Gotagetthroughthis
05-06-16, 22:02
I just wanted to make a thread to say and demonstrate that things do get better. You can fully recover from the anxiety problems many of you here are facing.
I hope this thread doesn't come across as me being smug or thinking that this anxiety stuff is easy because i'm certainly not smug and anxiety is not easy, it is the worst thing I have ever experienced, I didn't realise these levels of fear and emotional/psychological pain were even possible. So I have empathy for everyone here and just want to share my story to give some hope to those struggling.
So I joined this forum nearly 4 years ago now, near when all of my anxiety issues started. I had no idea what was going on with me back then and I was sure I was going to die, either that or be inflicted with some strange debilitating disease. There was no way I could ever envisage feeling normal again when I felt that ill, anxious and strange.
The list of symptoms and odd experiences I had were endless, I won't go into all of them here but feel free to look at some of my previous threads over the years and you will get the general idea. I have had numerous medical tests, Eye tests, Blood tests, urine test, food intolerance tests, Lyme disease tests, Ultrasounds, ECG's, CT scans, Video Fluoroscopy, brain MRI, the list goes on.
I have been on many medications such as propranolol (Beta Blocker), Citalopram, Sertraline, Fluoxetine (SSRI), Clonazepam, Diazepam, (benzodiazepines) and Zoplicone (sleeping tablet) all at various times over the last few years. I am off all of them now, medication free.
About a year ago, I was under the care of the crisis team as I could just not face living another moment of I felt. I was going to be admitted to the physc ward but they decided to treat me at home and visited me every day with my medication etc and to check how I was getting on.
I cannot tell you the amount of times over the last 4 years I have felt like there was no way back from what I was experiencing. I honestly thought and felt like I was brain damaged and unable to function.
So enough about the anxiety and all that comes with it. A year on from probably the worst period of my life, I feel I can say I have come out the other side and I have recovered. I just want people to know that it is possible and the nightmare you are living in now will pass. It's not easy but hold on and have the belief you will get better and you will.
However bad you are feeling, you always have options. There are so many things you can try. From medication to counselling, CBT, EMDR, EFT, meditation, Yoga, Trauma release exercises, Reiki, Body psychotherapy, Amanae, acupuncture, Chinese medicine. There are more extreme things you can try and new ideas to treat these conditions are coming up all of the time. The list is endless.
One thing I started doing when I was at my worst was to "Give myself a week" by that I mean however unbearable I felt in that moment, however convinced I was that I could not get better and could not go on. I said to myself "I will give myself a week" However awful I feel I will force myself to hold on for a week before doing anything drastic and then reassess how I feel in a weeks time. Without fail when I held on and forced myself through the next few days by the time a week had come around I was in a different mindset, I may not have been feeling completely better or feeling good but I was feeling different and was out of the totally unbearable non stop panic and anxiety and was well enough to continue on. Don't get me wrong, I was in a perpetual state of anxiety for months if not years with little relief but using this method I was able to just about keep my head above water and make it through the worst days.
There aren't any magical techniques I used to get better but a combination of things over a period of time that have bought me to where I am now, feeling well, healthy, clear headed and calm and ready to get on with my life and leave anxiety behind. I won't list everything I have done to get better here but if you any questions feel free to ask.
You CAN and WILL get better, you can come back from rock bottom, accept whatever anxiety throws at you, float though it and have the belief that it will pass, because it will and you will get back to a normal, happy and fulfilling life :)
I hope this thread doesn't come across as me being smug or thinking that this anxiety stuff is easy because i'm certainly not smug and anxiety is not easy, it is the worst thing I have ever experienced, I didn't realise these levels of fear and emotional/psychological pain were even possible. So I have empathy for everyone here and just want to share my story to give some hope to those struggling.
So I joined this forum nearly 4 years ago now, near when all of my anxiety issues started. I had no idea what was going on with me back then and I was sure I was going to die, either that or be inflicted with some strange debilitating disease. There was no way I could ever envisage feeling normal again when I felt that ill, anxious and strange.
The list of symptoms and odd experiences I had were endless, I won't go into all of them here but feel free to look at some of my previous threads over the years and you will get the general idea. I have had numerous medical tests, Eye tests, Blood tests, urine test, food intolerance tests, Lyme disease tests, Ultrasounds, ECG's, CT scans, Video Fluoroscopy, brain MRI, the list goes on.
I have been on many medications such as propranolol (Beta Blocker), Citalopram, Sertraline, Fluoxetine (SSRI), Clonazepam, Diazepam, (benzodiazepines) and Zoplicone (sleeping tablet) all at various times over the last few years. I am off all of them now, medication free.
About a year ago, I was under the care of the crisis team as I could just not face living another moment of I felt. I was going to be admitted to the physc ward but they decided to treat me at home and visited me every day with my medication etc and to check how I was getting on.
I cannot tell you the amount of times over the last 4 years I have felt like there was no way back from what I was experiencing. I honestly thought and felt like I was brain damaged and unable to function.
So enough about the anxiety and all that comes with it. A year on from probably the worst period of my life, I feel I can say I have come out the other side and I have recovered. I just want people to know that it is possible and the nightmare you are living in now will pass. It's not easy but hold on and have the belief you will get better and you will.
However bad you are feeling, you always have options. There are so many things you can try. From medication to counselling, CBT, EMDR, EFT, meditation, Yoga, Trauma release exercises, Reiki, Body psychotherapy, Amanae, acupuncture, Chinese medicine. There are more extreme things you can try and new ideas to treat these conditions are coming up all of the time. The list is endless.
One thing I started doing when I was at my worst was to "Give myself a week" by that I mean however unbearable I felt in that moment, however convinced I was that I could not get better and could not go on. I said to myself "I will give myself a week" However awful I feel I will force myself to hold on for a week before doing anything drastic and then reassess how I feel in a weeks time. Without fail when I held on and forced myself through the next few days by the time a week had come around I was in a different mindset, I may not have been feeling completely better or feeling good but I was feeling different and was out of the totally unbearable non stop panic and anxiety and was well enough to continue on. Don't get me wrong, I was in a perpetual state of anxiety for months if not years with little relief but using this method I was able to just about keep my head above water and make it through the worst days.
There aren't any magical techniques I used to get better but a combination of things over a period of time that have bought me to where I am now, feeling well, healthy, clear headed and calm and ready to get on with my life and leave anxiety behind. I won't list everything I have done to get better here but if you any questions feel free to ask.
You CAN and WILL get better, you can come back from rock bottom, accept whatever anxiety throws at you, float though it and have the belief that it will pass, because it will and you will get back to a normal, happy and fulfilling life :)