ourkid77
06-12-11, 11:56
Hi All
First of all I would like to begin by saying hello to everyone on the forum
I am a 34yr old male and I live in the UK. I believe I have been suffering from anxiety related symptoms to varying degrees on and off now for approx 10 years.
As this is my first post I will attempt to describe and give you a bit of background to my situation and symptoms. Hopefully I won’t go on too long but please stick with me
The symptoms began very mildly to begin with however seem to have grown gradually worse over the last few years. I feel I have been somewhat in denial of my anxiety up until this point, maybe because incorrectly I feel it has a stigma attached to it or maybe because I did not want to admit to myself that there was something wrong with me. My main weakness though I believe is my tendency to bury my head in the sand and tell myself everything will be ok if I just ignore it
I cannot trace where these symptoms have arisen from however hopefully my own recognition of my condition is the first step in my journey to be able to conquer this disorder and get back a normal way of life.
I have varying symptoms which I believe point to the fact I have an anxiety disorder:
In certain situations I find that I become panicky, I begin to feel flushed and hot and begin to feel nauseous, dizzy and shaky.
Examples of this type of situation are meetings at work, one on one situations such as appraisals or just conversations with people I know/don’t know or as a passenger in a car or even driving someone I do not know well. Having analysed this type of situation it seems as though they are instances where I am not in control of proceedings and where there is not an obvious escape route without either running from the situation or bringing attention to myself. Also situations where the attention is on me are conducive to these feelings
Along with this I have varying levels of day to day symptoms. I have stomach problems (pains along with rumbling and gurgling) feelings of nausea, I feel overheated a lot of the time like I have a temperature (also seem to have issues with the cold!), a slight tremor and every now and again palpitations.
I have visited my GP and have had 2 separate tests for thyroid issues (as a result of feeling hot/flushed all the time) and blood tests to rule out any underlying issues that may be causing my stomach problems. All these have come back negative.
Something else that leads me to believe that it is anxiety I am suffering from is the fact that after drinking alcohol my symptoms subside and I feel less anxious. (I do drink in moderation and am not using alcohol to self medicate, although I do admit to having had a drink to get through certain situations now and again)
The escalation of my anxiety has caused me in the past to avoid certain situations and is starting to affect my quality of life in a negative way. For instance I did not take a holiday abroad for over 7 years as the thought of the flight filled me with fear. (despite the fact I used to love flying).
I manage to carry out a relatively normal life, holding down a full time job and having a relatively good social life however rarely a day goes by without some discomfort on my behalf where my anxiety or day to day symptoms have affected me in some way.
Over the past 18 months or so I have tried to face these situations head on telling myself ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ however the feeling I experience have not abated. I have managed to take 2 holiday over the last year which involved flying which again I got this but not without discomfort and I admit a drink or two before and during the flight. I also managed to make a best mans speech (which is my ultimate worst case situation) on the proviso I did not want to let my lifelong friend down on his big day. (again I admit I had a drink beforehand!). I can get myself through these situations however not without varying degrees of discomfort.
In a way I think I am my own worst enemy as when I know a certain situation is upcoming I go over and over it in my head and work myself up to a point where I am anxious before the event has happened. I believe it is this cycle I need to break which seems easier said that done.
I have been referred by my GP for CBT which I am hoping may be able to provide me with some answers. Does anyone have experience of this and has it helped in the long run?
I am also looking to make some lifestyle changes which I also am hoping will help my symptoms. I hardly take an exercise which is mainly due to the way I feel (slightly catch-22 situation) so that is my first step. I am also going to try and obtain a more regular sleeping pattern and ensure I get at least 8 hrs sleep a night if possible. I am also in the process of quitting smoking. Down from 20- a day to 8 or 9 at present and hoping to quit completely for new year.
I also believe it will help me to talk about it and get it out in the open. Which I guess brings me to the main point of this post. My anxiety is something I have kept completely to myself up until recently when I shared my feelings with my partner and this is a situation which I feel was eating away at me slightly.
I aim to keep a kind of online diary to share my experiences and chart my progress with ‘hopefully’ beating or minimising my anxiety and would appreciate any comments, experience, knowledge or discussion anyone on here is willing to offer (even if it’s just a bit of friendly encouragement lol)
James
First of all I would like to begin by saying hello to everyone on the forum
I am a 34yr old male and I live in the UK. I believe I have been suffering from anxiety related symptoms to varying degrees on and off now for approx 10 years.
