Introduce Yourself

[childofGod]

Hi I have never joined a chat or blog or whatever, but I have found this website very comforting.  I was told 3 years ago I had GAD and was put on Lexapro.  After the first couple of months life was great.  Back to normal I guess.  It had been so long that I had felt bad and didn't even realize how bad.  Anyway this past year I decided that I was better in a better place I told my Dr.  So I went off the Lexapro in September 2009.  It was great walking everyday taking vitimins doing all the "right" things.  Then sometime in December the panic symptoms started coming back.  Right after Christmas went back on Lexapro and had terrible side effects nausea, heartburn, no sleep, night sweats.  I know when I went on Lexapro the first time it was terrible because I remember saying "I never want to go through this again."  I can't remember though how long it took to feel better.  Anyway here I am 8 weeks in and feeling better most of the time.  Yesterday and today though I feel like I'm back to the begining. 

[sixpack]

Hello and I'm glad you found us.

Anxiety is an interesting foe.  Some days are easy and some days just STINK.  One thing I know though is that I don't let anxiety rule my life.  I hope you find comfort in the ZONE

[carolsue]

I have never posted before, but decided it is time to be upfront about my health anxiety.  I am very typical in my symptoms, worrying about every pain as if it were the end.  I have had an uncomfortable tight feeling in my upper abdomen for several years and even though I have had several doctors' opinions as well as numerous tests with nothing out of the ordinary, it still worries me.  Logic tells me it would have killed me if it were anything serious, but my mind doesn't listen.  Sad thing is that I have a really good life....loving husband, grown children who truly consider me a good mother as well as a good friend and some very close friends. I was reading on one of these posts about how we can transfer our worry about something else to our worry about our health anxiety.  While my health is supposed to be pretty good, my husband has a lot of heart and diabetic issues that are always a source of major concern.  Maybe I don't want to think of what could happen to him so I channel my thoughts to me.  What does anyone think?

[sixpack]

I have never posted before, but decided it is time to be upfront about my health anxiety.  I am very typical in my symptoms, worrying about every pain as if it were the end.  I have had an uncomfortable tight feeling in my upper abdomen for several years and even though I have had several doctors' opinions as well as numerous tests with nothing out of the ordinary, it still worries me.  Logic tells me it would have killed me if it were anything serious, but my mind doesn't listen.  Sad thing is that I have a really good life....loving husband, grown children who truly consider me a good mother as well as a good friend and some very close friends. I was reading on one of these posts about how we can transfer our worry about something else to our worry about our health anxiety.  While my health is supposed to be pretty good, my husband has a lot of heart and diabetic issues that are always a source of major concern.  Maybe I don't want to think of what could happen to him so I channel my thoughts to me.  What does anyone think?

it is entirely possible.

You may want to have a look in the hypo folder and see how often this seems to occur

[denirig]

Hi there welcome. I am new here as well I can understand where you are coming from I have been struggling with anxiety for about 10 years but it got really bad over the past couple of months. I was just diagnosed with GAD about two weeks ago I was also put on medicine as well. It's been two weeks and I am at a better place then I was but I still struggle with sleep and the morning it's so fustrating but I realize that I need to give the medicine time to work after all it's only been two weeks and I need to remind my self that I am doing better then I was. Anyway welcome and God bless:)

[tigerpaw]

I know you will find lots of support here. Let me remind you you can access the Chat Room, after a minimum amount of posts and talk live to some of us here!  A great resource for you.

Also you can post your favorite picture in the Members Gallery.

Check out an introductory post on, "When you think no one understands ....read this."........Link: http://www.anxietyzone.com/index.php/topic,9100.0.html

Lots to do here~

   

[claire1985]

yes i know the feeling of thinking your going crazy and it is so exhausting being anxious but you just cant relax at night then the heart starts thumping! i wish there was just a switch off button! anyone got advice on calming yourself downa t night?

[meanttolive]

hey claire,

something i do to calm myself down at night is deep breathing. i put both hands on my stomach and breathe in, focusing on pushing my stomach out. then i breathe out, focusing on bringing my stomach in. i normally do this while singing a relaxing/comforting song in my head. it takes almost ten minutes... but it works for me. i hope this helps.

[1992hrh]

This is my first post and I'm going to try not to make it to lengthy. My anxiety started 3 years ago completely out of the blue. Before I was probably the happiest person anyone could imagine, that all changed seemingly overnight. Since that point I have been through debilitating panic attacks, depression, and extreme health anxiety. I have coped very well with the panic attacks but the health anxiety is a different story. At the age of 18 I've had just about every disease in existence "in my mind". All this is exacerbated by the fact that my whole life I've been known as "the tough guy". This makes it very difficult to talk to anyone about my problems, for fear of what people would think if they knew the real me. It's a very tough thing to deal with alone.

[Lotusm]

Hello,

My name is Michelle, I have been dealing with depression, PTSD and anxiety along with other health issues since i was a little girl. I am currently not on any medication and currently dealing with agoraphobia as well as mono phobia. It took me days to even get on here and post. I am terrified of medicine as i have had bad side effects and doctors who really were  negligent and scary. I hope to find support, help and guidance to make better decisions. My kids need me very much and i have been down for the count wit this for a year now.

[melissaj]

Fed up, don't know how much longer I can hold on. All I think about is how I will end up homeless and alone. Then I feel better when I think of checking out. This is truly a hopeless condition. Not seeing any light from posts. All say same thing.


Just trying to hold on....

[leigh3122]

hi im leigh im new and i like this site. seems pretty cool.

[sethula619]

i have never been put on medicind but i focus on the word of god and it seems to help with calming my heart rate down i tend to watch things i think i funny or play video games that are competitive to help but i think inam getting better.

[CAMeans19]

Hello everyone my name is "Luna" (not my real name) and I'm 20 years old. I've been living with GAD since I was in high school and I generally cope with it pretty well, through support of my friends, family, and boyfriend as well as by listening to music and writing poetry. However, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by anxiety and thought it might be helpful to have an additional support system of people who understand what I'm going through.

[worriedtoo]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a 38 year old mother of two and have had anxiety issues as long as I can remember. I had nightmares of dying as a child and it has followed throughout my life. I am very aware of it and try to think logically about how often I was sure I had a type of cancer only to have my fears evaporate and shift onto another form of cancer. I also am fearful of having a serious (fatal) car accident and rarely do I fly as I had my first full blown panic attack before getting on a plane to fly back to OZ. My mother had numerous phobias and obsessions, one of which was that she was always worried about me dying (no wonder I ended up like this) and so I missed alot of school and was given tons of antibiotics. Strangely I am almost never ill and don't go to the doctor often. I do have major checks such as colonoscopy, smear, and skin checks. I am currently having an issue with melanoma as being in Australia we have the highest rates in the world which is not comforting. My main fear is not being around for my daughters and them growing up and not remembering me. It aches to think about. I am terrified that one day I will get that diagnosis and I won't be brave or strong, I'll just fall apart.