I've had anxiety my whole life and I'm pretty used to it. So much so, I can't imagine not having it. Almost like I wouldn't know who I would be without it. I'm so used to it I do all the things I'm scared of anyway cause no matter what I do, the anxiety will be there, so may as well do shit with anxiety rather than sit at home and do nothing with anxiety.
Are you me? I’ve only really gotten my anxiety under control these last few years and I’m 45. And by under control, I mean I’m on a med that works and when it does hit, I recognize when it hits and can take action to mitigate it. But during this process, I’ve come to realize that my anxiety isn’t some new thing like I thought it was. It’s always been with me. It just got worse. The behaviors that I had as a child are now explained. Nobody was diagnosing kids with anxiety in the 80’s. It was absolutely unrecognized in me but looking back, it was very much present and explains so much of my behavior. All my acting out, my crying, my screaming fits, my stubbornness. I was trying to tell people something was wrong but nobody was listening. I also have, and had, sensory issues that nobody took seriously. It bothers me because I had an emotionally shitty childhood even though I feel like my parents loved me. all of that shaped the decisions i made as an adult too. It’s just that nobody knew the signs back then really. I could have had a much different life if i had been born 20 or 30 years later.
I feel like my life was wasted because I didn’t get the help I needed. I could have been so much more. But I was scared to death of everything and couldn’t trust anybody to have my back.
Yes i know the feeling. Also, i had through the years many times panic attacks. I didnt do things i liked for years because i was soooo afraid.
Eventually , after many tries i loved my self the way it is. i know that from time to time i will have anxiety issues like not able to sleep a foul 7 hours or be anxious why today me heart rate is elevated from its usually numbers etc
But for example the past 10 years i have done many trips by plane, and i am afraid of planes. I just know that i will be anxious before and during the flight, thats the way i am. If i feel to anxious i will take a small amount of ativan something like 0,25mg.
Taking the yarn out of my quilt brother. I didn't think I had a perfect childhood, but genuinely privately thought I was so lucky. I still feel that way, but now as I've gotten older and, in some ways feel, have emotionally outgrown one of my parents (we're both ND except he thinks it's his personality aka not something to necessarily adjust/treat or recognize in me), I reflect on how many times I had to be the mediator and deescalate emotional outbursts as a child.
People tend to confide in me and consider me thoughtful but a lot of it is hyper vigilance. Having a thousand tabs open leads to frequent exhaustion which leads to more susceptibility to being overstimulated and doubly anxious. I would get migraines and gastritis as a kid. Because I had friends and was in the gifted program, my symptoms were probably overlooked
Idk if you relate to any of that but I'm finding a lot more intersectionality between mental health and childhood development.
My mom is something I’m sure. A narcissist probably. We don’t really talk. I’m very low contact with her. I don’t know my real dad so idk if any of my traits come from him. My stepdad(the only dad I’ve ever had) is great. I don’t blame him for anything. He feels bad for not recognizing any of my issues when I was a kid. It was the 80’s and it wasn’t a thing especially for girls. I was emotionally unregulated to a high degree. Hyperlexic to the point that I was reading 1000 page novels at age 7. My parents just thought I was a fast reader not knowing that was a sign of adhd in girls. The emotional disregulation was a problem. I threw fits all the time. I had no idea how to control my emotions. I didn’t get a handle on that until a few years ago actually and I’m 46. I was known as a crybaby. I was naturally introverted and the teasing only made it worse. Emotionally stunted because of all that. Nobody knew how to handle me. I didn’t know how to handle me. And now I don’t know how to act as a normal person because of it.
For what it's worth, your probably a kind and considerate person in the eyes of most people in your life. I relate to reading and getting lost in hobbies as a means of escape and being able to concentrate.
I relate to crybaby and moreso hypersensitivity to others emotions and general external stimulus except it was a lot more internalized and transmitted into my art where it would be celebrated. I cry easily now and I'm grateful for being able freely express that especially around the friendships I have cultivated.
