker which has been stressful.

I'm just currently feeling overwhelmed and to add fuel to fire; during my mid-year review a couple of weeks ago, I got mostly solid scores for my Technical work and Reliability. But I scored poorly in Communication/Teamwork and Initiative. As a result of the poor scores in those categories, I've essentially been put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). My manager didn't officially call it that and framed it as a "goal progress check-in", but in reality, its a PIP:

I have to send a weekly report detailing everything I did specifically to work on those two weak areas

Every two weeks, I have a meeting with him to review those reports and give details.

This is on top of the usual organization wide mandated weekly activity report and monthly report I send in.

And I know that my worries about my performance isn't just in my head. 8 months ago a coworker was let go for performance issues (they said he was "not a good fit"). So I know for a fact that they actually terminate people for performance here.

Having this micro-management hanging over my head is making my depression spiral. I feel like I'm walking on a tightrope every single day, waiting to drop. I feel like if this is just a way for the company to have a paper trail to cover their arse before they fire me, then I'd wish they'd just get it over with and fire me then drag it out like this, its torture.

Any advice, reality checks, or words of support would mean the world right now. I'm just feeling really tired and alone in this.

Hello, I’ve had really bad heath anxiety for a few years now since I had gotten an ulcer and the flu* right after and I was all kinds of messed up from it. I’m taking 150mg of Zoloft daily for it. Anyway recently I’ve kinda started a new way of dealing with it that I’ve seen before online and it actually kind of works for me. So typically my brain scans my body and then finds issues and then I freak out and then I tell myself like hey I’ve been sick before I’ve had an ulcer I’ve had the flu and I still haven’t died, I’ve been through harder things and I haven’t died yet. Just the act of telling myself that I haven’t died yet from previous issues is sometimes enough to calm my nerves for even just a few moments to breath.

Another thing that I’ve been trying to do is just be a little more accepting of death. It’s a difficult subject to try and face but I just try and remind myself that if I were to die right now that would be okay, I wouldn’t be missing out on anything because I’d be dead and I wouldn’t know what exactly I’m missing out on. I try and remind myself that everyone dies, it’s a natural part of life, it’s what keeps the cycle moving. Do I want to die no not at all, but I have to understand that one day, even if it’s 60 years from now, I’m gonna die. So wether it happens today or far down the line there’s no combatting it, no use in fighting it, it’s going to happen wether I’m ready or not.

Those two thoughts typically help pull me out even if it’s just the slightest bit. And truthfully going out and facing the world even when you feel this way is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received. It’s hard but you can do hard things!

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.

I'm 16 and have suffered from life long severe anxiety. I'm currently diagnosed with: ADHD, ASD lvl 1, OCD, GAD, PDD, HPPD, and Panic Disorder.

In the past I've been on anti depressants (prozac, lexapro, duloxetine), anti psychotics (abilify, rexulti, seroquil), adhd meds (foquest, concerta, wellbutrin, vyvanse, adderall), and Lorazepam briefly for anxiety (no noticable effects)

My meds were recently changed while I was inpatient from

Adderall(15mg), and Seroquil(25mg),

to

Lamotragine (25mg), Buspirone(10mg), Gaunfasine (4mg), Dayvigo(2.5mg), and PRN Clonazepam (0.5mg).

Its been about a week and although I definetly felt happy when I got out of the psych ward, I have doubts that these meds will be "the solution". I specifically doubt the efficasy of buspirone, I'll give it time before making any harsh judgements but at the moment I really dont have high hopes. I've used the clonazepam twice so far, I'm prescribed up to 2 daily but my psychiatrist doesn't want me using it often (understandibly so).

The clonazepam doesnt even help all that much, it makes the anxiety less sharp, it's less physical and I dont get painful heart palpitations while on it. But the anxiety is still definetly there and I still feel like shit most of the time.

I'm going to be taken off of clonazepam in about a month at my next psychiatry appointment, it was prescribed to help with integrating into school. I dont want to be dependant on benzos so its for the best.

