Im a 31 years old male, was a proffessional athlete, happy go lucky, good health, socialble, loved life until the end of January this year my world came crashing down in flames to a feeling of extreme dread and adrenalin constantly running around my body.
I couldnt sleep, i was shaking, i was scared of evrything and all my normal rational thoughts had been reversed into worst case scenario.
I avoided my work like the plaque and became very irratated in social situations and just wanted to run away.
I would constantly sweat and became totally infactuated with the question 'what is wrong with me'
I would spend hours a day trying to find out a miracle cure, the world i was in was becoming desperate to survive.
It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me and i wouldnt wish this feeling on the worst people to live on this planet.
Its now November and where am i now.... I 99% Anxiety free, I live my life very differently , I have exelled at my job and since taken on more responsibilities, I am alot ore aware of the importance of taking a steop back and prioritising myself over what other people want me to do.
I have started to appreciate the small things in life and feel much stronger than i did before my Anxiety.
The middle bit...... I went to the doctors thinking i was going to die ... he gave me beta blockers ..... made me dizzy... i went to another doctors he gave me Sertraline..... made me really sick.... went to another doctor he gave me Pregablin with something else ..... slept like a baby but became suicidal....really suicidal , horrible place to be feeling like thats the easy answer , its not!!! ....... Went to the doctor again... this time Citralapram 10mg took the edge of a bit but not much.
In this time of need my parents became my rock and i became much more open with people , i was surprised how many people suffer from different forms of anxiety but do not communicate this with others.
After 6 months of hell just out of the blue i woke up 1 morning and said to myself 'i cant live like this anymore im wasting my life in fear'
I madse a quick decision to stop Citralapram immediately - which doctors did not advise.
I started to make snap decisions, changed my job , started training more in the gym and giving myself small goals for the future and achievig things that excite me.
Suddenly a few bits of luck i started to progress and became my more confident self again on and off, i became alot more aware of feeling stressed and just took a step back.
I just want other people to understand you will get through your struggles but it takes time there is no miracle cure.
I look back at my anxiety with a thank you nowadays as i believe it was a wake up call for me to start making decsions in my life.
Anxiety is different for everybody and has all sorts of triggers, something that hepled me out was to think of it as a seperate person inside my head and when i felt bad i would try just to ignore it - a bit like that bleach advert where the monster pops out of the toilet.
I would very much recommend talking to a therapist if you have access to them , the nhs do 6 week sessions for free , which to be honest are pretty slow, but if you can afford privately i would as some of them are excellent.
I had 10 sessions and i really believe it made a big difference.......be patient though there will be a lot of personal questions and unravelleing at the start that can be a bit awkward, this is normal.
Anyway i hope this helps and gives you the courage to defeat your anxiety, but take your time with it , it will get easier slowly.
Dan