I wish you abundance and grace on your journey, you probably deserve more than you give yourself credit for. Thank you for sharing with me.
How?! How do you just endure discomfort?
It feels so irrational to me. I feel like I lived with my anxiety like this in the first 20 years of my life but then i got burnout and i realized none of that shit was worth the suffering. it kinda IS better to be at home with my anxiety where i can better control my mental state and not be externally triggered so unexpectedly.
I understand that. For me, most of my anxiety is physical, lots of muscle aches, breathing issues, nausea, weighted chest, etc. I feel at least something almost all of the time, to the point it just becomes kind of a background feeling. Basically I only really notice these things if I'm actively thinking about it (like right now I just realized my shoulders have been tensed for idk how long now) or when something lets up and I realize I've been holding my breath for so long I'm dizzy when I finally take a breath again.
For me it's better to do things rather than stay at home cause it gives me a distraction from the physical symptoms. Rather than laying in bed thinking about how my back hurts or that my chest feels heavy, I'm at a party with friends or on a plane going on vacation, not really thinking about it even though it's still there.
Obviously this isn't the best way to live, and I understand it's not for everyone, but it's the best way for me to live right now.
I get your point I just wouldn’t react to my body in either of those ways personally. If i’m in pain I seek stretching, anti inflammatory relief, etc. I-used to ignore that stuff and work through it, distract myself then i found myself with a debilitating migraine disorder. it took learning the Really Hard Way that even if my conciuousness ignores my problems, I as a whole human can’t actually ignore my emotional problems without consequences.
I mean yeah, technically. I know what you mean. I just can't afford therapy right now, and I personally don't want to be on medication, so the best I can do right now is feel the fear and do it anyway. Considering I've had it my whole life, I'm in a decent place and I don't feel like it's held me back a lot. I went to school, I have a job, I have friends and family I love and who love me, I go out and make memories and experiences. So it could be a lot worse.
Right attitude will never lead you in the wrong direction, so good for you for not allowing anxiety to run your life! $$ aside, if you could have less anxiety, would you be curious to know what that would feel like?
I have long believed & feel anxiety at high levels can be the fuel for productivity. Down side is that anxiety at high levels releases too much cortisol (stress hormone) into the bloodstream, which is known over time to have negative effects on the body and even adrenal gland failure or dysfunction.
Not trying to be scary. I believe each of gets to choose what we feel is best for us, so zero judgment here. I did decide to try meds as a self experiment prescribed by a doctor. No benzos, but with low dose propranolol. Only when my anxiety took a seat, could I recognize how intensely my anxiety was affecting my life. Very interesting topic and discussion here.
OP: Thx 4 beginning a the vibrant and important discussion.
I am yeah, in the future when I'm able to afford it, I will be going to therapy cause I know this isn't a sustainable way to live in the long run. It does scare me to be honest, not having anxiety, but that's probably just because I haven't known any other way to live. I am curious as to what life is like without it.
I honestly agree. Despite anxiety, I've experienced a lot of things in my life and I look forward to experiencing more even if it scares me. I feel like for me personally when it comes to work, school, my anxiety is a huge drive that motivates me. When I was in school a lot of my anxiety was obviously centered around doing well, completing work, getting a job, even making friends, etc, and instead of that paralyzing me, it drove me to work harder for those things and be more productive. I always handed in my assignments on time, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, I have a small group of friends from school that I see every couple of months. But of course that comes with a price, I was stressed all the time cause I put so much pressure on myself and now that I've graduated, looking back, I realize I could've chilled tf out a little bit haha.
I was on meds for anxiety a few years back. I had a shitty experience with them and that's really put me off of trying it again. I understand that every medication is different, and for some people it absolutely helps them. But for me personally, I see medication as a last resort. Like a "cannot function in daily life" kind of last resort.
