Born with GAD? need advise please!

[pcentaurii]

Since I can remember, I've been a person experiencing a lot of fear and anxiety. It  caused me to fail 5 attempts to get a degree.

Currently I'm 32, and have built my life around my constant anxiety and stress. I can't take much, always on edge, so many events trigger a fearful reaction on a daily basis, simply doing the average thing. I won't answer phone calls, but waiting for them to use my voicemail; going to the bathroom frequently so I'm not confronted with anything, and I get a couple seconds of peace..

The older I'm getting, the more I realize that this 'condition' of mine is debilitating, I always figured it might wear off later on in life, but i'm sure it's here to say. It really is a handicap because it feels like a huge weight on my shoulders and my fears and anxiety prevent me to do SO many things..

 Id REALLY like to get in contact with someone who experiences the same things. Please get in contact with me!

I'm at a point now that I'm so tired.. I'm proud of myself getting this far with my somewhat-stable life, but I think the only way to solve this is by using meds. (I'll see a psych)

[Astarz487]

First of all, GAD is NOT something we're BORN with. It is a learned condition. That doesn't mean it is "taught" to us, but rather, it's a way we have learned to cope. You say you feel like you've dealt with this your entire life. You need to go back, and try to figure out certain events from your childhood that were perhaps traumatic. It doesn't even have to be something "traumatic" in the sense of something horrible happening. It could be something like maybe your parents argued a lot, maybe you were teased in school, maybe someone you knew as a child passed away (perhaps not even someone close to you, just someone you knew)... It could really be anything. We're all different, and different things impact us on different levels. You can take two people, put them in the same exact situation, and they will handle it in two completely different ways, feel completely different emotions. 

I truly feel seeing a psychiatrist will benefit you greatly, so I am glad you say you're going to see one! Try to find one ASAP, and it can be difficult to get an appointment right away. (For instance, my psychiatrist has so many patients that I have to book an appointment at LEAST one month in advance.) Also, sometimes, you have to find the right psychiatrist for you. It's like anything else, what works for one person won't work for another. It can be a trial-and-error process in the fact that you need to find a psychiatrist who truly has YOUR best interests at heart, and one with whom you're comfortable with. Also, (and this is something I know from experience) if you make an appointment? KEEP IT! lol I've had psychiatrists who wouldn't see me anymore because I missed 2-3 appointments in the course of a year. It pisses them off... mainly because they feel you're wasting their time, and also because they feel that appointment could have gone to someone who needed it just as much, and would have showed up.

Finding the right medication for you will, also, be a trial-and-error process. Again, what works for one person won't work for another, so they may have to try you on a few different medications before they find the right "fit" for you. It can be a lengthy, and even stressful, process... however, it is a process that is WELL worth it.

Look at it this way, simply by MAKING an appointment? You're one step closer, already, to getting your GAD under control! Does that mean you'll NEVER experience GAD again? Of course not. It DOES mean it will be much less frequent, AND much less SEVERE when it does flare up!

Be COMPLETELY honest with your psychiatrist. Tell him/her everything. What you've been through, thoughts you experience, emotions you experience, any addictions you might have, etc... They are there to HELP YOU! They are NOT there to judge you (if they do make you feel judged, it's time to find a different psychiatrist). And you know what? When they do start you on a med, be sure to tell them how it makes you feel, if it's even helping you, physical/mental changes you have noticed since beginning the medication. Your honesty, your communication, is the KEY to them being able to help you to the fullest!

I wish the best! I know (BELIEVE ME) that GAD is NOT easy (not by a long shot), but there IS help, and it CAN be controlled. =)