Anxiety Disorders Support Group

Heres my strory and would love to hear from others. I have a few people in my fam that have "anxiety disorder". I first got it when I was 23 and took efffoexor for 2 years then got off it. 5 years anxiety free. The last 9 months of my life have been hectic. Sept I herniated a disc at the gym and was out of work. That sucked. November my mom was diagnosed with cancer and died 6 week later. This was extremly hard. Recently I broke my leg at a martial arts class and now I cant work again. All I do is sit around and think. My anxiety has come back full force. I just feel shity every day. I own my own company so money isnt a issue. I have plenty of that thank god. I have a beautiful wife and 2 kids that are healthy. I just cant seem to shake it. My primary care doc did some test to make sure I didnt have any medical issue. We did ekg for my heart palps, a ct scan of the head for my headaches and tons of bloodwork. I just feel shaky inside everyday but not all day. I am having a hard time sleeping which is making everything else worse. I am traditionally prety active so this sitting around shit because of my broken leg is getting to my brain. I cant atke it for much longer. I went to see a therapist which was useless. I am open for any discussions.

Wow welcome.

So sorry to hear about your Mom.

I am seeing a neuropsychologist and so far the approach is totally different.

She does not necessarily push meds although if it's something that helps you I wouldn't discourage them either.

She did some assessing to see in what ways my anxiety is affecting me.

Her first recommendation was deep breathing 15 minutes twice per day.

Then she wanted to get me into self hypnosis.

I have had difficulty getting myself into that relaxed of a state but according to her we can turn all of this anxiety stuff off by doing body work.

We have to exercise those relaxation modes in order to increase the tone of the parasympathetic system which will help us to naturally relax more of the time.

I would highly rcommend you look up and see if you have any neuropsychologists in your area and give it a try.

It sounds like you have a lot in your life going right that is wonderful but I know the feeling of sitting around feeling somewhat like a bum as far as in the anxiety depression state. It really does take the enjoyment out of life.

Good luck to you keep posting.

Post edited by: damselndistress, at: 07/03/2012 07:03 PM

I am sorry to hear about your mom too. My suggestions are all pretty much what Damsel just said. How long before the leg heals and you are able to work gain? Glad your PCP checked you out medically and found nothing wrong. Once the leg heals and you can resume your active lifestyle, hopefully that will help a lot too. 5 years was a long time to be in remission. Sounds like the stress of your mom's illness and subsequent death is what started things back up again. Welcome to the anxiety disorders group.

Sorry to hear about your mom. My mom was just diagnosed with terminal cancer and it's made tough anxiety completely terrible and permanent but the suggestions above do help--both deep breathing and exercise. Being able to talk to someone helps too, either your family or on here or a therapist, because saying/writing something helps get it out of you. Hope you feel better soon.

Hi Irish sorry about your mom....and your leg. For me therapy helped (once I found a good therapist) and I cut way down on my caffeine intake and started eating better. I also have a hard time when I have nothing to do so I always try to keep my mind busy by reading or playing around on the computer, listening to music (usually really loud) or working out (when you feel better). Good luck and take care!

Hugs ((((ngrdr ))))), sorry to hear about your mom.

@needserenity, you are right. Food plays a huge impact on how we feel. I have to avoid as much refined sugar as I can. Reading is also good because it distracts the mind. I always get a reduction in anxiety levels when I read and force my brain to comprehend. These mental exercises like reading and meditation is akin to physical exercise for the body. They improve your mental health.

Thanks everyone for the support. I have now seen my therapist 3 or 4 times and he put me in for a med eval. I hate taking pills but am ready to surrender to them temporarily atleast but I have to wait like 3 weeks for an appointment. Also if I remember correctly these types of med stake a few week to start working. I guess I will have to deal till then. I have some lorazapam but I hate taking them. They make me super groggy. Sometimes I just have to give in because the anxiety is becoming harder to deal with each and everyday. My therapist thinks I have some depresssion mixed in with the anxiety because I am super tired all the time. That also plays into the anxiety bc I have a hard time believing the dr that there is nothing wrong with me medically, but I know its all part of the anxiety from my mom dying.

I have just started physical therapy to try to get back on my feet ut as of now I am still on crutches. They say it will be at least a few more weeks before I can walk again with no aids. It cant get here soon enough. I have been going to a pool and swimming for some exercise and to take my mind off the anxiety.

I am traditionally awesome under stress, I own my own business and am x military. For some reason I cant seem to shake this. I feel like a dark cloud is over my head everyday. Since I cant walk I find it hard to even find a reason to get out of bed. I just need to shake this "FUNK".

I can relate to most everything you just posted.

I just took a personality test and my results almost read line for line what you described.

Our illness most likely is very similar the way it affects us.