sollyta
09-11-12, 20:22
Hi,
I just signed up and wanted to post to get some of your personal opinions and thoughts on anxiety and what it is.
Im 26, F, and never thought I had anxiety attacks but am beginning to think along those lines.
I have a history of undiagnosed depression, on and off, related to self esteem as a teenager and then family issues - all resolved now. The depression does linger but it's not there all the time, and I think it could actually be related to anxiety instead?
Last week I had my second panic attack, after a previous one about 4 years ago. Was in a club, had been drinking, there was a crush situation and I couldn't find the exit to get away from it. I can't remember clearly what happened or how the panic started but I ended up running out of the club into the street on my own, where a passer by found me and called an ambulance. I was hyperventilating and was totally unaware of my surroundings. Ended up being taken to hospital, and the hyperventilating subsided after a couple of hours in total. Went home feeling really silly, and thought I would be okay, but what happened next scared me. I was okay the next morning but over the next week went into a VERY bad place. I felt hopeless, couldn't think straight at all or focus on anything, became really angry and extremely irritable, felt completely alone, stopped eating, stopped caring about anything... you get the picture - the worst thing was that I just couldn't THINK, I felt like I had been tranquillised, everything became confusing.
The past couple of days have been good, and today I feel GREAT. Clear headed, focused, motivated, happy, loads of energy, sociable... all the dark thoughts and feelings are gone.
But I'm concerned that it may come back. I tend to feel clear headed for a week or so and then gradually decline until I feel so low I get thoughts about suicide. Then gradually I feel okay again, great even, until the cycle starts again.
What's happening here? Are these cycles of depression, or anxiety?
I am thinking now that maybe I'm having anxiety attacks, with the last one culminating in a panic attack which sent me reeling, completely out of the blue, because I was not particularly down beforehand, and can't see a reason for why it happened.
What are you experiences with this? Any thoughts or personal opinions greatly received.
I just signed up and wanted to post to get some of your personal opinions and thoughts on anxiety and what it is.
Im 26, F, and never thought I had anxiety attacks but am beginning to think along those lines.
I have a history of undiagnosed depression, on and off, related to self esteem as a teenager and then family issues - all resolved now. The depression does linger but it's not there all the time, and I think it could actually be related to anxiety instead?
Last week I had my second panic attack, after a previous one about 4 years ago. Was in a club, had been drinking, there was a crush situation and I couldn't find the exit to get away from it. I can't remember clearly what happened or how the panic started but I ended up running out of the club into the street on my own, where a passer by found me and called an ambulance. I was hyperventilating and was totally unaware of my surroundings. Ended up being taken to hospital, and the hyperventilating subsided after a couple of hours in total. Went home feeling really silly, and thought I would be okay, but what happened next scared me. I was okay the next morning but over the next week went into a VERY bad place. I felt hopeless, couldn't think straight at all or focus on anything, became really angry and extremely irritable, felt completely alone, stopped eating, stopped caring about anything... you get the picture - the worst thing was that I just couldn't THINK, I felt like I had been tranquillised, everything became confusing.
The past couple of days have been good, and today I feel GREAT. Clear headed, focused, motivated, happy, loads of energy, sociable... all the dark thoughts and feelings are gone.
But I'm concerned that it may come back. I tend to feel clear headed for a week or so and then gradually decline until I feel so low I get thoughts about suicide. Then gradually I feel okay again, great even, until the cycle starts again.
What's happening here? Are these cycles of depression, or anxiety?
I am thinking now that maybe I'm having anxiety attacks, with the last one culminating in a panic attack which sent me reeling, completely out of the blue, because I was not particularly down beforehand, and can't see a reason for why it happened.
What are you experiences with this? Any thoughts or personal opinions greatly received.