I feel so weak

[MissChampers]

I've just to walked out of work because I felt so overwhelmed with panic I just had to get away. I told my colleagues I was having a panic attack and I had to go and they just looked at me like I was barmy. I was signed off work and put on prozac 7 months ago then I got better again but the dreaded anxiety has just crept back and I feel like i'm back at square one. I only feel safe and normal when i'm at home but as soon as i'm surrounded by a lot of people, even if it's just the hairdressers I feel panic come over me and I feel like i've got to get away. I've just called the GP and i'm waiting for someone to call me back but I feel so silly that I can't control it and pull myself together. Does anyone else feel weak for being anxious or do you believe it's really some kind of imbalance in the brain and we can't help it?

[Piglet]

This is just how I felt 7 years ago when I first started having panic attacks.

While having a predisposition towards anxiety is most certainly not our faults thankfully there are lots of things we can do to help manage it.

Have you had a good look at all the links on the lefthand side yet as there is some really good advice there.

Let us know how you get on with the doctor and I hope the day gets better as it goes on for you.

Piglet

[MissChampers]

Thanks Piglet..I've got an appointment tonight and the thought of that is making my heart race in case I start panicking in front of the doctor.

[sarah1984]

I agree-worry does bring with it a lot of guilt and loss of self-esteem. When I was ill, I frequently compared myself to others, telling myself I was weak, pathetic, useless etc etc. I had CBT and my therapist told me I would have to turn those thoughts around. Instead of writing myself off as weak, I had to think of as many ways as poss to prove that I wasn't actually weak. She taught me how to see myself as quite a strong person in that inspite of my anxiety, I was still managing to cope with things and was working towards defeating my problems.

There is a lot of debate about chemical imbalances. There's no concrete proof yet, but I personally believe that severe mental disorders including anxiety/depression can be linked to an imbalance in the brain. However, that doesn't mean that we can't treat the imbalance. Medication, like serotonin-boosters, can help right that imbalance and therapy can also help. Even if you don't suffer from an imbalance, what you are experiencing now is a real condition that can have a severe impact on your quality of life. The good news though is that you don't have to put up with it. You've made a really good step in going to the doctor and don't be afraid of panicking in front of him. Write down what you are going to say beforehand and even the worst came to the worst and you did panic, you are in the best place at the doctor's surgery and he would see what was really going on. Good luck and let us know the outcome!

[Wenjoy]

Hi - you are most definitely NOT a failure - I bet at least half the people you see around you have either OCD or panic attacks or depression - we all live in our own private worlds and think we are the only ones but this site proves that there are millions of us out there - You are not a freak - you are a wonderful human being and like all of us on here - you need to BELIEVE in yourself xxxxxxxxxx Wenjoy