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View Full Version : Goodbye horrible Anxiety: 2011 - 2015



LyingScotsman
13-03-16, 16:51
I started having Anxiety in late 2011. I remember feeling very strange at when I was working at my old job. I started feeling worse, so I ran out of the work place and went to the bathroom to see if I can control what was happening to me. I remember my thought process being something like "I am going to faint. I am scared of what is happening to me right now" and "Am I going to die? I feel like I'm going to die." 5 minutes later I returned back to the work place while still feeling horrible. I only lasted about a couple of minutes until I decided that I couldn't work while feeling like this so I ran out the building and got some fresh air. After 10 minutes outside I felt a little bit better, so I returned back to the work place and went trough the rest of the shift still feeling weird. When the shift was finished I thought to myself that this was just a one-off thing and that I would feel like my old self after a good night's kip. Oh, how wrong I was.

The next attack occurred while I was going shopping with my dad to get paint. I recall feeling tense and weird on the way to the shop and thinking that I something bad was around the corner. When we were in the shop I was having browsing the paints with my dad to try and take my mind of what was driving me crazy. It did not work, and I went into a Panic Attack. While I was walking with my dad to the check out I was thinking to myself that I would at least be out of the shop in a few minutes time. Unfortunately for myself, my dad bumped into one of his old school friends and ended up having a chat with him. Feeling like hell I decided that I needed to get out so I asked my dad for the car keys. He asked me what was wrong, and I said angrily to him that I really needed the keys. He handed me the keys and I ran out of the shop and sat inside the car. My hands were covering my face, I was crying, I felt like I was going to black out, and I was convinced that I was going to lose my mind. Minutes later my dad got back and asked me what the matter was. I told him about how I was feeling the last few days, and how that I didn't know what to do when the feeling occurred. It was that moment my dad mentioned to me that I could have Anxiety.

What occurred during the next few months changed my life the worst. I had to leave my job due to Anxiety, I lost contact with my best friend because I couldn't bear going out anymore, and I felt like I won't feel like my old self anymore. I had that lifestyle for the next couple of years. It wasn't until last year when my life changed for the better.

It all started when my dad mentioned a place called "Giraffe". It was for people who were jobless, needed job experience, and had mental health problems. I would go there once a week and I would be doing a few jobs in the garden outside the building with a few other workers. It felt strange, scary, and new to be spending a great deal of time outside again. A month later I started to feel a little less Anxious and I then decided that I should start a music course at College. This would be a big step for me mainly because I would be socialising with people most of the week and I would have to get myself some a part time job and some accommodation to help me be more independent.

Now that those months have passed I can definitely say that I am starting to feel much better. I have a part time job, I am doing a course I love at College, I'm making new friends, I have my own accommodation, and I feel more confident with myself. It has been a long journey, but I can say that this illness has taught me a lot about myself and what obstacles life can has planned for us. I guess that it is a positive I can take from having Anxiety.

Catherine S
13-03-16, 17:03
Really well done. The thing to remember is that anxiety is a natural part of life, we can't make it disappear completely but it's our reaction to the symptoms of it that can make so much difference to how we live our lives. A great success story, thanks for sharing it.

Take care
ISB x

jimsmrs
15-03-16, 14:31
Well done!!

I took up 3 fitness classes after Christmas, which gets me out of the house. I've met new people and have made friends. And I've learned to laugh again. After 4 years I am also Sertraline free now. Wish I had done it years ago. I am so angry at how Depression and Anxiety had robbed me of a 'normal' life.

My husband can't believe the change in me.

Keep going and good luck on your course!!!!

Suziewuzie
15-03-16, 14:39
Wow you have almost exactly described the start of my anxiety journey! Even down to being held up at the til because my mum was talking to someone and me rushing out to the car.
Thank you for sharing your story & congratulations on beating anxiety ☺

Carnation
15-03-16, 15:42
Inspiring words LyingScotsman. So pleased for you. :)

Paul84
30-03-16, 13:18
Fantastic to hear that you've managed to get away from the nightmare known as anxiety. Top marks to your Dad also for suggesting Anxiety as a possible/probable cause for the way you were feeling.

All the best for the future.