A Quick Check-In

Hello all. I'm a longtime member who used to participate regularly. Prior to 2013, the kind people here provided a great deal of comfort, advice, and solace as I moved through dealing with my own particular combination of GAD/panic disorder and related phobias.

My participation lessened in the years since. My last visit was almost a year ago. Even so, I continue to recommend this site to anyone I come across who is suffering with anxiety or other emotional illnesses.

My hope is that all of you are weathering the pandemic without worsening anxiety. For some time, I feared that the isolation would lead to a setback. So far, that hasn't happened. Hopefully, the same is true for all of you.

While I do still have the occasional issue, things keep improving. Medication usage is the lowest it's been since my diagnosis in 2007. The panic attacks continue to be weaker than ever.

One regret is that the years of living with anxiety has damaged some relationships, possibly never to recover. Other relationships are stronger than ever. I guess you could say I've learned more about who really does and does not care.

Whatever stage you are in reclaiming your life, please resist falling into despair. Celebrate every bit of progress, no matter how small it may seem. There was a time when I thought things would never be good again. Happily, I was wrong.

That's about it for now. Believe in yourself and keep trying. The next thing or combination of things could turn out to be what works for you.