Hello everyone I suffer with anxiety and S.Anx

[WILL0W]

Hello, I.m new to this forum. I have suffered with anxiety attacks on and off since I was about 18 I am now 30. I have a degree of social phobia aswell. I have to an extent learned to live with it but at times it gets me down. Recently I have come off anti-depressants (citalopram/cipramil) which I had been on for about 6 years. I am a little scared as I don't feel so good but then I started getting anxiety attacks again even when I was on them.

Sometimes, when in a social situation I get that feeling of being in a fish bowl and not with everyone else, totally overwhelmed, I often get very hot in the face resulting in dark blotching on my face, neck and chest and often ending in tears. Even when with friends I don't like total attention on me, I find I can't converse properly and even if I had something interesting to say it will come out stilted and wrong.

I have had extra stress recently I am doing a therapy course and am getting close to the exams and I have had family stress so I think that is why I have relapsed.

Anyway just wanted to give you a bit of a picture.

Best wishes to all you fellow sufferers

love
Willow

[trac67]

Hi Willow,

Welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice here and make some new friends.

Take care
Trac xx

'Live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten'

[Wenjoy]

Hi there Willow
I havent been an antidepressants but suffer from Anxiety which was worse 20 years ago but has now come back again - I get panicky in shops, queues, theatres, cinemas etc and get all hot and dizzy when standing up in a room full of people - very scary - but I have a lot on my plate at the mo with family stuff. Awaiting hypnotherapy which they cant fit in until a couple of weeks away so hopefully that will help.

This site is very good at making you realise you are never alone with anxiety - everyone here suffers so you have all our support.

Good luck
Love Wenjoy

[shiv]

Hello and a big welcome to you!

Shiv x

[MrsCluggy]

Hey Willow,

Welcome to this fantastic site. You have definitely come to the right place.

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament at the moment. Well done though for coming off your medication. That is a huge step to take, but you must have shown so much improvement to how you used to be, otherwise your GP wouldn't have taken you off them.

Sometimes, when being on medication for so long, when you do stop, your body needs time to adjust to the difference. That is why you are probably feeling the sensations of panic. But there really is nothing to worry about. Your body will adjust and will be back to it's own working order in no time.

Social events can be very stressful at times. Especially if you are in strange company. Not strange as in the people are weird or anthing :D I mean, strange as in new company, friends you haven't met yet, strangers.

I don't particularly like social gatherings myself, be it family or my husband's work gatherings. I'm a housewife and a stay at home mum, so my topics of conversations to Managing Directors etc. really run rather stale after the first 10 minutes or so. However, I have made a point of not avoiding these situations because I believe that once you are on the path of avoidance, it is so hard to get off.

I have become a very good 'people watcher' though thanks to these gatherings. I'm more of a listener than a talker and I find my mind wondering around the room, trying to decipher what people do for a living, where they live, who dressed them for this particular occasion !!!

Believe it or not, you probably aren't the only one at these social gatherings that feels like you do. Some people are great talkers after a few pints, but it's taken those pints to get them to talk in the first place. I'm not telling you to turn to alcohol because that is never the answer to anything. What I am saying is that we all have our own degrees of stress and how to deal with them. Some people can't stand going to parties because they know that they can't light up a cigarette anymore without feeling like a lepar. That's probably how they calm themselves down. Take that away and they are completely stressed and worried.

So, next time you go out somewhere socially, just remember, you are not the only one feeling like this. Do some people watching. You'll probably find that you will be smiling to yourself whilst doing this and this will project onto your face, giving the impression that you are enjoying yourself !!

What sort of Therapy Course are you doing? Try not to worry about your exams at this stage, time for a little worry is the day before, but pay it no mind until then.

It sounds like there are other factors fuelling your stress levels at the moment. These will pass. Try not to focus wholly on the negative aspects of your life and put them in a bucket with a lid on !!

Think about your successes. You are no longer on medication after 6 years. THIS IS FABULOUS. You are getting better. You no longer need tablets to help you live your day. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME AND I ADMIRE YOU SO MUCH.

I, myself, are currently taking Mirtazapine. I've been on these for about 1.5 years and I cannot imagine not taking them at this stage. I have tried, but I just stopped them dead and not gradually like you are supposed to. Talk about being back at square one. So now, I listen very carefully to what my GP tells me.

I have also completed a course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which was fabulous and I can highly recommend it to anyone. It really has, if I'm not talking out of turn, stopped my panic attacks. WONDERFUL.

