Anyone out there felt bad for many months?

[chicaplatense1]

I have had anxiety, panic and depression on and off over the years but I have never felt bad every day for so long.
I am now trying my 3rd antidepressant (Zoloft) and I am on the second week. I tried been off antidepressants for about 3 months and found myself feeling really sad and still having some anxiety.
I just want to know if there is anyone out there who has felt this bad for this long and gotten better. I am afraid that I will feel like this forever. Other times I become afraid that I will end up badly like killing myself which I really don't want. Anyone out there felt like me?

[Annie0904]

I was really ill with anxiety for about a year. I had intense anxiety 24/7 and wished that my life would just end. I am now pleased it didn't. Hang in there it will get better, a lot of it is about accepting the anxiety and focusing on every little positive how ever small it may be.

[natalie12]

Ive just turned 18 and I feel like this, constantly feel ill, achy, in pain like i cant be botherd to do anything. 24/7 anxiety I'm scared to do anything i have to sleep with my mum cause i dont like being on my own i haven't left yhh use in months either ive felt like this like constant anxiety n feeling ill for the past month n doesn't seem to get better only worse!! I'm scared I'm going to die i really am:(

[Annie0904]

You won't die Natalie, anxiety is such a horrible feeling but just like any other illness it takes time to get well again. If you haven't already seen your gp make sure you do and ask about therapies that are available to you.

[craigj1303]

As Annie said, it takes time to get well again, like any illness.

Here's one for ya, What's the difference between anxiety and a broken leg? No, it's not a joke! Listen up...

If we have a broken leg, we have to live with the pain right? Some days are worse than others as the leg heals, but we don't worry about it. If we get a twinge in the old leg we don't go "Oh nooo, this is never gonna get any better, why is this happening??" We understand that a broken leg takes 6 months to heal and we accept it.

Difference with anxiety is that we don't accept it. We don't allow ourselves the time to heal. We just want the horrible feelings to go away NOW! When they don't, that leads to more worry, more panic, more adrenalin released in to our systems, and it's never ending. The anxiety cycle in full flow.

Try to thing of your anxiety as your broken leg. When the feelings come it's just your broken leg giving you a twinge. It'll pass in shorty, and the feelings will come less and less everyday.

[Annie0904]

Craig, your post made me smile because last year I had 2 fractured metatarsals and the fact that they took so long to heal triggered my anxiety again :D

[craigj1303]

Annie, I bet they didn't take longer than they average metatarsal break to heal! Just that you were so busy watching them heal everyday it seemed to take forever!:D Bit like when I was at school in a really tedious lesson and kept checking my watch. Felt like 10 minutes had past but it was only one minute since I last checked!:doh:

[NoPoet]

I am afraid that I will feel like this forever. Other times I become afraid that I will end up badly like killing myself which I really don't want. Anyone out there felt like me?
Chicaplatense1, those are EXACTLY the fears I have had ever since I relapsed into anxiety about 5-6 weeks ago. I don't have those fears when I feel well, only during the very worst days, even then only when I am starting or stopping an SSRI medication.

It's hard to talk to others about these fears. Not only are they my worst fears, I think some people assume it means we are suicidal or at risk of self-harming. Realistically, if we were at risk we would not be afraid of these thoughts - quite the opposite. So in a sense we are caught in a trap. We know these are irrational fears, yet we continue to convince ourselves that it "might" happen or we look for evidence that we are becoming "like that".

I'm about to start addressing this in therapy. My therapist said it sounds like obsessive thinking which is common in anxiety, but most people fear that they will hurt other people rather than themselves. Our fear is simply turned against ourselves. By trying hard NOT to think about these things, it of course invokes sod's law and the thoughts come racing to us.

Remember that people only act on compulsions that bring them pleasure (eg spending money) or a sense of control or security (washing hands/checking locks), they don't act on ones that bring them fear.

[Annie0904]

Annie, I bet they didn't take longer than they average metatarsal break to heal! Just that you were so busy watching them heal everyday it seemed to take forever!:D Bit like when I was at school in a really tedious lesson and kept checking my watch. Felt like 10 minutes had past but it was only one minute since I last checked!:doh:

I was in plaster cast for 3 month and on crutches for 6 months :(

[chicaplatense1]

WOw! Thanks for all the responses everyone!! This site is great and I love the support!

[kahi35]

I've been good for years and its starting again with me worrying about my blood pressure being high.I'm looking for answers too

[MrAndy]

ive been ill for about 10 months and coming out the other side feeling well and i am now sure will make a full recovery.At my lowest point i was in hospital on suicide watch.
I tell people because I want them to know there is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel but it does take hard work and lots of patience to get better.Im now off medication ,back at work full time and at the end of counselling
Once you are close you will start to do this again >>> :D

[natalie12]

my worry is constant i just think about death all the time like how will I die what will happen afte, will anyone miss me.. I'm so scared of death because its unknown like no one knows when its goung to happen? I cant even get a simple wash without thinking I'm going to die! I'm getting an assessment done on Monday to see what medication and therapy will be good for me but it feel like this is never going to go away and that I'm just going to be suffering with this for a while and eventually die:( I'm 18 years old and I'm ruining my life! lost my friends not been able to go out the house for months, quit education !! really doesn't seem like this can get better:(