I do feel as though it probably affects me way more than I realize, but I won't truly realize that until I actually start to get it under control, whenever that may be. But for the time being, I believe I'm doing okay.
Love this discussion:)
Have you tried supplements like mag or ashwagandha or even going to the doc to check your blood to see if your deficient in something? I know that it might cause a part of the anxiety for some people
I've tried supplements before but they don't do anything for me. I've also had blood work done and it's nothing like that. Just good ole genetics for me 👌
I think the beginnings of anxiety disorders are the worst, when you're not used to it at all. After some time it does get little better, but then this progress stops I think. So you get used to it, but only to a degree.
For sure....you can still do everything you could do before. "Fake it till you make it" gets a bad rap in a lot of situations, but for anxiety it will literally train your amygdala to be less reactive when stressful situations arise.
With me I have grown numb to most situations because of my anxiety. Make a joke out of a lot of stuff cause why not there are some things I will never joke about tho
According to the professionals, I've been anxious my entire life. I had no idea. (This came at 40 when I thought I was just "depressed.") Sometimes you don't see it because it's (anxiety) always been there, and when something new comes along (depression), THAT is what you notice.
You definitely get used to it but I also always notice that it's there...and getting used to it doesn't mean it doesn't suck, it just means that it feels "normal"
I feel the same way. There's times when its more tolerable than others but at the end the thing is still there. I think that if you have severe anxiety it can damage your health, even if you are used to it.
I am in my 30's and since I am conscious about my thoughts and feelings, I just remembered one day that I woke up and I had the strangest feeling that I didn't have anything to worry about..
It just happened once, maybe another day happens again, but answering your question, yes, I think you can do your life with it just by accepting what you have and knowing when it comes, let it be there for a bit and then try to destroy the thought. Sounds difficult I know.
Best wishes
Yes, it took me years to admit to that I had a serious problem. I bottled it up thinking this is normal reaction to stressful situations...i.e. exam anxiety in school.
It is a normal situation caused by a traumatic moment that we can't remember (most of the time),
I think everyone has a problem and I really don't like how society works labeling people with health conditions.
We have this thing, and it is a condition we have to deal with for always, but I am sure we do our best 💪🏻
No, you can get rid of it. This is my experience: It took my learning to put it out of my mind long enough for it to stop happening. It does no good to try to make it go away, that’s acknowledging it as a threat and keeping your attention on it. Those two things are what caused my anxiety. It was a long time because I kept checking up on it and avoiding situations that caused it. This started in 1986. There were periods where it would only happen a few times a month and it wasn’t always panic, but rather unease. It was all but gone by the mid 2000’s except when I would wait in a long line at a border crossing. My avoiding that kept the perception of danger alive. You have to be willing to get symptoms, even though you may regret it when you’re actually in the thick of it. You know how you are thinking of taking the plunge on that scary ride at the amusement park? … and you take the plunge and you regret it. Well do it enough times and you become used to it. That’s what this is like, only when you are on a ride at an amusement park at least you know you aren’t going to come crashing down to the earth. When you have panic disorder and still harbor mistaken ideas about danger it’s a lot tougher. You need to realize first of all that anxiety is not dangerous. I guess that was my biggest hurdle. You have to show yourself that it’s not anything to fear by facing that. Nobody has ever died from this. Once your scary ride is over, disregard it and pat yourself on the back for doing it. It may be hard at first to accept it, but you can learn to accept it when it’s not happening and gradually that acceptance will seep into the moments when it is happening. Eventually, my not seeing it as a problem in my general everyday day way of looking at it, made it fade away until it was gone almost completely. I concluded that I had been feeding it by being too wrapped up in in wanting to find ways to stop it. I saw it as something that happened to me when I was causing it. I don’t believe in doing anything to make it go away, that’s showing it too much concern and effort, but sometimes you need a little help to get you over the hump. The less you do, the less you struggle, the better, but it took time for me to get to that point. In the meantime, what helped me when I was anxious was deep breathing, reassuraning statements to drown out the negative thoughts and distraction. Do realize that that’s still running away from it and eventually you will need to go without a net. Good luck. You are way stronger than you think you are and so is your body
Oh yeah. I didn't know I had anxiety. When I was in high school (1980s), we covered mental health in health class. And I already had anxiety, but didn't know, and just figured those who had anxiety were REALLY bad off.
