Is anyone ever 'cured' or is it just dealing with it forever?

Posted , 6 users are following.

Anxiety has destroyed my life.

I lived the first 26 years of my life in "normal" power. But something happened to me around my 27th birthday, call it "Saturn's Return" or any other crystal-gazing bull to excuse it. Butn something happened to me at 27 that I honestly can't put my finger on, and I've spent the last 15 years living in sheer hell trying to front every work/social situation and act like I'm not sweating losing my mind.

I've tried CBT. Nope.

I've tried SSRI's and put on about 6 stone.

I've tried mindfullness, I've tried yoga. I've tried grabbing my balls and "manning up". 

I've tried... I've tried...

Nothing works.

Has anyone on this website ever developed an adult anxiety and found a way to get over it and lead a powerful life, or is the 21st century now just about keyboard warriors who are destined to talk a good game but ultimately spend their reality eating dunkin donuts in their mom's basement?

Any cures?

 

0 likes, 16 replies

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  • Posted

    yes, Anxiety Disorder can develop in adults. It's quite common. Not everything stems from childhood. And knowing the reason why might explain what triggered it but does not cure. Once the anxiety is entrenched then it must be dealt with and much time is wasted, more stress induced by looking over our shoulder and wondering WHY?

    I'm not a great advocate of CBT although I accept it works for some. Personally I think it imposes demands upon us which adds stress and which if we fail to meet creates a feeling of hopelessness.

    You do not mention when you were prescribed SSRI meds. How long you took them for nor whether you discussed the weight gain with your GP. There are a multitude of meds out there but we human beings are individuals and those meds must be tailored to meet those individual needs. It's trial and error until we get it right. It is worth pursuing this avenue of help because meds are a great assistance in levelling out our stress levels.

    What was interesting about your post was that I see a man fighting his illness. Fighting, trying, desperation. This merely piles on the anxiety. It's a common error with Ad sufferers. If you trawl through the Anxiety Forum you will find a multitude of self-help stratergies and people willing to help you on the road to recovery.

    There is a way out of the maze of AD, it is not easy but accepting not fighting is the first step. Knowledge is power and you need to know as much as you can about dealing with the problem and there is no better place than this forum. All those on here are at different stages of AD. No one is more qualified to help you understand, to encourage you, than these people.

  • Posted

    Helen's reply is right on the mark. I especially want to refer to the part about fighting this. Anything we fight, we give power to. Accepting what is is the first step to taking your life back.

    Please take her suggestion to scroll through other anxiety discussions here in this forum. You will learn a lot to help you, Withnail

  • Posted

    Personally I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of “just accepting” something or someone that is beating you into the ground. Perhaps I am missing something here? I honestly don’t understand the idea. Anxiety/depression are horrible mood disorders that ruin lives and make them living hells. I’ve read so many pleas for help on this forum that it is heart breaking. Yet so little is offered in return beyond some comforting words of sympathy or advice to “accept it”. I think what people like’ withnail1998’ & myself are looking for is something more tangible. He is clearly serious & so am I. Ok what about some tangibles then? Here are some examples that I am in the process of researching and implementing – Hypnotherapy, (CES) cranial electrotherapy stimulation, (LENS) low energy neurofeedback system, neurotherapy and subtypes such as Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG), neurofeedback etc. Simply taking an active part towards relief and/or cure of what ails us is theraputic in itself. Granted, not all of us here have access to such therapies or for that matter timely access to their GP but even so we must take charge of our own well being. Most of the time I feel so low that I wish it would all end until I get the urge to somehow, some way find a solution. My GP actually encourages all his patients to research their issues and bring in all the info and documents necessary and discuss them. Yes, I am fortunate that I can see my doctor within 2 or 3 days of calling him for an appointment; and yes I am fortunate that I have access to the aforementioned therapies. However your situation, you have got to try or do something. Well, I am  done with my diatribe now. ))) In the near future I will share my experiences with all of you and hopefully I will have good news and good advice to give to anyone that cares to listen. God bless.

    • Posted

      It's both sad and disappointing that you see little offered by Forum members beyond words of sympathy. Many members do their very best, amidst their own struggle, post their own coping methods and strageries implemented to help other sufferers overcome the problem.

