View Full Version : What coping mechanisms do you all have?
I would like to hear from fellow sufferers on the following points.
1. How long have you suffered from Anxiety?
2. How were you diagnosed?
3. At what age did the symptoms start to appear/become prevalent?
4. Have you ever been on meds/ Are you currently on meds?
5. To what extent does anxiety stop you from leading a fulfilling and productive life?
6. How does anxiety effect your career?
7. At its worst point, how was anxiety making you feel?
Thank you
Hopefully we can try and help each other if we share our stories :D
Here's my answers:
1. About 7-8 years now, first social anxiety, then health anxiety, then phobias including toilet and agoraphobia.
2. I don't really remember being diagnosed officially, nobody ever said yes you have this and this but I guess the first point where things were taken seriously was at 15 when I started with the extreme health anxiety. I had lots of trouble attending school and started going to the doctors with health anxiety, I was so bad I wasn't eating, sleeping, I was crazy 24/7 with worry so my doctor got me a next day assessment and urgent CBT.
3. I think with anxiety you will always have symptoms but they have got a lot worse the past 2 years (aged 18 onwards)
4. Yes I'm on meds now for the first time, I'm on day 23 today.
5. Very greatly, I'm practically agoraphobic now and I have lost all friends, I even find it difficult being around family. Since my anxieties started at such a young age I've never been able to work sadly. I did well at school but not as well as I wanted (I'm a bit of a perfectionist!) as I was barely in school & self taught most of the time from home due to anxiety from year 9 onwards. Had to drop out of sixth form too after one month and my dreams of uni are a distant memory right now. Never had a relationship either. I don't really have any enjoyment and being this way has really effected every aspect of my life, I have zero confidence, independance, I could go on and on...Wow, what an amazing life, eh!?
6. It has put a complete stop to it.
7. Like I was going insane (health anxiety) and that totally hopeless, helpless, pit of the stomach, stamp on your heart kind of feeling (social anxiety)
I really hate anxiety :(
Rennie1989
26-11-13, 12:31
1. How long have you suffered from Anxiety?
10 years
2. How were you diagnosed?
By a doctor when I was old enough to go alone
3. At what age did the symptoms start to appear/become prevalent?
13
4. Have you ever been on meds/ Are you currently on meds?
I've been on citalopram (twice), prozac and seroxat. I'm med-free
5. To what extent does anxiety stop you from leading a fulfilling and productive life?
It still reins over me slightly, but nowhere near as bad as before. I'm still nervous at work, social gatherings and appointments but it's a work in progress
6. How does anxiety effect your career?
My current career affects my anxiety. I have little confidence in my capability but that's because of the nature of where I work. I hope to strive in my new career
7. At its worst point, how was anxiety making you feel?
Suicidal, unreal, worthless, broken
I have toilet phobia as well, I wont eat or drink anything before a long car journey, etc, as I don't wish to have to use public conveniences. I retch if I go into public toilets and have to escape so I can definitely relate to that issue.
I am feeling very agaropobic today, how long do you spend indoors at a time? and how do you cope with shopping and other essentials, etc??
And yes anxiety is ****ing my life up completely as well. I am an absolute shadow of my former self, it is destroying my life.:weep: How did you cope before you started on the meds? Did you have a substitute?
I would like to hear from fellow sufferers on the following points.
1. How long have you suffered from Anxiety? Badly for a year but most of my life if i look back at it
2. How were you diagnosed? by being locked up in a loony bin
3. At what age did the symptoms start to appear/become prevalent? 45
4. Have you ever been on meds/ Are you currently on meds? yes ,now on olanzapine which really does work with no side effects for me
5. To what extent does anxiety stop you from leading a fulfilling and productive life? It makes being a a father extremley hard at times and it makes work very difficult
6. How does anxiety effect your career? I had to step down from a senior management role this year and i find every day a chore
7. At its worst point, how was anxiety making you feel? mental with a bit of loony thrown in
I have toilet phobia as well, I wont eat or drink anything before a long car journey, etc, as I don't wish to have to use public conveniences. I retch if I go into public toilets and have to escape so I can definitely relate to that issue.
I am feeling very agaropobic today, how long do you spend indoors at a time? and how do you cope with shopping and other essentials, etc??
And yes anxiety is ****ing my life up completely as well. I am an absolute shadow of my former self, it is destroying my life.:weep: How did you cope before you started on the meds? Did you have a substitute?
I really feel for you, toilet phobia for me is the worst thing :( Mine is an embarrassment worry, I rarely eat and drink at all when I'm out, 1 because I don't want to need the toilet, 2 because I feel so anxious I feel sick. When I was in school I would go the full 6 hours without drinking or eating and would walk home and back during dinner too, really not healthy at all.