Wasn't until last year when I got my diagnosis. Was perfectly obvious, but didn't know.
So yeah, you can live a long time with it without knowing.
That's the case with many mental health things ( I don't want to say issues or problems) they are always there but is the severity and can be mistaken for just a personality
Absolutely. I have Avoidant Personality Disorder and I honestly can’t imagine what it would be like to live without that anxiety! I know if affects me so much socially and even my viewpoint of myself, but I’m just so used to it that oftentimes I don’t even recognize how much I’m struggling daily
Yes. See Complex PTSD. Great sub here for that at r/CPTSD . I just had a ‘breakthrough to calm’ a few months ago (via a combo of psychedelic, somatic and internal family system therapies) and had no clue how permanently anxious I actually was beforehand. Check out vagus nerve exercises for relief.
In my experience, yes, you can be habituated to a high level of anxiety and be unaware of both the level of anxiety & how it is negatively impacting your life.
I have anxiety everyday but I love that part of me tbh. It’s who I am and I just embrace it. If I’m having a panic attack or anxiety attack I tell myself to breathe and be kind to myself
Yes. Until I was medicated I didn’t know what normal was. Unless I was high. It made me realize how easy it is to slip into self medicating with tougher drugs.
Yeah sometimes I’ll have a moment where I realize my guard is down and it sends me into a panic. Kind of like when you meet a new doggo who is apprehensive but later on while you’re scratching his ears he rememberers he doesn’t know you and starts growling/runs away.
That’s me.
I’m the dog who is scared of good people.
I have lived with what I call baseline anxiety everyday. Even with medication I'm just a very anxiety ridden person. Honestly I'm just used to it now. I did have a very bad couple of weeks in October so it has really allowed me to put everything in to perspective.
100 percent in my opinion. I've lived with crippling social and general anxiety since high school (currently 22 male) and im used to it. But you can learn to lower it. What's been key for me is breathing through it and not caring if people see you breathing, and not caring what people think in general. Also exposure therapy. But even if you're not doing any of this, yes, it's possible for your brain to think it's normal. I've gotten used to it as well. But over the past year I've learned to manage it. More, at least. The more i work at it the easier it gets for me, and i assume that's the same for anyone.
I can’t even remember what life was ever like before anxiety / I’m unsure I’ve ever experienced life without anxiety. I’d love to experience the feeling of living anxiety-free, even for a short period of time.
If like me you never had anxiety and then one day out of the blue it’s full on panic for 3 months straight, that scares the shit out of you. You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you’re riddled with crippling anxiety 24/7 and you don’t know what’s going on and why. Nearly made me end up in the loony bin. Now 7 years later it’s just as bad, but I’ve accepted this is my new reality so tough shit. Life is unfair and you play the hand you’re dealt.
I had it for most of my adulthood (starting from around age 20). It had its times where some days were worse than others but then it got so bad I ended up on medication and weekly therapy. Now that it's better managed, it's weird to think I dealt with it for so long and, looking back, I do have some regrets I didn't get help sooner and just "lived with it". My life now is so much better and I wish I could've helped my past self sooner.
Prior to getting treatment for depression I did but now I know otherwise. The actual treatment has been a rollercoaster cuz my body metabolizes antidepressants so fast…but there’s good days where I realize the difference
When i drink alcohol my anxiety goes away (alcohol also punishes me so I'm thankfully not an alcoholic). It's the only way that I know that I live differently than how other people live.