      We are all serious on here otherwise we would not be reaching out to each other to receive and to give assistance.. Also, there is much to be said in the encouragement, the understanding of others. Anxiety is a lonely illness. To have somewhere to "go" when at our lowest ebb, to have someone "listen" who knows what you are going through is a positive

      I hope you find something that will benefit yourself and others on this site, I truly do. Everyone here needs all the help they can get

    • Posted

      I must add that "acceptance " refers to those who hone in and and who add fear by believing they have some some life threatening disease such as cancer, heart problems, Ms and a  whole host of other ills where none exists. Accepting it is Anxiety Disorder and then dealing with it as opposed to frightening oneself to death thinking they are about to drop dead at any given minute. Accepting means believing in their tests results, believing in the findings of the doctors involved.

      That's accepting

    • Posted

      Accepting has nothing in this world to do with non action. Accepting is a state of mind, an attitude. I was a counselor for many years and saw many lives change with a change of attitude.

      On of my clients, only 21 years old found out she was diabetic. She was angry, bewildered and unaccepting. After working together for about a month, she began to see the point that she had a choice...a choice to do battle every day or to accept what was and get on with living her life while finding ways to cope that fit her lifestyle and personality.

      She ended up being one of those who got off insulin and totally controlled the diabetes by diet. She is now president of a large adveriting company and is a thriving woman.

      She contacted me about four years ago thanking me for "battling with her, so she could stop battling with diaetes."  She was ony one of many who chose to go the accepting route. Interestingly enough, those were the people who found more answers on dealing with their "challenge" than the ones who chose to do battle.  Just something to think about, everybody. Only we can chose our lives paths...no one else can do it for us.

      I am very grateful to this forun for being here when  I needed you desperately in the beginning, and for being here for me now when I slip on the ice. Thanks, everybody

    • Posted

      Thank you Cia! I knew with your expertise as a counseller, with the wealth of your own personal experience, that you would be able to put it into context far better than I ever could, you dear thing!,

      I second your closing statement.

      Thanks everybody

    • Posted

      Just telling it like it is, my dear friend. I am nothing if not blunt smile

    • Posted

      I just want to add to acceptance. It is releasing any and ALL EMOTIONAL attachment to it. Everything you respond to with this disorder is emotional. Fear is an emotional. Anger is an emotion, saddness is an emotion. Let it go. Surrender it all. If that can be done you will slowly heal. Slowly because it can takes a very long time to rebuild a solid foundations and retrain a brain. Many bad habits have formed. A ton of anxiety rules have formed.  Helens correct accept tests results, what a waste of time spent after you get back result to keep revisiting that. Expensive too. You do the same thing each day, you think the same way, same actions dont even believe for a secind younwill get different results. Thats silly. This is not a fight or something you ignore this is surrendering to this and retraining yourself.
    • Posted

      Oooh and you know i really hate dunkin donuts 😖  sometimes i do enjoy the yellow cake with chocolate frosting though.(adding alittle humor)
    • Posted

      You make me smile, especially when you talk about chocolate frosting...on anything.
    • Posted

      Superb post Lisa ( as always )

      It's an interesting subject. Fascinating how the mind, convinced of one thing, then ignites the body to manifest symptoms. So many of Ad sufferers have an initial "symptom " more often than not that is completely harmless, but which frightens the person. They hone in on it, convinced it is something serious. The body responds accordingly. The fear cycle begins.

      Once entrenched in this belief they are subsequently entrenched in anxiety, and or with panic as a constant companion. Test results are not believed. GP's and Specialists are not believed so firmly is the Ad sufferer convinced that the medical profession has missed something and all tests results are faulty.

      This forum and it's members do much to help those break  out of that "habit" rut. To assist them to see that which they do suffer from in reality as opposed to that which they don't suffer outside ofn their panic riddled mind. Techniques and methods of how to deal with their problem are put forward, shared, so that those in the first stages of struggling with AD might benefit, let alone just being there for them, listening to them.The healing benefits of compassion, of kindness, understanding and camaraderie, which sadly is lacking outside of this Forum, cannot be underestimated.

      xxxxx

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