Hi, i am a 21 year old male and have had axiety since i was 16-17. I used to really enjoy going out with my friends an mixing with others, basically i was never in doors. where as now i am constantly in my bedroom and the only times i go out are to my mums or sisters where i can only stay for a certain amount of time as i start panicking and getting nervous if anybody else shows up. when i start getting anxious about anything i go really light headed and start worring that i am going to faint or black out. like for instance i can be walking down the street an if someone is walking towards me i suddenly get the urge to turn around and go another way. it also happens even if i am around my friends which isnt that often anymore due to this like if they get in conversation i just go blank an then start worrying about the fact that im not joining in conversation which in turn i get all anxious so thats why i avoid it now by just staying in but i now want rid of this an want to get my life back together an to stop being so negative and thrustrated all the time but were do you begin??
Therapy is a good place to start, it will help resolve issues. Medication can help some,but therapy is a safer option
Hi, I feel that the last post I made would also apply to you so here it is:
Sorry to hear about your troubles my friend. It sucks to be an intelligent, sensitive person sometimes you know. That's the type of person that gets hit with this but you know what? One day it will be you who is helping others, you'll be needed so don't check out just yet!
I've been through all of this and much more. Here's another surprise - i'm glad I did. I love the person I am today - I welcome my little anxiety reminders too as they keep me in check - remind me to take care of my mental and physical well being. If you can tough it out, see it as part of life's rich experience, then one day it may make sense to you.
Anyway, here's how I got here, please believe me: nothing you are going through is unique, stay on this site long enough and you'll notice most posts are almost identical. Okay: no drugs and that includes caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or weed. Your body is nothing if not a bunch of chemicals, don't poison the system. Eat good nutritious food and lots of water. Exercise: even if it's just a long walk, this releases the good chemicals in your body and helps you get restorative sleep. Medication: initially the Diazepam is ok for emergencies but this is a powerful, addictive drug so treat with care. For the first 6 months of my recovery I used to keep them in my wallet as a comfort blanket but didn't take them. They can produce a rebound anxiety so watch out for that. Citalopram seems to work for a lot of people to take the edge off long term and I'm still on 10mg. I think this is a good amount because anything more takes too much of the feelings of being alive away ( I like to experience feeling good and bad as this is what it means to be human don't forget).
For long term improvement you must look at CBT. This is how I got on the road to recovery. Try 'fear-fighter' - it's an online firm of therapy prescribed by the NHS. I paid £90 to get it rather than go on waiting list. Just use some of that money you used to spend on weed, booze or junk 😉
It will show you that you are only afraid of your own fear and actually that can be understood and controlled. Your thought patterns trigger fight or flight chemicals which feel terrible when you're just sat in your room ( not escaping a wild animal as intended ).
Deep relaxation techniques will be shown to you which help you find time to 'slow down your chattering mind' - thinking too much is one of our problems. Your brain needs some downtime. Give it a break.
It's about acceptance. This is who you are and the more you run away from it the more it chases you. You will eventually turn and face the 'monster' and guess what? It stops, it says " hey, why aren't you running scared?" That's when you say " come on then, let's feel this fear and see where it goes " ....but that's when it stops visiting you cos it doesn't get fed ( this stuff survives on your fear, so when you embrace it, you starve it ). Haven't you noticed that fear has a beginning and a end? It goes, nothing lasts, even when you want it to...
Finally don't be afraid to pray. You don't need to be a bible basher or anything, just get into the habit of calling on a higher power to comfort you - after all, you're not responsible for making the sun come up or for making the tide come in or making stars explode - there is a power much greater than us and we're all part of the same universe. Let that love in and watch it do its work.
What a brilliant post!
Hi Is90.. I'm a similar age (19) and suffer with Anxiety that has taken me to a lower depth than I’ve read here. You still have quite a lot of freedoms. But I cannot deny its any way to live. If your registered to NHS than speak with your GP, or search your local primary care psychology / counselling clinic. In there they can assess your abilities and needs but also decided what stage of help is suitable and according to your commitment. The broad blanket of CBT is something I’ve been doing every year since I was 16. It although can teach you much about yourself and what is actually going on I found it either exasperated my symptoms making me more aware of 1st step to panic But also digging for an answer why just messed with my head and questioned my quality of life and upbringing. It may be best to also combine that service with medication, down falls are there’s not one drug that does not have side effect. When doing so it also means cutting all drugs, caffeine, alcohol, weed, nicotine.. Some are things most consider daily life. For me, I just want to be able to work and live life. Exercise and go out with friends inc drink. Im yet to find the balance but im out and about now, College and then to Uni in 2015. Im really just becoming a robot for now while I search for a balance. Every day seemed the same before and I swear by this, YOU WILL NOT BE LIKE THIS FOREVER.
Take your first step, if you ever need someone to talk with I am open to reply more on here as it can be good to keep upto date with others progress and what they have been offered as a service and help. Schemers are what I might start working more extensively with next (what thought process have stuck from 6weeks to 7yrs old) its related to how life and personality are created how and who I am.
Just whatever you do, try and gather yourself. Learn steps to avoid maintain order whe your panic starts in anx environments. Im a 19 yr old lad who tbh still has the same problems but when passing anyone on the street, there’s not a clue and that’s the sort of mind that can develop to help you get back to similar old times. No one can read you like a book. Its all inside and whatever you do. Don’t give up. Days take there toll and so find an escape, music, singing, cycling, gaming, blogging, videos.. a creative flair.
I was the same, nuts and always out and about. Wasn’t very academic though yet I’m doing it and so can you