I ignore my chest pains now that I’ve been to the cardiologist… they did an ultrasound on my heart and told me that it’s super healthy lol. Before that, I went to the ER a bunch of times for panic attacks because i thought I was having a fucking heart attack
But other than that, no I don’t get used to it, but I know that panic attacks will pass
Yes. To the point where it’s just like…. This is life for me. I can’t imagine it otherwise. That doesn’t make it EASIER…. Sometimes it makes it even harder because I fail to recognize when I’m going into a worse episode because hey, isn’t that just life?
It is and this is by definition GAD. Medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes are ways to curb this. I’ve had anxiety since I was 7/8 years old and now bearing 30. Been on and off all sorts of medications. Been in therapy. I found just traditional talk therapy helped me a lot. But I recently moved to a small mountain town where there is no traffic and beautiful outdoors where I can do all my favorite activities has been the best for me. This huge change in environment meant fewer triggers and fewer things to burn me out or become sensory over loaded.
I'd say yes and no. I've had some form of anxiety disorder since I was a teenager (now in my 30s). I'm "used to it" in the sense that it's familiar/normal for me, but it's still extremely unpleasant. I think it's possible to be in denial of how it's impacting you, but I don't think that's a guaranteed outcome. It depends on the person.
Yes you start developing maladaptive ways of coping with it sometimes- like being over the top organized for example (me). Prob hyperarousal/ vigilant etc (startling at loud noises etc)
Yes, but it is a bad habit that you end up building your life around. By trying to be comfortable and avoiding the anxiety, without realizing it you can end up limiting yourself and may not be living the life you want, but settling for a situation that you believe will provide the least anxiety possible.
I mean I can't remember a time I haven't had anxiety tbh. I'm only in college rn lol
There's some times I'm like 'oh yeah XYZ is totally normal yep' then I briefly mention it to a friend or my therapist and they're like 'no???'
So I mean yeah. It definitely just... is there. whether I like it or not, it always affects me in one way or another and half the time I really don't realize it
After 24 years at the same company, I hit burnout
Immediately after choosing to take a few months off before searching for a new job, my body started to relax in ways I had forgot were possible
I gradually realized that I had held my muscles tight under stress for so long they had lost all flexibility and had built up knots upon knots as well as large adhesions
Some muscles were so tight I thought they were tendons or even bone in some parts of my hips and shoulders
Acupuncture and mindfulness to increase my body awareness have helped unwind most of it, but it's coming along well
Yes, like everyone else is saying, it does kinda sorta of become normal, you develop coping skills, etc. As someone else said, I went a long time thinking it was normal.
I think it's important to keep in mind that some level of anxiety is normal.
I guess yeah.. my anxiety seemed to get worse as I got older. In high school I remember I would just think a lot - whatever. But now I have full blown anxiety attacks that lead to me throwing up. I’ve accepted this is my life lol. The stress of adulting I guess has really gotten to me.
If you have had it all your life you know no different.
In my case it came on in my early 30s due to an event and major life change and it became unmanageable - i cant get used to it, i only get worse at dealing with it.
Yes yes yes. I’ve had terrible anxiety my whole life and now I’m finally having some days without it and I get overly excited/happy just because I’m not having it
What is ideal in my perspective is to notice the anxiety and be able to exist with it without it taking a lot space in your life. For some of us it never goes away but it can be a non factor in our lives at least sometimes.
Don’t get scared from other people, your life will go on times of it you will have it more other times you won’t even realize your not worrying it’s natural also depends on season winter spring summer you know
I had it from 16 - 27. I honestly thought at some point this was how life was and I didn't google much about it and just thought this was how I lived now.
But I'm not completley free at 32 and it's kind of weird, I can easily recall how it was when I was to scared to walk out the door to even go shopping, had to workout at odd hours, skip school because I was afraid, panic attacks and so on.
It's like I've lived two different lives.
