# Anxiety . . .



## flyintheointment (Jun 15, 2009)

_



Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I tend to sound a bit like a victim when I write. Not my intent. I write to get some perspective, not pity. When writing, I usually feel a weight has been lifted.

Click to expand...

_I've never been diagnosed but for most of my life, I've experienced extreme emotional and social anxiety. I tend to experience things intensely, and respond to outward stimuli with discomfort. When I am extremely anxious, I become obsessed with the anxious thoughts and feelings. I would like to be more calm and relaxed but it's difficult. Situations which everyone else can brush aside right away stick with me for hours or days. I am easily affected by other's emotions or energy. Although I don't "act out," I react to these situations internally with irrational thinking. My feelings take over and I can't think rationally until I am in a setting where I am alone and I am not surrounded by anyone. 

I can't let go of a feeling easily once I latch on. I also take things a bit too personally sometimes, in more ways than one, and I'm not very good at letting go of the past. I'd rather not embarrass myself anymore than I have. It feels extremely uncomfortable and makes it difficult to function and respond to situations appropriately without over thinking or analyzing everything. I don't want this craziness to continue. 

. . .

Writing this has helped. _Thanks for reading/listening_. 

_NB: I made this post without realizing that there other posts on the General Psychology boards which address anxiety. My bad. :blushed:_


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## pianopraze (Jun 29, 2009)

I hear you.

I live in an anxiety attack 24/7... aka PTSD.

*hugz*


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## Ninja (Jun 28, 2009)

Express it. Free your cerebral sparrows.


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## flyintheointment (Jun 15, 2009)

Ninja said:


> Express it. Free your cerebral sparrows.


Love your phrase. :wink: It makes so much sense. Thanks.


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## Femme (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm sorry you're going through this. :sad:

I experience similar anxiety, unfortunately. Have you tried breathing mechanisms before? They may seem uneffective, but they're actually quite potent. In addition, writing helps profoundly.


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## decided (May 17, 2009)

You're definitely not alone with the anxiety issues. I go through patches of anxiety from time to time myself. I find it to have an annoying spiral where I cannot sleep so I feel tightly wound the next day, then my anxiousness keeps me awake, and so on...

During particularly anxious periods, I do my best to think "I am safe, and nobody means to hurt me". Thinking like that makes me feel a lot safer and calmer. Afterwards, I find talking to my husband, and writing stuff down really does make my brain settle.

And the internet's awesome - we're always here to listen.


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## flyintheointment (Jun 15, 2009)

intpfemme said:


> I'm sorry you're going through this. :sad:
> 
> I experience similar anxiety, unfortunately. Have you tried breathing mechanisms before? They may seem uneffective, but they're actually quite potent. In addition, writing helps profoundly.


I haven't tried breathing but I think I'll trying deep breathing exercises more often. Thanks.


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## flyintheointment (Jun 15, 2009)

decided said:


> And the internet's awesome - we're always here to listen.


Yep. This site is great. People are very supportive. Thanks for your advice. :happy:


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## pianopraze (Jun 29, 2009)

The hemisync meditation Cd's are AWESOME but rather expensive...

Here is the first one on Amazon.com: Gateway Experience Wave I Discovery (9781561029310): Books

They are like no other meditation CDs and really work.


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## So Long So Long (Jun 6, 2009)

pianopraze said:


> The hemisync meditation Cd's are AWESOME but rather expensive...
> 
> Here is the first one on Amazon.com: Gateway Experience Wave I Discovery (9781561029310): Books
> 
> They are like no other meditation CDs and really work.


Those albums really are amazing; I have to agree. Though I haven't been able to actually buy them because of the cost, but I've listened to some of the tracks and... they work amazingly. 

Anyways, I know what you're going through. I go through the same thing with my social and general anxiety disorder attacking me each and every day, but medication has helped me. I can't really say therapy has, though. However, that was probably just my own unique experience. :mellow:

I mostly hate how I react to some of it, though. How I just retreat back into myself and then I'm completely numb and it's like I'm outside looking inside, yaknow? Almost like I'm in a bubble or something and that's the only way I can 'safely' travel around the world. It bothers me and I wish I could stop internalizing and going back into my shell, but not as easy as it appears. 

Before I talk too much, just know you definitely aren't alone.
And you can talk about it with me also. I'm a real good listener. roud:


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## flyintheointment (Jun 15, 2009)

So Long So Long said:


> I mostly hate how I react to some of it, though. How I just retreat back into myself and then I'm completely numb and it's like I'm outside looking inside, yaknow? Almost like I'm in a bubble or something and that's the only way I can 'safely' travel around the world. It bothers me and I wish I could stop internalizing and going back into my shell, but not as easy as it appears.
> 
> Before I talk too much, just know you definitely aren't alone.
> And you can talk about it with me also. I'm a real good listener. roud:


Sounds like we have similar experiences. Even when things get hard, I'd like to think we'll get through it. :wink:


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## pianopraze (Jun 29, 2009)

So Long So Long said:


> Those albums really are amazing; I have to agree. Though I haven't been able to actually buy them because of the cost, but I've listened to some of the tracks and... they work amazingly.
> 
> I can't really say therapy has, though. However, that was probably just my own unique experience. :mellow:


Far from unique. It took me YEARS to find a good therapist... I had given up hope and thought all therapists were bad.

When you get a good one it is night and day different.


