Want to feel normal

Hello! I had it for decades as well. No reason in particular, just rears its ugly head when it wants. Take some deep breaths and come to terms with the reality that you have been on the anxiety express for years now. Good news is, it can and will get better (at times). Not every day is a great day, but not all of them have to be bad. Good news is, you are perfectly normal, maybe.... Just knowing you are not alone in your struggle sometimes helps me. That and some Xanax now and again. Hope all gets better.

Hello, so sorry you are going through this! I am going on 5 years and no meds help and I struggle with anxiety. Nothing seems to trigger them except my heart palpitations! Test after test and nothing! Still I feel that they are missing something!  Will be praying for you! 

I most certainly do. I get dizzy, afraid to move as if something is behind an invisible curtain waiting to snatch me up and take me out. Sick feeling in my stomach, light headed, heart racing, sweaty, clammy, numbness in one or more extremities. It's a struggle for sure, but all of that is anxiety. As I said, it's not every day and sometimes it's weeks or months before another attack comes along, but if you can convince yourself you are sick, you can convince yourself to get better. I've been there, the physical symptoms can be much worse, even up to a trip to the ER. Done that too.. best to go get a check up and hear it from a professional and be in the safe side, but anxiety can do some strange stuff. Easier said then done, but try to not think about it. Sometimes I allow myself to just have a full blown attack just so I can relax. Usually after a good ole anxiety attack I can sleep great. All the adrenalin wears me out.. Everyone is different I guess. Hope it gets better and I hope this helps.

I understand what you are going through, Gale. I have suffered anxiety for decades as well. They say that you can overcome anxiety and there is some truth to this. I was given valium after I had my first panic attack. I was addicted for eight years, until one day, I didn't need it anymore. I replaced the valium with something else, but anxiety was till beneath the surface. Years later, I started having panic attacks again. Several years later, I started taking klonopin and have been taking it every since. I believe there are psychological, chemical, and environment components to anxiety. The body and mind and sometimes environment (living situations) are all interconnected. These dispositions can be inherited and/or learned. I know this from family history.  Educating ourselves about anxiety and what specific triggers bring on anxiety is important, but not always the final answer. I know that I have formed patterns of thinking and acting that do not help. However, everyone is dysfunctional to one extent or another. Anxiety, whether chronic or situational is a reaction to stress, or things that we are unhappy with in our lives, just an anger. I think anxiety can also have an anger component as well. We have to ask ourselves what are the patterns we have formed, family history, read about anxiety, perhaps a healthy self-help group, and attacking our fears, but try and live without obsessing over everything. Diet can also be a factor, self-loathing, family issues, the list goes on. Overall, I believe anxiety is a reaction to "life" situations. I grew up with one brother who followed in the footsteps of my father who drank to mask his problems. Military life at the time took us all over the world. My mother was a good woman, but anxious. There is a history here but not enough time to go into. Briefly, my brother developed alcohol problems and I had an emotional breakdown, using sedatives. This was all in our teens. Although I have been able to overcome many situations, I still bear the burden of anxious thinking, a viable factor to anxiety. So, you are not alone. All anxious people have common characteristics but everyone and their particular situation is unique. Everyone is dysfunctional to some extent, everyone is broken to an extent, in a broken world, that also has many good things about it. I have my particular beliefs why we are the way we are, which helps, but I still have difficulty overcoming the biggest obstacle we all face, ourselves. Take care. 

I'v suffered for 60 years with acute anxiety, every symptom known to man, and I'm still here! Not easy I admit. Plenty of natural coping strategies out there.

Hello Gale

One thing we all have to do if we have an illness is the come to terms with the problem we have. If you suffer Anxiety the knowing of the condition can help you recover from this problem. If you are in denial even after all the associated tests, you are not doing yourself any good and it will given time cause problems with any treatments offered, I would imagine by this time you have gone through one long list of procedures.

You need to understand given time, your Specialists and Operatives have all have experience in reading their results and in some ways you are denying  Their Trust/Truth. Under that premise you have also gone through coping techniques and in a way you are turning around and saying once more you feel even those are not relaxing you or giving you any confidence. In many ways you are not fulfilling life choices and activities because you are frightened to function.

Understand not approaching a problem will not help, you really need to move on. It all concerns me to watch people with Anxiety unable to square a circle. What would happen if you developed an illness and your GP decided to let the problem go as He feels it is all down to Anxiety ?

Believe me as we get older our health concerns never get easier, things go wrong.

BOB

Yes!  Yes, I felt like I could have written that myself.  Somehow my anxiety has even increased over the last year , perhaps following the passing of my beloved Cat companion.  But please, don’t misunderstand I have suffered from anxiety my whole life.  This uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, chest, entire body, that I just want to end.  It permeates every part of life, social, work- I even had to quit work becuase it felt unbearable and situations were making me more anxious.  So while I escape that particular stressor, now I am unemployed and often feel like I can’t get off of the couch becuase I feel so anxious.  

I hope it was ok to share all of this, it feels better to say it to someone who understands.  I’m sorry that you’re feeling so badly.  I just want you to know you’re not alone.

I have been at least introducing exercise 20-30 min everyday is proven to relieve the tension created by anxiety chemicals that buildup in the brain.

I’m also tying to reduce sugar intake, as many many reports say it worsens the symptoms.  Sugar is the culprit even though it feels like my best friend,

Message me anytime.  We’re all working to find solutions...