As this is my first post I will attempt to describe and give you a bit of background to my situation and symptoms. Hopefully I won’t go on too long but please stick with me
The symptoms began very mildly to begin with however seem to have grown gradually worse over the last few years. I feel I have been somewhat in denial of my anxiety up until this point, maybe because incorrectly I feel it has a stigma attached to it or maybe because I did not want to admit to myself that there was something wrong with me. My main weakness though I believe is my tendency to bury my head in the sand and tell myself everything will be ok if I just ignore it
I cannot trace where these symptoms have arisen from however hopefully my own recognition of my condition is the first step in my journey to be able to conquer this disorder and get back a normal way of life.
I have varying symptoms which I believe point to the fact I have an anxiety disorder:
In certain situations I find that I become panicky, I begin to feel flushed and hot and begin to feel nauseous, dizzy and shaky.
Examples of this type of situation are meetings at work, one on one situations such as appraisals or just conversations with people I know/don’t know or as a passenger in a car or even driving someone I do not know well. Having analysed this type of situation it seems as though they are instances where I am not in control of proceedings and where there is not an obvious escape route without either running from the situation or bringing attention to myself. Also situations where the attention is on me are conducive to these feelings
Along with this I have varying levels of day to day symptoms. I have stomach problems (pains along with rumbling and gurgling) feelings of nausea, I feel overheated a lot of the time like I have a temperature (also seem to have issues with the cold!), a slight tremor and every now and again palpitations.
I have visited my GP and have had 2 separate tests for thyroid issues (as a result of feeling hot/flushed all the time) and blood tests to rule out any underlying issues that may be causing my stomach problems. All these have come back negative.
Something else that leads me to believe that it is anxiety I am suffering from is the fact that after drinking alcohol my symptoms subside and I feel less anxious. (I do drink in moderation and am not using alcohol to self medicate, although I do admit to having had a drink to get through certain situations now and again)
The escalation of my anxiety has caused me in the past to avoid certain situations and is starting to affect my quality of life in a negative way. For instance I did not take a holiday abroad for over 7 years as the thought of the flight filled me with fear. (despite the fact I used to love flying).
I manage to carry out a relatively normal life, holding down a full time job and having a relatively good social life however rarely a day goes by without some discomfort on my behalf where my anxiety or day to day symptoms have affected me in some way.
Over the past 18 months or so I have tried to face these situations head on telling myself ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ however the feeling I experience have not abated. I have managed to take 2 holiday over the last year which involved flying which again I got this but not without discomfort and I admit a drink or two before and during the flight. I also managed to make a best mans speech (which is my ultimate worst case situation) on the proviso I did not want to let my lifelong friend down on his big day. (again I admit I had a drink beforehand!). I can get myself through these situations however not without varying degrees of discomfort.
In a way I think I am my own worst enemy as when I know a certain situation is upcoming I go over and over it in my head and work myself up to a point where I am anxious before the event has happened. I believe it is this cycle I need to break which seems easier said that done.
I have been referred by my GP for CBT which I am hoping may be able to provide me with some answers. Does anyone have experience of this and has it helped in the long run?
I am also looking to make some lifestyle changes which I also am hoping will help my symptoms. I hardly take an exercise which is mainly due to the way I feel (slightly catch-22 situation) so that is my first step. I am also going to try and obtain a more regular sleeping pattern and ensure I get at least 8 hrs sleep a night if possible. I am also in the process of quitting smoking. Down from 20- a day to 8 or 9 at present and hoping to quit completely for new year.
I also believe it will help me to talk about it and get it out in the open. Which I guess brings me to the main point of this post. My anxiety is something I have kept completely to myself up until recently when I shared my feelings with my partner and this is a situation which I feel was eating away at me slightly.
I aim to keep a kind of online diary to share my experiences and chart my progress with ‘hopefully’ beating or minimising my anxiety and would appreciate any comments, experience, knowledge or discussion anyone on here is willing to offer (even if it’s just a bit of friendly encouragement lol)
James