I have been battling with anxiety /OCD for the past year. This year my anxiety symptoms (physical ) have not been as bad as they were last year. However my OCD (intrusive thoughts) were horrible these past few months.
It seems to be getting better.
However today at work out of nowhere I felt the numbness etc, the stuff I had in the beggining of my anxiety last year.
My question to you is, has anyone ever experienced anxiety out of nowhere? (Imsure it all built up so its not "out of nowhere" . But hopefully you get what I mean...
I am not on any medication, as I feel like I can control it somewhat and I am too anxious to go on anxiety meds haha.
Help??
Ugh, yes all the time! And it’s so frustrating to me because I won’t even be having the anxious thoughts but as soon as I feel a physical manifestation the thoughts come on pretty quick. Since our bodies are “amped up” on anxiety a lot, even subconsciously, it makes sense that we randomly feel these physical symptoms because our body is so used to being on high alert. So annoying though, and can be quite troublesome!
Me too ...
dont go on Benzodiazepines like Xanax or Klonopin.. it will backfire on you.
woek on mindfulness meditation along with DBT or ACT therapy... we need to reprogram all the junk our life programmed into us.
Its good to know its not only me. I hate the physical symptoms. I start getting use to them then the mental ones hit, then i get used to those and then bam heres the phycail symptoms to start all over again.
Are you on any medication? Sorry if it's too forward.
Yeah they prescribed Lexapro but I havent taken it just because I want to control it as much as I can without medication. Later if it gets worse then I will look into the medication.
Yes it can come out of now where and at the worst time too...try to focus on an object in the room and yo distract yourself from the anxiety
Yes it just sucks that it comes all random. I know these symptoms because I had them last year at the beginning of my anxiety but not its here again. Im thinking maybe it has something to do with me subconsciously remembering April of last year was when all my anxiety started,
No, I’m not, because I’ve heard of the side effects medicine can give you and I’m sure that would make me even more anxious since my anxiety is mostly health related. I don’t really trust medication in general.
That can be a trigger for you
Yes that's how it was for me. My anxiety started off as health anxiety then went to random causes. Do you think it's normal for anxiety to form itself by different triggers? Like one month this a few months later something else? I just don't want to take medication because I don't want to get freaked out by the side effects. How long have you been dealing with anxiety?
Ugh it just is so horrible not even knowing what triggers it directly. I know people who say oh this triggers my anxiety and they can pinpoint it, then someone ask me and its like well ... all kinds of things trigger it.
Yes...but like you said it isn't exactly out of nowhere, it just seems like it!!! I will be seemingly fine and then WHAM!!! Like I got hit by a bus or something. I have been woken up from a sound sleep, something they call nocturnal panic attacks (super fun!!!), after having a good day and not feeling anxious at all. I am actually the person that stays calm during an emergency or a crisis, that is one of the reasons I have had such a hard time accepting it is "just" anxiety. I don't feel anxious or "stressed out", I don't feel like I am out of control or having a panic attack most of the time, I just have a ton of horrible physical symptoms. But that is how anxiety works, you have anxiety so you have symptoms that make you more anxious that make more symptoms and round and round you go. I had/have horrible med anxiety too, I do not read any of the information slips they give with a medication anymore, I won't take it if I do. I am still very hesitant to try new meds or to take things like strong pain killers. I will tell you that I am one of the people who suffered a very long time because I didn't want to try certain meds but when I finally did and finally got on the right combination of meds for me it was life changing. I went almost 3 years without seeing the inside of an emergency room, which is a big deal for me. I know you have heard the same horror stories I have and I want you to know there are people like myself that have tried meds and had good experiences with them. I was on xanax for a very very long time, still not addicted and never had any horrible withdrawl period or anything. It wasn't until I found my last doctor, someone who I felt actually cared about me and listened to me, that I stopped taking the xanax EXCEPT in an emergency/panic attack situation. I say that because xanax/alprazolam is a great drug, when used correctly. It is a short acting rescue drug, meaning it goes to work quickly but doesn't stay around very long, which is why a lot of people tend to self adjust this medication by taking it more often than prescribed. What they need is something like klonopin/clonazepam, which is basically the same as the xanax except it is longer acting, it stays around to try and keep you on an even keel for a much longer time. I was taking one in the morning and one at night at the lowest dose along with escitalopram and amitriptyline. When I was on this combo of meds, I may have taken a xanax a total of 3 or 4 times total. I lost my insurance and have not been under a doctors care in a few years now and have been off all medications for that time. I had to stop them all cold turkey because I could no longer afford them and I did not experience any issues, except for my anxiety returning which I would expect since the medication is what was keeping it under control in the first place. I was a hot mess before the medication and am now LOL. Now I will say, I am not trying to talk you into taking medications, just giving you my experience so maybe it isn't so scary for you. Of course everyone is different and medications work differently for everyone so what worked for me might not work for you but that is why you need to talk to your medical team about all your treatment options and see if you can come up with something that works for you. And there are tons of things that aren't medication you can try to help as well. Things like aromatherapy, yoga and other exercise, meditation, journaling, herbal remedies, etc. Best of luck and hang in there!!!
Thank you for sharing your story. Yeah medication can be very scary. My anxiety seems to come and go and I get stuck on horrible thoughts. My DR said its also caused by OCD because I obsess over these thoughts that are just bad. I am trying my best to be positive but its been a year, and Ive just about had it. I feel like every day is a battle. I have a prescription for Lexapro, but I havent taken it because of my anxiety...ironic huh. I just hope it gets better. Yeah I need to NOT look at the labels either, but with my anxiety I have the HORRIBLE tendency of researching everything on google. So as soon as I did I saw horrible reviews and side effects. It just freaked me out too much. I am glad to see I am not the only one who is going through this (as horrible as that sounds) I am going to try different ways to control it, maybe running again.
I don’t think it’s unusual. I’ve learned anxiety can and will do pretty much whatever it wants. :P Ive had some form of anxiety since I was in 7th grade so about 7 years ago, I’m 18 now. It got a lot worse a couple months ago because I’ve been dealing with some stomach issues and of course every physical ailment makes me think I’m going to die
Oh man, See im a bit older. I feel like how could I be getting it now. Lol. Im 28.