Ever thought about this....?

[Lawton86]

Ok

so I'm a 27 year old male. Been suffering with anxiety for last 5 years after 1 big panic attack......had deralization for months, agoraphobia for 3 months bla bla bla bla bla, we all know the story don't we?

What im seeing lots of on here is people talking about their anxiety and their SUFFERING (just like I used in the first line of this thread). People say they have SUFFERED for 5,10,20,30,40 years and its been horrible and meds this and cbt that and meds this and cbt that etc etc.

Thing is when we talk , people talk about there husband, wife, kids, home , mortgage, holidays, cars, jobs etc etc. If you truly felt as bad as a lot of people say they do all the time then I don't think you would be out buying cars, houses, getting married , having sex, going out having fun with friends etc etc

Its easy when your in an anxious sate to say oh I have suffered for 5 years. but for me, I truly have suffered for about at max altogether 1 and a half years out of 5. As the other 3 and a half years have been copable enough for me to work, buy 2 brand new motorbikes, brand new cars, have sex with many different girls until I formed the relationship im in now, moved house, got drunk and had a laugh many times........see what I mean. But now I feel this anxiousness again that im going crazy and that heightened attention to myself that all of a sudden I have been suffering for 5 years.

Maybe we should try looking at the positive sides of things, and concentrate on them moments that don't feel so bad? Im not saying that we don't still feel anxious, when I bought my new car 7 months ago I felt anxious in show room and things.....but then when I came away I didn't think about it again and carried on.

Anxiety is hard, trust me, I promise ive been their, panic attacks, de-realization so bad, blood tests, scans, meds, cbt......But when you really think about it, if we was all as poorly, crazy, dieing as we say we are.....we wouldn't be sat on computers talking logically to each other would we?

One thing is for sure, we will die one day......so why worry so much about something that EVERYONE has to go through? Sometimes think about them kids with terminal illnesses and they act less self conscious then us.

sorry if it comes across abut abrupt, but I think its true, and im guilty of it too.

[CharlieM]

Lawton,

You make some very good points. Thanks.

And I don't think you have been blunt, just honest :)

I personally am newish to all this. First panic attack came out of the blue in October 2012.

Had tests which were ok and felt ok for a couple of months. I have been really bad for about 10 weeks now, which is relatively a short time. I just struggle to convince myself that I am not about to have a heart attack any minute. Also certain situations send my anxiety rocketing and I have changed my daily existence to avoid lots of things.

I need to remember to live and not exist - bloody hard though when I am feeling doom all the time.

Thanks again for your wise words.

Charlie

[Lawton86]

Its hard. As I write this now I feel disconnected, quite sad ., wondering whether just to grab a diazepam and try and relax.....

Heres the thing..... I hate heights, truly hate them! I had a panic attack at top of Guinness factory in Ireland and everything. I literally hate them. When me and my girlfriend came to view our apartment we was told it was on the 2nd floor. When we arrived we was told it was on the 5th and had to use the lift ( I hate them too). My g.f held my hand and said are u sure ur ok with this. I said yeh very wimperly as I did not want to make a fuss with a stranger. so we gotin the lift and I was soo scared. To cut a long story short, the apartment was nice so we took it! and for the first 20 times I was sooo scared of using the lift and being high up. Now even in my anxious state as I am because its come back for a re-visit, I use the lift without even thinking about it. Surely things like this proves facts of......doing something u don't like over and over again will only make it become a normal thing?

If you don't like being outside, like agrophobia (ive had it and its horrible). But if someone literally through you in a wide open field in the middle of no-where with a tent and enough food and a compass. Do you think they would die? or would the body start to calm down with the situation they was in?

[Leem]

I agree with many of your points above Lawton, I even laugh some days!! he he. Problem is we all catastrophise everything so we say "5 years" when really it is probably "1 year" or so on. Thats what this git does to us though. We 'think' things are worse than what they are when they are only thoughts, generally a lot of useless untrue thoughts as well.

Anyway, on your second post, yes yes yes, non avoidance and exposure works for sure. It is bloody painful (as in stress) but it works. Anything that is worth doing is difficult though isn't it? I had a fear of driving up until March this year, literally shaking at the wheel, now I have a car and drive around 20-30 miles a day without much anxiety!! Just through graded exposure, starting off with small steps. Its the way forward and nice one with the heights/lifts success.

[Rennie1989]

You're flippin' right!

As an anxiety and depression sufferer for 10 years it's easy to point out the negatives in this world and how crap life can get. After a depressive phase something clicked in my brain and I thought "No, this is not going to keep me down anymore!" and since then I feel much more positive and healthier. I appreciate the little things that come to me.

Since then I have gone from 7st to 7.6st (yay!), my body is stronger as I'm exercising more, I now have an appetite and I'm doing more with my life. This is because I have changed the way I think so anxiety doesn't get to me as much and I don't get full blown depression (I still get low phases, but not the depression that makes me catatonic).

By the way, you're not abrupt. I worry that I come over a little abrupt sometimes, I tell people to 'just do it' because it's the anxiety and depression stopping people moving on their life, nothing else.

[Leem]

Awesome stuff Rennie and well done on your fantastic progress! Your "No, this is not going to keep me down anymore!" is a great move. I wont let it define me either, ever. Look the ******* in the eye and do not avoid it. Its not a big monster that it would have us believe, more like hot air. When you try to look it in the eye its gone pretty quick, funny that isn't it? Not so tough now :winks:. Put it on the back foot by getting out there and challenging 'it', not the other way around.

PS: I get low phases all the time, all part of it, standard shizzle.