View Full Version : Do you know why you're anxious?
My GP asked me this question today and I just answered life in general, which is about as honest if non-specific an answer as I could give. Truth is I really don't know the answer. This is making CBT very difficult for me at the moment. I think it is partly a mindset that has evolved over 30 years or more (from being bullied at school if we're going to be psychoanalytical about it). I think I am anxious about being depressed because it is so hard to function in today's society when your mood is low. We live in a very judgemental world and it all seems a bit survival of the fittest at times. But maybe I am getting things out of proportion in the way that anxious people often do.
Do other users struggle to put their finger on what makes them anxious?
I have been told not to ask myself that because there is no reason! Its just the chemicals in our brain. It's hard not to ask questions though.
CBT would argue otherwise but I think your theory has a lot of merit too.
for me its whatever went wrong and what the future holds , however more recently it is now my state of health that causes greatest concern, I feel If I can only get a level platform , free of the anxiety and depression then perhaps I can see past it and of course pick myself back up again , I just feel trapped and unwell at the moment and the effect its having on everyone else in the household just seems brain constantly worrying non stop
wondering if i'll ever be free of it... i dont think after suffering you can ever be the same old you, hopefully a nicer version of the old you be ok ... living with it so long and not knowing anything else now....
I think i have learnt it. I always think negatively and catastrophise. I always think the worst.
I hear you bignik and Stormsky I know exactly what you mean too. I'm only being treated for my anxiety at the moment but the depression is probably the underlying cause...one of those chicken and egg things but I I don't think you can have one without experiencing the other.
Im struggling also on the matter is the anxiety causing the depression , or is the depression causing the anxiety , Im still on my original anti depressant mirtazipine which is supposed to help anxiety , but my anxiety calmed down when first taking it , only after 3 months did it return and now its as worse as ever , its something Im going to discuss with the doctor to see if he will change the anti depressant , having just gotten out of hospital and cleared myself of dimazepam etc and having CBT and also learning myself most of the time by breathing etc relaxation cd's . distraction etc now understand the anxiety control part of it , but the mental anxiety side of things remains and I feel its the depression that is keeping the fire burning .. I maybe wrong I dunno but there must be something that surely will help I just cant stand by and let it get any worse
"I feel its the depression that is keeping the fire burning .." Well put and I think you're right.
I started with panic attacks 12yrs ago, that caused anxiety, which lead to depression...
I think it is a mixture. I think I probably have inherited genes that make me biologically more susceptable to anxiety but things have happened to me in life and especially in childhood which have been very difficult- a lot of upheaval due to moving half way round the world, my mother being ill which meant I was sent to live with relatives and then there just being alot of stress around at home. Other people might have been more resilient to all these things with different genes or with the same genes but a happier start. For me both counselling and medication have helped but netiher have been enough on their own. Jx
For me after much self analysis Rob
Definately genetic predisposition first. Then childhood with anxious depressed mother .
I became watchful and scared . Not her fault at all because there was no proper care then .......but I was tense as small girl always .
So hope you get better soon .
If we can find the source ....understand that it is not a personality failing ..educate why ......we can repair ourselves I truly believe .
take care x
Yes there's definitely a genetic element; my father was a very tense person and my mum was worn out and stressed all the time (usually by my father). That rubs off on you. Anyway, life is stressfulfor most of us...some just seem to handle it better than others.
How do you deal with it after 12 years?? I am trying to get through it this time without medication as I keep having reactions to them! I have been suffering with panic attacks for 3 years and this is the worst I have been. Im having CBT but today has been really bad now the med's have worn off again. I feel lilke im doing so well and that I can handle them and then I ended up a mess like this evening again.
Sorry to rant just having a very bad evening :scared15:
How do you deal with it after 12 years?? I am trying to get through it this time without medication as I keep having reactions to them! I have been suffering with panic attacks for 3 years and this is the worst I have been. Im having CBT but today has been really bad now the med's have worn off again. I feel lilke im doing so well and that I can handle them and then I ended up a mess like this evening again.
Sorry to rant just having a very bad evening :scared15:
SNAP ShelleE, ive suffered 12yrs, i too am trying without meds now for 5 months.. CBT didnt do much for me... have been doing well until i had a bad day yesterday and wasnt good this morning either... PM me if you want discuss anything.. I can manage panic now, i dont have panic attacks, i understand them too well now! had plenty of years study!:)
Yes there's definitely a genetic element; my father was a very tense person and my mum was worn out and stressed all the time (usually by my father). That rubs off on you. Anyway, life is stressfulfor most of us...some just seem to handle it better than others.
It depends on the triggers I think . For some yes they handle it better .IT being the anxiety hell ..........but if you have been conditioned from babyhood ?.It to me becomes learned behaviour that is not easy to spot .
I never thought my upbringing strange ...children dont ask these questions . They accept .
It is only now after my own sister has had therapy that I realise it actually isnt necessarily a weakness in my persona . Sure I could have done more for myself over the years ..but I did not see that my genetic make up /childhood imprint left me so open to anxiety ..........so felt pretty useless and guilty for too long .Why do others cope better than me talk in my head .:mad:
You are individual and a product of your genes and upbringing . We are here actively seeking solutions .............helping ourselves . please do not beat your self up that others who ever they are are...are coping better than you .
so not true . we are doing fine . x
Both me and my two sisters suffer. Our dad had depression when he was or age. Definately genetics involved especially as my older sister didn't live with us (half sister) so its by necessarily environment.
theharvestmouse
20-01-12, 22:42
My shyness was the cause of my anxiety, I've really come to realise just how badly that shyness affected decisions I made in my teenage years that later on have made me unhappy. Of course there are other issues but I know that had I been a bit more outgoing as a teenager and young adult then I would not have ended up in the way that I did.
I try not to think about it because it only makes me regretful and we can't change the past. We can only do something about the here and now.
Mines to do with vertigo attacks and work.
I tend to think that for GAD, the anxiety comes first, followed by the causes. It's not hard to find them - health, relationships, work, finances, appearance.
I used to wake up every morning at 5.00am feeling anxious, and immediately start searching through my mind for what it was that was making me anxious. If only I could fix that problem, I'd be okay! But after a while, I decided that I was just anxious for no real reason, like having a faulty anxiety thermostat.
Hanshan
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