It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance, but you, like me, will get there. Hell, you've already got a head start on me, being without your medication.

So, I hope my words have provided a few seconds of comfort for you. I'm no expert, but I would like to think that I can bring an ounce of my experience to someone and help them if I can.

Best wishes and kindest regards.

Jackie xx

I

[jackie]

hi willow. so glad you found us

this site will definitely help you and i know that just like me it will make you feel less alone

jackie

[nomorepanic]

Hi Willow

Lovely to see you here and hope we can be of some help to you.

Nicola

[marie ross]

Hi Willow,

So glad you found this site, you will find a lot of friends here who are willing to listen. I also get that fish bowl effect when i'm out, even when i'm with my safe person (can't go out without him) and sometimes i say something really stupid and i just want to cry or run off, but i don't because even if i think everyones staring or laughing at me, it's just my imagination and if i did run off i would just draw attention to myself. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but thats how i see it.

Marie XXXX

[WILL0W]

Thank you Trac, Wenjoy, Shiv Mrs.Cluggy Jackie, Nicola and Marie for your welcomes and advice.

Mrs.Cluggy thanks for your message and all the advice. The doctor who suggested coming off the Cipramil, wasn't my regular doctor, in fact I don't go the doctors very often and when I do I seem to see whoever is available. So it is hard for them to know whether it is truly the right thing for me I think. I have made a lot of progress but at the moment like I said I have got a few extra pressures and that is why I worry a bit about coming off. I keep telling myself I was on a very low dosage anyway so it shouldn't make too much difference. I read someones posts about how good fish oils were I thought I might give that a go.

Marie you mentioned the rushing out in tears brings more attention I know I tend to often sit there crying (as quietly as poss) if in a meeting or something (when I get to that stage of needing a release when overwhelmed) as I don't like walking out as people notice more! But the tears are not in my control once I have got to a certain stage in the anxiety attack. It seems a natural part of mine.

I've got to get ready for my course but will chat again soon. Thank you all.
Wishing you all the best.
love Willow.x:)

[Alexandra]

Hi Willow

Welcome to the forum

You will find lots of help & support on here.

Take Care

Alex

Many People Will Walk
In & Out Of Your Life
But Only True Friends
Will Leave Footprints
In Your Heart

[Blue Child]

Hi Willow,
Welcome to the site...it's such a wonderful place to hang out. So many lovely, caring people who will try to help you as much as they can. I know about the panic and anxiety...I have had it for about the past twenty odd years. I've fought it all the way, but I know how exhausting it can be. I'm here if you need me...PM me if you ever want to.
Take care,
Blue

[feege]

Welcome Willow:D:D:D

Glad you found us and I look forward to seeing you around the site - I'm sure you will love it and find it really useful...

Fantastic bunch of people here!

[8D][8D][8D][8D][8D]

Fee xxxxxx
www.like2like.com

Why live life anticipating the bad things when you could be anticipating the good?
Good and bad things WILL happen!

[Karen]

Hi Willow

Welcome to the forum. I also have social phobia and great difficulty with verbal communication at times. I found hypnotherapy and help from friends I've made here of great benefit to me. A couple of years ago I was not able to speak to anyone I didn't know, make phone calls or answer my home phone or socialise at all.

In my time here I have been gradually making progress, attending several of the meet ups we had last year, speaking to new people on the phone and attending the occasional party when I've only known one or two people.

At present I am attending a day clinic 3 days a week for various problems and this too is helping with my social phobia. The first time I attended a group therapy session I was panicking and wanted to run out of the room. However, I stayed and although didn't speak, it was an achievement to be there at all.

Now I am able to speak to a few of the other patients, some of whom have left and while feeling lost at first, I try to make an effort to speak to some of the new people who come in. I have found one or two members of staff I can trust enough to now speak to, when in the past I've relied on writing most of the time. On the odd occasion I even get brave enough to speak in group therapy sessions, although this is still anxiety provoking. So there is hope that things can get easier with practise and a lot of hard work.

You might find the following information helpful:

First Steps (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/default.asp?t=cms&c=firststeps)

Symptoms (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/default.asp?t=cms&c=symptoms)

social anxiety:
FEAR OF MESSAGES (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6303)

Links post: Links to posts about Common Problems (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7784)

You will find a lot of help and support here.


Karen



Happiness is not a state to arrive at but a manner of travelling.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough ~ Christine Cagney, Cagney & Lacey

[Southern_Belle]

Welcome Willow,

I'm so glad you found this site. I know you will make many friends and find loads of help. I know that I have.

Bel