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## Selene (Aug 2, 2009)

flyintheointment said:


> Writing this has helped. _Thanks for reading/listening_.
> 
> _NB: I made this post without realizing that there other posts on the General Psychology boards which address anxiety. My bad. :blushed:_


That's okay--this is your post, and your personal expression of your own anxiety. Which is completely your own experience, regardless of how many other people feel similarly. I'm glad I got to see your anxiety. :happy:



decided said:


> During particularly anxious periods, I do my best to think "I am safe, and nobody means to hurt me". Thinking like that makes me feel a lot safer and calmer. Afterwards, I find talking to my husband, and writing stuff down really does make my brain settle.
> 
> And the internet's awesome - we're always here to listen.


I second that. When I have anxiety issues, just being able to talk it through my girlfriend, and her being there to comfort me, and her not judging me despite the fact that I'm clinging onto her like an infant...it means the world to me. Just having that kind of security and knowing that you can be completely wretched and yet you are still a valuable person and can trust someone to be caring and loving is a really beautiful thing. When I'm in the arms of another person who cares about me despite seeing me for what I am, I like to bring my despair/anxiety/vulnerability to mind and imagine that it's all being magically healed.

[hug] I hope you have people like that to turn to, or that at least this forum can serve as a calming counterbalance to your chaotic inner state.


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## flyintheointment (Jun 15, 2009)

Selene said:


> Just having that kind of security and knowing that you can be completely wretched and yet you are still a valuable person and can trust someone to be caring and loving is a really beautiful thing.


Yep. :happy:


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## HollyGolightly (Aug 8, 2009)

The only way you can truly banish anxiety is too accept oneself and trust oneself. Also, to live in the here and now. Living in the past and/or the future triggers anxiety and unhappiness.
Easier said than done though isn't it


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## So Long So Long (Jun 6, 2009)

flyintheointment said:


> Sounds like we have similar experiences. Even when things get hard, I'd like to think we'll get through it. :wink:


Yeah, and you're right. I used to not think that, but my opinions definitely changed in the past six months or so. It's like I'm a whole different person or something. 



pianopraze said:


> Far from unique. It took me YEARS to find a good therapist... I had given up hope and thought all therapists were bad.
> 
> When you get a good one it is night and day different.


Well, in a way it is a unique, at least for me. 

I've had a therapist since I was five/six because of my ADHD. It wasn't necessarily that she was 'bad' or anything, it was just that she still saw me as this little kid that didn't know anything, could barely read, was very angry about everything and showed it forcefully a lot of the time, didn't like to follow the rules and never seemed to be able to pay attention because I always had my head in the clouds. And I'm not that little kid anymore. I guess to some I'm still a little kid, but I don't feel like it in the least bit. I may only be fifteen, but I feel wiser and older than that and I hope I'm not sounding conceited cause that's not really what I mean by typing this out. 

Anyways, I think I just outgrew my therapist. I mean, I didn't feel like talking to her about my feelings and it just... wasn't working anymore. She was good for the most part, though. 

I actually have a therapist that I met at the behavioral center that I went to a couple of months ago that I really like. Although, I don't really know when he's going to jump on board as my actual therapist. They didn't feel like I needed it at the moment, but I don't know. With school... I'll probably need it. Especially since I'm the new kid, don't know anybody and will probably be friendless for most of the year.  

Blah. I went so off-topic.


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## pianopraze (Jun 29, 2009)

So Long So Long said:


> I've had a therapist since I was five/six because of my ADHD. It wasn't necessarily that she was 'bad' or anything, it was just that she still saw me as this little kid that didn't know anything, could barely read, was very angry about everything and showed it forcefully a lot of the time, didn't like to follow the rules and never seemed to be able to pay attention because I always had my head in the clouds. And I'm not that little kid anymore. I guess to some I'm still a little kid, but I don't feel like it in the least bit. I may only be fifteen, but I feel wiser and older than that and I hope I'm not sounding conceited cause that's not really what I mean by typing this out.
> 
> Anyways, I think I just outgrew my therapist. I mean, I didn't feel like talking to her about my feelings and it just... wasn't working anymore. She was good for the most part, though.
> 
> ...


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## So Long So Long (Jun 6, 2009)

Deagalman said:


> Edited. Edited.


Excuse me? 


And thanks Piano. +1 as usual. roud:


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## Linesky (Dec 10, 2008)

I get little (?) anxiety attacks every now and then (mostly social ones) [you described them really well by the way] and I honestly never Really treated it except trying to get myself more and more down to earth through daily life. Perhaps I should take more action and consider it more seriously but I just never got to it because I was/am trying to go through it "as natural as possible". It's still a consideration in the back of my head to do more in case it's really needed. I just try to calm myself down in private and then pick up what I was getting into --- don't abandon your environment or activities.. don't keep away from things because of anxiety... try to relax yourself and work on positive thoughts and action when you feel it coming, rest for a sec and then continue what you were doing.
brr I feel unwell when I think of the anxiety moments, they're really yuk.  but I want to work through those ""outbursts"" and eventually overcome some fears/issues/... (Mostly on my own terms, apparently)


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder when I was still a small child. I have panic attacks, often in public. In fact, my fear of having to deal with the social inappropriateness of it makes it more likely to happen. It's miserable. I agree with those who posted that having someone patient and accepting to nurture you through your difficult moments can make all of the difference. I've tried all kinds of natural remedies to self-medicate. In fact, I've tried everything I could find. Nothing works as well as a comforting partner or a close friend.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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