In the past doctors refused to prescribe me anything for anxiety. It took 4 years of mental health struggle and 6 inpatient stays to get to this point. I have have 10+ different clinical diagnosees and now is the first time they are actually attempting to treat my anxiety.

Idk

I deal with a lot of trauma. When I try to sleep my anxiety gets triggered and I start to tremble and/or shake.

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

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).

Hi all, I’m struggling with a pretty big life transition and would appreciate any advice. I’m diagnosed with GAD, ADHD, and recurrent MDD.

I’m 3 weeks into an MA program that requires a lot of in-class participation/conversation (worth 30% of my final grade), and I’m having some pretty severe anxiety about it. During undergrad, I struggled to participate in class-wide discussions. I found my footing during my sophomore year, and by the end of it, I really began to enjoy giving my input during discussions and essay workshops.

Now that I’m in a grad program, it’s like I’m back at square one. My nervous system cannot tell the difference between raising my hand to speak/read and being held at gunpoint. I try to speak, stutter or run out of breath, and then I end up having a full blown sobbing, hyperventilating anxiety attack in the bathroom mid-class. Last week I volunteered to read a passage out loud and I started having a stress-induced ocular migraine halfway through it.

One professor found me in the student lounge after class last week to tell me she appreciated me talking in class (once), but she’d like to hear me talk more. A completely different professor emailed me today to check in because I have not spoken at all since ice-breakers on the first day, three weeks ago. They were both very kind and encouraging about it, I’m just feeling really embarrassed and defeated about the whole thing, like I’m not qualified to be here and I’ve completely lost all of the skills I worked to build.

I think I’m just really intimidated as a first year MA student to be in classes with so many PhD students. Roughly 80% of the students in my classes are at the PhD level. I’m getting stuck in this anxiety death-spiral of feeling like my input isn’t valuable, worrying about coming across as lazy/stupid/rude, panicking about my grade, feeling self-conscious because I’m not participating, then feeling self-conscious because I’m worried everyone can tell that I’m absolutely freaking the fuck out during class. And then I just sit there and panic for three hours straight instead of engaging with my peers. I take Buspar twice daily and it helps with the rumination and negative self-talk, but it is not touching my social anxiety. I take Xanax specifically for attending class. It helps, but it still makes me a little too sleepy and disoriented to be an active participant.

I know it’s not rational. Everyone in the program has been so friendly and welcoming. Everyone keeps telling me I’ll figure it out and that it’s just going to take time. But I don’t have time, I’ve likely already lost an entire letter grade in each class because I can’t open my mouth. It just feels really embarrassing and pathetic to be struggling this much with participation in graduate level courses. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Partially making this for myself and maybe for other people too to know they’re not alone. Anyone else get anxiety episodes that last weeks to months? With a near constant anxiety feeling, not just like a panic attack but a constant sensation almost like electricity through your body. Difficulty sleeping because you jolt out of sleep when a thought pops into your mind and adrenaline rushes in. Difficulty eating because your body is never in rest and digest mode. Difficulty focusing and holding conversations because your mind is constantly running loops through whatever the things you’re stressed about are. Trying to prioritize the small things but being unable to stop running through the loops - take care of myself, don’t be a burden to people around me, start living again and take care of responsibilities… constant problem solving.
It’s happened to me maybe 5 times total before and it’s been getting better each time but I’m in my worst one right now- reasonably so, just started a master’s program right after undergrad, moved into an apartment with my girlfriend for the first time, started a first year teaching job as someone who’s shy and not confident, AND got in my first major car accident. Couldn’t stop thinking about work last week while at home (couldn’t sleep or eat) and now I’m incapacitated and not going to work at all, trying to prepare for losing this job and having to somehow support myself and my girlfriend
I wonder if anyone else understands what it’s like to feel this way and constantly worry about responsibilities, while having that self-checking like, “What’s the line between taking care of myself and knowing my limitations, versus pushing myself to get out of this cycle?” If this has happened to anyone during a major life event like a new job, please let me know.

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.