Hi everyone! :)

[JamesG_UK]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and thought I'd introduce myself. Not quite sure how to start this, but like so many others on here, I've suffered from generalised anxiety for years, although social anxiety and health anxiety have really impacted my life the most. I'm going through a bad patch at the moment and feel very isolated. To find others with problems so similar to mine really helps. I find it very difficult to open up to others about my anxiety and try my hardest to hide it from those around me. I'm so glad forums like this exist :)

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya JamesG_UK and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[EonRV]

Hi JamesG_UK. Im sorry to hear of your struggles.
Like you social anxiety has played a big part of my life and pretending all is well had become second nature to me. But it has finally caught up with me big time, and since my first anxiety/panic attack 2 weeks ago I spend most of my time worrying about having another.
I am currently on my 2nd day of medication so I have a long road ahead of me.
I know how hard it is to open up to people, that's why I hadn't joined a forum before.
But we are here now so that's already a big step.
The road to recovery is long but we will come out stronger in the end.
I hope you find the help and support you need.

All the best and welcome.

[Chick100]

Hi James and :welcome:
So sorry you are going through a bad patch at the moment, but as you have suffered on and off for years ( like me) just remind yourself that you will not feel this bad forever, its just a blip!
I couldn´t agree with you more that it is difficult to open up to people about anxiety, though I have stopped hiding mine when I´m struggling, and just tell people I´m having a hard time. However, unless you have been where we go, reactions from people who never have can be a downer, they just don´t understand how badly anxiety can make you feel and I hate when someone tells me to stop worrying, or I wouldn´t take those if I was you , in reference to drugs that can help.
I´m also glad I found this forum, and it is helping me too.
Nice to meet you James, shame about the circumstances :)

[JamesG_UK]

Hi EonRV, thank you both so much for being so welcoming.

EonRV, I'm sorry to hear that you've suffered from a panic/anxiety attack. How are you getting on with medication so far? Hopefully this will help to calm things down. I'm quite new to online forums in general, but it's so much easier to talk to people here without feeling judged. I've always been embarrassed about my anxiety, but at least we can be open here.

Chick100, again, thank you for your warm welcome. Yes, I've been told many times that I'm being ridiculous and to stop worrying, but I can't, and the anxiety can be so overwhelming- it just takes over. I like the idea of being open with people though when going through a hard time. Definitely agree with you about it being a blip - I can now convince myself that no matter how bad things feel right now, the anxiety will lessen over time.

Thanks guys,

Nice to meet you both :-)

[EonRV]

Hi again James. Not gonna lie, I feel a bit rough from the meds but surely feeling rough for a while is worth it, if it works in the end. I'm also waiting for a mental health phone assessment on Tuesday. Isn't the feeling of being judged a pain? I bought a 300 pound coat that I won't even wear because it's white and I feel it draws attention to me.
When I told my dad I had a panic attack he's response was....dont panic then lol.
At least here I know people understand.
All the best, we can beat this.

[Zenijaz]

Welcome aboard!!! im new too

[Chick100]

Welcome aboard!!! im new too

Hi Zenijaz. :welcome:to you too.

[Scarface]

Welcome

[Bigboyuk]

Hiya James and welcome to the community :) I suffer from depression and OCD but understand how bad HA is too take care Cheers