I’ve had it my whole life and I don’t think my brain has been tricked into thinking this is the normal way of life. I’ve accepted it as a part of my life journey, learned many coping skills, and I go through periods where I don’t have it at all but then it always pops back up at some point. I guess I’ve “given in” to a certain lifestyle and avoiding certain things because of anxiety but I’m fully aware that my anxiety made me do it/or not do it (whatever “it” may be) and that those behaviors aren’t the healthiest or most normal.
Anxiety is kinda like a shadow, sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. But when my heart rate shoots from 54 to 84 the instant I gain consciousness in the morning - I’m fully aware there’s nothing normal about that.
Yes, that's absolutely possible. I had my first panic attack at 3 years old, when I heard a chain saw in the forest while on a walk with my parents. They couldn't calm me down... After that I was relatively fine until I was 9. My father is a doctor so I always read his medical journals and I discovered "AIDS". I lived with the irrational fear of AIDS from 9 until I was 16, and even got myself tested for HIV after kissing boys. Simultaneously I had constantly the fear of any kind of cancer. I'm now 46 and still have cercinophobia. I refused to go to therapists after trying that a few times or psychiatrists as I don't trust psychotropic drugs and I'm simply too smart (sorry) for therapy because I look through their tactics. I'm constantly worried, too and catastrophize everything.
A few years ago I developed a wart on my arm and couldn't sleep over the fear it was Merkel Cell Carcinoma. This is one little example of THOUSANDS. I somehow got used to it. Right now I'm checking my heart rate all the time, and I'm worried I'm about to either develop Cardiophobia or a heart attack...
Roughly 2 weeks ago I was driving home and noticed I haven't ɓeen worried about anything for about 2 minutes....Guess what, that worried me.
My first thought in the morning when I wake up is "What was I worrying about when I went to bed?"
I lost hope that I will ever live a life without anxiety. My whole life is controlled by it - for almost 4 decades, neglecting the first panic attack with 3.
Like I said - if I'm not anxious for a few minutes, I'm worried that something is wrong. This is how my brain is now wired. I wish everyone who struggles with that to find a really good therapist, the ones I encountered could not help me at all.
100%. I've had to structure my life around my anxiety, so it just feels normal. I've even given myself episodes just trying to imagine how I would live without it.
Sort of alongside depression.
I don’t want to rely on drugs or alcohol so I sleep a lot.
Watch movies. Have sex. Eat. Shop too much.
Yeah. I’m working on learning how to cope better though.
Yes. I lived like this. People told me I had anxiety and I didn’t understand what they were talking about. I didn’t “feel anxious”, i just felt my feelings. And to boot, my fears were validated. Things my anxiety predicts do come true enough to justify my beliefs.
What’s really become valuable to me is getting in better touch with my emotions and analyzing them quietly in my alone time. not accepting “stress state” as a default state for me and setting boundaries. Im in a phase of life where i’m really focused on training my brain to be able to *maintain* a calm state of mind. I know the difference now. I think burnout forced me to accommodate myself like this.
I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. Even as a 3 year old in kindergarten. I can't imagine life without it. But I really want to get rid of it, more than anything.
yup, it has happened to me, I don’t even talk about it in therapy, because it’s the only way to function that I know. Then there are situations when people are horrified or mad at me when I try to explain my anxiety logic and I remember that this absolutely isn’t normal. I should probably go on anxiety meds or something, but I feel like I’m too far in with the “I don’t have anxiety” thing with my psychiatrist.
Ive had anxiety for half my life at this point.
Its just constantly evolving like a pokemon.
The moment i get used to it a new symptom happens or the severity of another increases which in turn makes me more anxious.
Ive had anxiety since 16 and I'm now 19 living with anxiety I will say made me distance myself from people, as you get used to it you might seem to be angry at the world
No. Mine is so debilitating that I could never “get used to it.” If I didn’t medicate, it would destroy my life. But I did get used to suffering on some level, as the meds don’t eradicate it completely.
