Will things get better?

Mental health
1

Okay so this is my first time ever writing on a forum. Here's a little background story about me.

I'm 16 and 4 months ago I had a major panic attack which translated into constant panic attacks, feelings of doom, dread depressive episodes and you know the whole ride that comes with it. I could not eat, sleep or laugh without the constant heave feeling on my chest.

Thankfully I knew that it was my health anxiety that caused it and Ive been dealing it. So I am so proud of myself to fortunately say that Ive been sooo much better. I can sleep, eat, go out and live my life... to a certain extent.

Though I am better anxiety still does take a toll on and can leave me in a depressive mood for a few hours, though not as bad as before. Last month I had a whole week which was amazing and I had no anxiety at all, but the last few months has been on and off with crying spells and mood swings I thought I was becoming bipolar. It has left me quite frustrated

This might sound so confusing as hell and I sound so ungrateful due to the improvement that Ive had and I know many people crave this form of improvement in a short amount of time. But like when recovering from it or at least working with anxiety/depression is it normal to have these little ups and downs when your treatment. Ive become very frustrated if it has come back which only feeds my anxiety and of course the intrusive thoughts comes: "will I always struggle with anxiety/depression?" "Does it get easier?" "Will I always be haunted by it?"

As you can tell Im very new to this and I overall just want to be a happy person I just want to know if people out there truly overcome this condition and not have to live with it constantly. And even if not, can I still live a happy life? Will it be harder for me with this mental disorder?

In case this extra info might help

I was put on prozac for 2 months and then I quit because I thought I was getting better on my own before this setback happened. It has been currently 2 weeks since ive totattly weaned off of it. Dont really want to go back on it unless absolutely necessary.

Last week I also finished my period so my mom thinks this might have played a role for my worsening symptoms yet a week later I still feel blehh.

I would say that anxiety is currently mild/moderate and occupies around 30-40% of my daily life so that is what I hopefully want to do is to lower it to 5-10% like that amazing week was.

My ultimate fear and cause for my anxiety is potentially catastrophizing and having a fear of illness or anything that might make my life miserable. In short, I fear the unkown I like to have controm aha.

Hope to hear any replies. Any form of reassurance serves me well. Thank you ♥♥

2

I can tell you first hand I know how you feel , and that surrounding your period your anxiety will be through the roof so give it at least a week after tour period and your anxiety should mild out not completely but calm.down enough to manage , I myself never took meds I fought through this with just a multivitamin , it wasn't easy plenty of long days and nights but I didn't want to become dependent on medications also I was afraid of the side effects

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What are some of your anxiety symptoms

4

Hello dear

I think you are amazing, have shown a maturity beyond your years, in the way you have dealt with the anxiety disorder and you quite rightly should be proud.

It's understandable you have a feeling of dread that it either returns or that it will be a constant in your life. Like a shadow hanging over you?

This is natural.But the constant state of concern will only add to the stress. You dealt with the problem beautifully and should it ever reoccur you will deal with it again. That doesn't mean to say it will, only that you personally have the strength to overcome it.

Did you stop the meds on your GP's recommendation?  I ask this because it's usually best to talk over that kind of thing with the doctor so you can make an informed decision as to the best way forward for you personally.

At your young age it is natural that your hormones be all over the place, especially females who are governed by their monthly cycle, and this can result in mood swings. We have to accept in life that we cannot be happy 24/7. Adding to this by fearing you will be burdened by anxiety for the rest of your life wil only cement that fear into your psyche.

Everyone wants control in their life. Fearing the loss of it is scarey. But no one human being has total control. As you journey through life there will be ups and downs, situations beyond control. But you deal with them as and when they arise and not fear what might be. That is no way to live We all live not knowing what the next hour will bring let alone thew next day/week/month/year. Fearing the future is a waste of life and the only result will be you will be in a state of constant anxiety.

You are so young Life stretches before you. It's a beautiful thing. Don't waste it in any unnecessary fears about the future. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the day. There is a latin saying, Carpe Diem. It means Sieze the Day. There's no better way to live than to live by that.

xx

5

Thanks for replying and my anxiety has still been up and down but slightly manageable, I only say that because my mood always seems to pick up, but when it hits me, it hits me hard very intrusive negative thoughts which can sometimes cause crying spells of frustration. Those are the only things that I would like to work on and I dont really know why it is happening, but it is very frustrating. I still persevere because i dont really have a choice lol. As for symptoms, last few weeks I just shared a combo of physical symptoms but my mind was calm and now it is the opposite intrusive thoughts, constant worrying about things but I always get better from distractions with friends and work! Which is good but when I'm alone It can get pretty bad, but I do certain breathing techniques and mindfullness which helps. Do you have any other tips for dealing with this? I take a multivitamin too! Ive been dealing with some other symptoms that some might be related or unrelated to my anxiety. I think I might have a hernia that has been causing acid reflux and pressure on the left side of my abdomen for a month or so. Ive been very tired and experiencing chocking sensations and many people including my friends have been begging me to check my thyroid because it might also tie into my mood swings. I want to get my blood checked too which I haven't in over 10 years lmaoo. I kind of want to get everything checked and eliminate any physical conditions that might cause this as well!

