Help! I have horrible Anxiety.

It took MANY years to admit it.....but I have terrible anxiety too! My father had it....my brother has it.....and I suspect my other brother had it too......he drank himself to death at age 38. My father died of esophageal cancer at age 65. My mother is a terrible alcoholic too.....she lives.....barely. (She also has bipolar disorder too....that doesn't help!)

I am 50 years old and have done what I do for a living for over 30 years and yet I will completely choke during interviews! I just lost a GREAT opportunity at an insurance company because I did the "frozen in the headlight" thing you describe. I was humiliated! If I get into any kind of a situation where danger is around....whether real or imagined....I will get very strange physical symptoms: the room will spin, my heart races, I tense up....etc.......I am a freak out waiting to happen.....

What have I done? Well.....drinking just made it worse.....and it screwed up my health and I lost about 15 years of my life.......pot (I have my medical card) helps me sleep and helps me deal with the pain......brain drugs? DON'T believe in them, though they have been forced on me the few times I couldn't cope and checked myself into a mental hospital for a few weeks......

Life is HARD.....not very nice sometimes.....and some of us are hypersensitive. I try not to walk off jobs...though I am trying harder to find lower stress positions...though at my AGE, it is getting harder to find work......

I wish you the best of luck with your anxiety. You've gotten some good advice on here. I do not trust doctors because I have had VERY BAD experiences with them.....(I also have GI issues and have had many "female" surgeries....including a complete hysterectomy for endometriosis......)
Ultimately, the goal is to live.......my brother didn't make it.....lost EVERYTHING along the way through his alcoholism...until it finally killed him.......and my mother lives a living death......down that bottle.

Peace to you

a reply to: [post=22056313]hutch622[/post

What a cow !

If she were a soundtrack ... you would surely want more.

One trick that may help during a bad anxiety attack is to repetitively recall a series of numbers that are out of order, for example 7, 3, 11, 8, 5. By keeping the brain busy on something it helps reign in its natural tendency to go a bit haywire at times.

originally posted by: DAVID64
Here's the best advice you're going to get : Stop looking for answers from a bunch of strangers on the internet and Go. See. A. Doctor. Stop looking for a quick fix or miracle cure. Treating the symptoms does not fix the cause.

Rather bizarrely I'm seeing a doctor for something unrelated and their approach seems to be quite the opposite, treat the symptoms and pretend the cause doesn't exist... but yes, with things relating to the mind it's probably best to try and seek professional help.

a reply to: Timely

That might just be the echoes in my head .

a reply to: hutch622

It was just one slip !

a reply to: kwakakev

One trick that may help during a bad anxiety attack is to repetitively recall a series of numbers that are out of order, for example 7, 3, 11, 8, 5. By keeping the brain busy on something it helps reign in its natural tendency to go a bit haywire at times.

Actually on topic . I remember seeing or hearing once that pointing your finger to the sky and moving it side to side while following with your eyes will ward of a panic attack . Two minutes comes to mind .

a reply to: Timely

We pretty much have covered the best of pink floyd .

a reply to: hutch622

If that is the case ... on the turning away ... OP; I hoped we helped !

Two suns in the sunset ... or two posts by mistake ...

a reply to: hutch622

what our kickin around, isn't showing him the way

a reply to: Timely

Relax and have a cigar . I pretty much have run out of albums so i will leave the OP with this .



To Timely , this was fun .

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

what our kickin around, isn't showing him the way

Probably not , i actually feel for the OP as i suffered terribly from panic attacks on top of being bi polar for many years . Sure we are kicking it around and having good fun but what the OP goes through is real , its not only real but invisible to those around him or her which makes sceptics out of a lot of people , and that is sad .

Can't believe no one has stated the obvious:

Take 1mg of Xanax and call me in the.... ah, f# it.

a reply to: hutch622

Indeed it was some spontaneous harmless fun.

I do hope the OP can see how that worked.
No expectation no pressure . Just some random banter on the net with like minded folk.

Give yourself a break. Say to hell with it and go have some fun with it !

Watch out for that redback ... !

Another DP .!

What do you call a boomerang that does not come back ?






A stick.

a reply to: Timely

you know there's a tune about that,

a reply to: Timely

Indeed it was some spontaneous harmless fun.

Yes indeed it was and would be a great idea for a thread . The diversion comment i made earlier was not a throwaway line either, it can actually work quite well in stopping panic attacks in their tracks .

a reply to: Richsac89

As other have alluded to....

Rock and Roll therapy. Buy an electric guitar and amp...E minor chord, pentatonic scale and that power simply kicks anxiety away. It lasts for days, sometimes even weeks.

Fill your mind with music and theres no place for anxiety.

There is only one

way to stop it.