shelzmike
08-08-16, 03:04
So I have had GAD w/panic attacks (sometimes bridging into a panic disorder, meaning during my "relapses" I have near panic and panic attacks all day long and this can last for months at a time) for probably about 16 years now. My doc always tells me that I am the most unique anxiety patients he has because of the way I manage it and have all this time. I guess that is a good thing, though it also make me feel bad because my anxiety is a daily struggle, but I just power through it and try not to let it control my life and an thankful that I have had the fortitude to do so - the reason I feel bad is because that must mean that so many others are much worse off than I am and if I feel horrible, I would hate for it to be so much more worse.
Anyhow, my wife also has some level of anxiety disorder but does very well with dealing with it.
We have 2 older teenage boys who are as "normal" as teenagers normally are, but then we have the baby of the family..our dear daughter who is 9. She has always been slightly more shy than the boys were and always seemed a nervous child, but nothing really worrisome. Knowing that she has a higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder, especially based on observed behaviors, my wife and I have made it a point to hide as much of our anxiety from her as possible. I thought we had done a decent job of it, thinking back. Neither of us had a huge breakdown in front of her...I take that back, when she was 3 I did when we were at an amusement park. I was embarrassed all the way around but that was a long time ago and she seemed unaffected by it all.
Something has happened this summer and we don't know why, but she has developed what appears, I am afraid to say, an anxiety disorder. It is not incredibly terrible right now - meaning it is the anticipation that causes the problem - hard to get her to leave the house, and sitting in the car in the driveway I believe she has panic attacks (not big ones, but small ones), but once we are out, she is perfectly fine.
Well tomorrow is the first day back to school for the kids here (which is about a month earlier than it ever has been, which is a different story altogether) and she keeps saying that she doesn't want to go and it's in a way that isn't the typical groanings of a kid whose summer vacation is over. She is also begging for us to home school her, which we actually might, but NOT because of the anxiety...because the schools are getting terrible here. I have been anxious and worried (inwardly) all weekend because I know tomorrow morning is not going to be fun. It's a very delicate situation because we of course need to make her go but don't want her to get too upset and cry because then she will be embarrassed because she is going to 4th grade and most don't get that upset that I know of anyway.
I don't suppose there is really a question, but wanted to just get that out. At what point to we seek counseling for her? It's difficult because kids go through stages and we don't want to validate something that may be there to a point but not yet a terrible problem, which it doesn't seem to be right now. Thanks for "listening"
Mike
Anyhow, my wife also has some level of anxiety disorder but does very well with dealing with it.
We have 2 older teenage boys who are as "normal" as teenagers normally are, but then we have the baby of the family..our dear daughter who is 9. She has always been slightly more shy than the boys were and always seemed a nervous child, but nothing really worrisome. Knowing that she has a higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder, especially based on observed behaviors, my wife and I have made it a point to hide as much of our anxiety from her as possible. I thought we had done a decent job of it, thinking back. Neither of us had a huge breakdown in front of her...I take that back, when she was 3 I did when we were at an amusement park. I was embarrassed all the way around but that was a long time ago and she seemed unaffected by it all.
Something has happened this summer and we don't know why, but she has developed what appears, I am afraid to say, an anxiety disorder. It is not incredibly terrible right now - meaning it is the anticipation that causes the problem - hard to get her to leave the house, and sitting in the car in the driveway I believe she has panic attacks (not big ones, but small ones), but once we are out, she is perfectly fine.
Well tomorrow is the first day back to school for the kids here (which is about a month earlier than it ever has been, which is a different story altogether) and she keeps saying that she doesn't want to go and it's in a way that isn't the typical groanings of a kid whose summer vacation is over. She is also begging for us to home school her, which we actually might, but NOT because of the anxiety...because the schools are getting terrible here. I have been anxious and worried (inwardly) all weekend because I know tomorrow morning is not going to be fun. It's a very delicate situation because we of course need to make her go but don't want her to get too upset and cry because then she will be embarrassed because she is going to 4th grade and most don't get that upset that I know of anyway.
I don't suppose there is really a question, but wanted to just get that out. At what point to we seek counseling for her? It's difficult because kids go through stages and we don't want to validate something that may be there to a point but not yet a terrible problem, which it doesn't seem to be right now. Thanks for "listening"
Mike