6

Thank you so much I really needed this. This really gave me more information about dealing with anxiety. Ive found that dwelling, mopping and worrying about it only adds to the fear and makes it worse so ive been avoiding it. Being with friends definitely takes it almost all of it away, because I'm focusing on them and that is why I am excited about school and being distracted with school works yet at the same time I know avoiding it can add more anxiety, because I unconditionally will be alone at some time and during the summer it has been the case. So I practice mindfullness, try to adhere to those irrational thoughts in a peaceful manner and it works, not completely. As for what you said, you are absolutely right, I have an irrational fear of being unhappy because of those hard times I had a few months ago, now every time I find myself not being happy I tend to question too much as to why I'm feeling this way or worry if it is all coming back. So again mindfullness, therapy has helped me remain calm to when any feeling other than happiness comes along. I did not discuss it with my doctor even though I knew I should have but because I had really bad side effects at first I did not think that the medication was working for me and tbh If it gets worss I dont know If I would like to be put back on that specific medication. But next time I do go back for a physical check I do want to discuss it with her.

Thank you again. Do you have any more advice? I also replied to someone above about getting a medical check to make sure that there aren't any other underlying medical causes for this.

7

Hi there,

You appear to be managing really well. Mindfulness is good. I would

Add that if you find yourself anxious then distracting yourself is always

Helpful. But there is a distinction between distracting yourself and

Trying to avoid your feelings. Positive actions, moving your body to

Drain away excess adrenalin, making sure you eat and not skip meals.

It is also important to keep hydrated and get enough sleep. A healthy

Body, a healthy mind

And don't dwell all the time upon how you feel because that creates

Tension xxx

8

Thank you and I've noticed that when I eat very greasy and bad food I tend to feel fuller and more lazy and in consequence more tired/depressed/moody. I definitely want to focus on avoiding it too. I think one big detail I left out too is that both of my parents live out of the country so it is just me and my brother right now. We both came here from Cape Verde in hopes of a better education, so it is hard to not have my mom around whenever I want, so it only adds to the feeling of loneliness. 

I try not to avoid those feelings whether I am alone or not, sometimes it comes in the most random times, like I'll just be with my friends and then its like "Look at all your friends how happy they are, yet here you are, this anxiety will eat you up and make you live an unhappy life" and it sounds very scary I believe that anyone (anxious or not) would be scared too and not very easy to ignore  it. But I try my best, I really do. 

One thing my therapist has told me that kind of helps me out was that "Your mind is like this little 5 year old that doesn't know quite how to communicate yet and says things abruptly, its job is to have your back and keep you off of danger, so it is constantly looking for things that may be potentially dangerous and warns you but unfortunately it just blows things out of proportion and spits things out like that. And this applies to everyone, but the difference between an anxious person and a non-anxious person is that when an anxious person thinks 'omg what if I drive today and a giant truck hits me' they will believe it rather than a non-anxious who would just laugh it off and think it was kind of funny and odd thought yet still go on with their lives. At the end of the day those are just thoughts" 

And that is what I've been applying mostly to my mind, because my biggest fear right now is that I hear stories of people who suffered with anxiety for so many years, lost their jobs/house/partner because of it and now live in a shack depressed and drinking away their problems. 

It is scary mainly because I have an uncle who currently lives by himself drinking away his depression. And that is NOT want I want, but it is scary when you think about it, that anxiety has the potential of ruining your life. I just want to be able to live a somewhat satisfactory life, I don't even ask for much like become famous or make tons of money. I just want a chill life, with a partner and a few kids. I don't feel like it is much to ask or hard to accomplish I have a 4.0 gpa and I consider myself fairly attractive yet still...

"sigh" I'll just keep on with the things you said to me. Thanks again

 

9

Hi there

I think being far away from your Mom is an important factor in your stress levels. It enhances a feeling of insecurity and no wonder. You are, after all, very, very young and out of the nest, like a little bird, struggling to fly.

Personally I think you need to "work" on your thought pattern. There's a thread of negativity in your thinking that impacts upon your anxiety. So, for instance, when you look at your friends and think they are so happy yet you have this anxiety, what you really need to think is, this is lovely, with friends, enjoying myself, creating memories I would look back upon and think, Remember when....

Negative too, dwelling upon your Uncle. That's him not you. You are an individual as are we all. There is no one in the whole wide world exactly the same as you   And whilst it is true there are things that will happen in life we cannot change we do have options. We can choose to be positive as opposed to being negative.

There is no reason to fear that anxiety will hang over your life at all. At the moment, for someone barely out of childhood, you are out in the big world making a better future for yourself. That's quite an amazing thing and I applaud you.

You might not believe me now but you will look back upon this period in your life with pride and gratitude. It is teaching you, in a sense, what is and isn't important, how to deal with life outside of the nest. You will develop strengths and learn how to deal with weaknesses.

The only mistake you are making, in my opinion that is, is looking ahead with trepidation. Dwelling upon the What If! and entrenching your anxiety.

I cannot emphasise enough that we cannot live life fearing the future. What will be will be. and you, more than most people of your age, will have the capacity to deal with any problems that might arise.

10

Thank you! Ive been feeling better ill keep on copping with it