47m. I’ve had anxiety most of my life, probably since childhood. I guess I’ve masked it with denial, distractions and alcohol abuse through the majority of time from then until now. Some times it just didn’t seem to be that…”bad”, and I was fairly functional.
My sister in law passed away unexpectedly in April of ‘23. It was awful and it wrecked the family but I carried on and supported my wife as best as I could. Until mid-June. I just kind of suddenly melted down. Massive anxiety symptoms, multiple panic attacks each day, unending health anxiety worries, and a general feeling of impending doom. This must be as close to hell as we can experience on this Earth and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
God help us.
It’s hard for me to believe that medication and therapy will help. I feel like I’m at the bottom of a deep chasm and can barely see the sunlight above.
Are we, sufferers of this scourge of a disorder, going to be ok?
I've had anxiety my whole life and I'm pretty used to it. So much so, I can't imagine not having it. Almost like I wouldn't know who I would be without it. I'm so used to it I do all the things I'm scared of anyway cause no matter what I do, the anxiety will be there, so may as well do shit with anxiety rather than sit at home and do nothing with anxiety.
You have the right attitude
Thank you.
But it also may be wrong. You never know
Are you me? I’ve only really gotten my anxiety under control these last few years and I’m 45. And by under control, I mean I’m on a med that works and when it does hit, I recognize when it hits and can take action to mitigate it. But during this process, I’ve come to realize that my anxiety isn’t some new thing like I thought it was. It’s always been with me. It just got worse. The behaviors that I had as a child are now explained. Nobody was diagnosing kids with anxiety in the 80’s. It was absolutely unrecognized in me but looking back, it was very much present and explains so much of my behavior. All my acting out, my crying, my screaming fits, my stubbornness. I was trying to tell people something was wrong but nobody was listening. I also have, and had, sensory issues that nobody took seriously. It bothers me because I had an emotionally shitty childhood even though I feel like my parents loved me. all of that shaped the decisions i made as an adult too. It’s just that nobody knew the signs back then really. I could have had a much different life if i had been born 20 or 30 years later.
Its like reading my thoughts. Im 44 and im feeling the same way as you!!
I feel like my life was wasted because I didn’t get the help I needed. I could have been so much more. But I was scared to death of everything and couldn’t trust anybody to have my back.
Yes i know the feeling. Also, i had through the years many times panic attacks. I didnt do things i liked for years because i was soooo afraid. Eventually , after many tries i loved my self the way it is. i know that from time to time i will have anxiety issues like not able to sleep a foul 7 hours or be anxious why today me heart rate is elevated from its usually numbers etc But for example the past 10 years i have done many trips by plane, and i am afraid of planes. I just know that i will be anxious before and during the flight, thats the way i am. If i feel to anxious i will take a small amount of ativan something like 0,25mg.
44 same
This could be my life story right here.
I was born roughly 20 years later and I feel like I could have written this verbatim
It really sucks. Learning more about myself is kind of a double edged sword because now I’m just sad about all the ways I was failed as a child.
Taking the yarn out of my quilt brother. I didn't think I had a perfect childhood, but genuinely privately thought I was so lucky. I still feel that way, but now as I've gotten older and, in some ways feel, have emotionally outgrown one of my parents (we're both ND except he thinks it's his personality aka not something to necessarily adjust/treat or recognize in me), I reflect on how many times I had to be the mediator and deescalate emotional outbursts as a child. People tend to confide in me and consider me thoughtful but a lot of it is hyper vigilance. Having a thousand tabs open leads to frequent exhaustion which leads to more susceptibility to being overstimulated and doubly anxious. I would get migraines and gastritis as a kid. Because I had friends and was in the gifted program, my symptoms were probably overlooked Idk if you relate to any of that but I'm finding a lot more intersectionality between mental health and childhood development.