It varies but I spend most of my time indoors at the moment, it's rubbish especially during summer. The only time I go out is for the doctors, therapy, or small trips here and there but it takes a lot out of you to even do small trips out. Hopefully when the meds kick in I'll be able to start going out more easily.
I still live at home and luckily I have an amazing mum who does all the things I can't, she gets my food/essentials etc. comes to the doctors with me, makes my phone calls, literally everything. It makes me feel awful, she shouldn't still be doing all that for me at 20 but there's no way I could do things by myself.
I feel the same, it's horrible, I can't remember my life without anxiety now. It's really sad to think about but you have to keep going and hope things will get better.
The meds haven't started working yet, it's too early at the moment, I've never drank or smoked or anything, that's one good thing about my anxiety, it's made me worry about doing these things. Plus it's made me take care of myself more eg. better diet etc. Just wish I could get out to excercise!
As far as coping goes....I don't cope ha ha, I've just ran away from everything and the things I do have to do I barely get through without feeling terrible. I've been in and out of therapy over the years but it's never really helped enough. Think I've always personally needed the meds.
Wow, sorry for the essay!
I really feel for you, toilet phobia for me is the worst thing :( Mine is an embarrassment worry, I rarely eat and drink at all when I'm out, 1 because I don't want to need the toilet, 2 because I feel so anxious I feel sick. When I was in school I would go the full 6 hours without drinking or eating and would walk home and back during dinner too, really not healthy at all.
It varies but I spend most of my time indoors at the moment, it's rubbish especially during summer. The only time I go out is for the doctors, therapy, or small trips here and there but it takes a lot out of you to even do small trips out. Hopefully when the meds kick in I'll be able to start going out more easily.
I still live at home and luckily I have an amazing mum who does all the things I can't, she gets my food/essentials etc. comes to the doctors with me, makes my phone calls, literally everything. It makes me feel awful, she shouldn't still be doing all that for me at 20 but there's no way I could do things by myself.
I feel the same, it's horrible, I can't remember my life without anxiety now. It's really sad to think about but you have to keep going and hope things will get better.
The meds haven't started working yet, it's too early at the moment, I've never drank or smoked or anything, that's one good thing about my anxiety, it's made me worry about doing these things. Plus it's made me take care of myself more eg. better diet etc. Just wish I could get out to excercise!
As far as coping goes....I don't cope ha ha, I've just ran away from everything and the things I do have to do I barely get through without feeling terrible. I've been in and out of therapy over the years but it's never really helped enough. Think I've always personally needed the meds.
Wow, sorry for the essay!
I find not having a relationship one of the most devastating effects of anxiety, especially as you get older. I am 25 and have never had an intimate or physical relationship.:blush:
Here are my replies, calumcco:
1. How long have you suffered from Anxiety?
10 years, on and off.
2. How were you diagnosed?
I had been suffering from depression for about a month, then had a panic attack out of the blue. I saw my GP who diagnosed GAD on top of depression.
3. At what age did the symptoms start to appear/become prevalent?
I was 32 years old, but retrospectively, I can see that my mental health issues started in my teens.
4. Have you ever been on meds/ Are you currently on meds?
Yep, Cipralex (Escitalopram) 10mg daily.
5. To what extent does anxiety stop you from leading a fulfilling and productive life?
I still live life as well I can, but it crops up everywhere, especially before events out of my routine, like appointments, functions, family gatherings, etc.
6. How does anxiety effect your career?
I resigned 4 years ago due to it. Job stress heavily influenced my anxiety relapse. I could not find alternative work for a long time, and so I now work for myself from home, but this has badly impacted on me, both financially and mentally, as I no longer am occupationally busy, which leads to further anxiety, so although I thought that leaving work would help my mental state, in many ways it hasn't.
7. At its worst point, how was anxiety making you feel?
Like I was on the edge of sanity/going mad. Like I wanted to tear my brain out of my skull as I couldn't stand it anymore...so frightening.
Debs.x:winks:
no6 is very interesting debs, i have been so close to jacking in work but thought better of it
no6 is very interesting debs, i have been so close to jacking in work but thought better of it
Hi MrAndy,
Yep....I sometimes think twice about that decision. My advice would be that if anyone really loves their job, but is feeling their anxiety inflict on it or it inflict on their anxiety, to try to stick with it and find a way to work through it with support if it is available.
I think my situation was an all-round mess. I had not been happy in nursing for many, many years, even before the mental health problems, in fact when I was in my final year of Uni, I almost quit the course as I knew I had made the wrong choice, but a friend persuaded me to stay.
I felt I was in the wrong job, although I progressed with it regardless. I also realised very early on (within 6 months of qualifying) that I couldn't handle the job pressures, but I worked under it regardless, and just internalised it all. It was really a low burn, and then when my mental health problems evolved, it made things a lot harder. At the time I resigned, I had been working in A&E for 6 months, felt unsupported in the new environment from being on the wards for years, and the straw that broke the camel's back was when I had an anxiety attack and passed out whilst on shift.
It has overall I would say NOT been beneficial for me to not be going out and working anymore though. Being static is fatal for anxiety. I think that the proof is in the pudding, as I thought that quitting nursing would make a vast difference to my anxiety, but the fact I have relapsed again after 2 years means the job was not the sole issue.
I think that being productive is so, so important in dealing with anxiety. Its overall benefits cannot be under estimated x:hugs:
Sparkle1984
26-11-13, 21:09
Here are my answers:
1. How long have you suffered from Anxiety?
I first suffered from what I now know is derealisation when I was just 9 years old. But at the time I didn't have a clue what was happening to me. That episode lasted for about a month. Since then I've had anxiety episodes on and off throughout my life.
2. How were you diagnosed?
I was first diagnosed in August last year by my doctor, during a really severe anxiety episode.
3. At what age did the symptoms start to appear/become prevalent?
As mentioned above, I had my first episode when I was 9, but that was mainly derealisation. It wasn't until my 20s that my episodes started to become really severe.
4. Have you ever been on meds/ Are you currently on meds?
Yes, I first started citalopram last year (August) following my diagnosis. I was on them for 6 months originally but suffered a relapse earlier this year, so since May I've been back on them at 20mg. When I'm on them I feel pretty much normal.
5. To what extent does anxiety stop you from leading a fulfilling and productive life?
When my anxiety is severe/untreated, it affects nearly every aspect of my life - I lose my appetite, have sleeping difficulties, lose motivation and interest in my usual hobbies, and suffer intrusive negative thoughts. Even when I'm doing things I'd usually enjoy, I get the intrusive thoughts and this spoils it for me, so I start to withdraw from things a bit. Due to the insomnia I don't feel like going out much in the evenings as I feel too tired and don't have the energy. However, when my anxiety is correctly treated I can lead a relatively normal life.
6. How does anxiety effect your career?
Thankfully, it hasn't affected my career too much. My job is very technical so it does help to take my mind off my negative thoughts. However, on the bad days, I feel very tired and find it harder to concentrate. I'm happy with my job itself and with my colleagues, so there's no problems in that respect.
7. At its worst point, how was anxiety making you feel?
At my worst point, I had constant intrusive thoughts about the passing of time, death and dying. I felt like everything is pointless if we all end up dying anyway! I felt like I couldn't relax, and like I never had a moment's peace. I felt tensed up all the time. One of the worst incidents I remember is having a restless night's sleep, worrying that I'd never go back to normal again, and worrying about whether I would die soon or end up going crazy!
What about you, calumcco? Would you like to answer these questions about yourself?
chantellino
26-11-13, 21:26
Hi everyone ... I'm new to this and I really respect you all for telling your stories so wanted to share mine so here goes nothing!!
1. How long have you suffered from Anxiety? Just over a year but looking back it's been a problem for approx 10 yrs on and off
2. How were you diagnosed? My Dad passed away very suddenly and traumatically in March 2012 and that was when the Dr recognised what I was suffering but I chose to try and ignore it and carry on.
3. At what age did the symptoms start to appear/become prevalent? 31
4. Have you ever been on meds/ Are you currently on meds? I've been on Citalopram but recently come off them and can feel myself going down again. I'm so anxious all the time.
5. To what extent does anxiety stop you from leading a fulfilling and productive life? I have completely avoided everything lately.
6. How does anxiety effect your career? I have wks at a time off work. I was so very close to becoming management but due to the stresses outside of work I had to have too much time off
7. At its worst point, how was anxiety making you feel? I didn't want to be here. I wanted to lock myself away and didn't want to speak to anyone including my Daughter and then that led to too much guilt to deal with. This is when I had to admit to myself I needed help with the Citalopram.
I'm going to go back to the Dr's tom so hopefully even just getting out and talking to someone will help. That is if the anxiety doesn't stop me from leaving!
1. I have suffered from anxiety since I was born.
2. I have never been "diagnosed" as such but I know that I am not normal.
3. I have been crying and feeling full of terror since I was about aged 4.
4. Thank God I have never had to dabble with meds but they might help?
5. I am severely restricted at the moment in where I go and what I do.
6. It affects my career badly and I am struggling to find work currently.
7. I feel like I have lost my mind, I feel scared/petrified about everything.
1. I have suffered from anxiety since I was born.
2. I have never been "diagnosed" as such but I know that I am not normal.
3. I have been crying and feeling full of terror since I was about aged 4.
4. Thank God I have never had to dabble with meds but they might help?
5. I am severely restricted at the moment in where I go and what I do.
6. It affects my career badly and I am struggling to find work currently.
7. I feel like I have lost my mind, I feel scared/petrified about everything.
dont be hard on yourself there isnt such a thing as "normal" we are all different in many ways :hugs:
That's very true I suppose! What is normal? :)
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.