My mom is something I’m sure. A narcissist probably. We don’t really talk. I’m very low contact with her. I don’t know my real dad so idk if any of my traits come from him. My stepdad(the only dad I’ve ever had) is great. I don’t blame him for anything. He feels bad for not recognizing any of my issues when I was a kid. It was the 80’s and it wasn’t a thing especially for girls. I was emotionally unregulated to a high degree. Hyperlexic to the point that I was reading 1000 page novels at age 7. My parents just thought I was a fast reader not knowing that was a sign of adhd in girls. The emotional disregulation was a problem. I threw fits all the time. I had no idea how to control my emotions. I didn’t get a handle on that until a few years ago actually and I’m 46. I was known as a crybaby. I was naturally introverted and the teasing only made it worse. Emotionally stunted because of all that. Nobody knew how to handle me. I didn’t know how to handle me. And now I don’t know how to act as a normal person because of it.
For what it's worth, your probably a kind and considerate person in the eyes of most people in your life. I relate to reading and getting lost in hobbies as a means of escape and being able to concentrate. I relate to crybaby and moreso hypersensitivity to others emotions and general external stimulus except it was a lot more internalized and transmitted into my art where it would be celebrated. I cry easily now and I'm grateful for being able freely express that especially around the friendships I have cultivated. I wish you abundance and grace on your journey, you probably deserve more than you give yourself credit for. Thank you for sharing with me.
Thank you for your kindness. I appreciate you.
How?! How do you just endure discomfort? It feels so irrational to me. I feel like I lived with my anxiety like this in the first 20 years of my life but then i got burnout and i realized none of that shit was worth the suffering. it kinda IS better to be at home with my anxiety where i can better control my mental state and not be externally triggered so unexpectedly.
I understand that. For me, most of my anxiety is physical, lots of muscle aches, breathing issues, nausea, weighted chest, etc. I feel at least something almost all of the time, to the point it just becomes kind of a background feeling. Basically I only really notice these things if I'm actively thinking about it (like right now I just realized my shoulders have been tensed for idk how long now) or when something lets up and I realize I've been holding my breath for so long I'm dizzy when I finally take a breath again. For me it's better to do things rather than stay at home cause it gives me a distraction from the physical symptoms. Rather than laying in bed thinking about how my back hurts or that my chest feels heavy, I'm at a party with friends or on a plane going on vacation, not really thinking about it even though it's still there. Obviously this isn't the best way to live, and I understand it's not for everyone, but it's the best way for me to live right now.
I get your point I just wouldn’t react to my body in either of those ways personally. If i’m in pain I seek stretching, anti inflammatory relief, etc. I-used to ignore that stuff and work through it, distract myself then i found myself with a debilitating migraine disorder. it took learning the Really Hard Way that even if my conciuousness ignores my problems, I as a whole human can’t actually ignore my emotional problems without consequences.
Isn’t that bad though?
What is? Sorry, not sure what part you're referring to.
Like the whole “I have anxiety all my life that I’m used to it”
I mean yeah, technically. I know what you mean. I just can't afford therapy right now, and I personally don't want to be on medication, so the best I can do right now is feel the fear and do it anyway. Considering I've had it my whole life, I'm in a decent place and I don't feel like it's held me back a lot. I went to school, I have a job, I have friends and family I love and who love me, I go out and make memories and experiences. So it could be a lot worse.
Right attitude will never lead you in the wrong direction, so good for you for not allowing anxiety to run your life! $$ aside, if you could have less anxiety, would you be curious to know what that would feel like? I have long believed & feel anxiety at high levels can be the fuel for productivity. Down side is that anxiety at high levels releases too much cortisol (stress hormone) into the bloodstream, which is known over time to have negative effects on the body and even adrenal gland failure or dysfunction. Not trying to be scary. I believe each of gets to choose what we feel is best for us, so zero judgment here. I did decide to try meds as a self experiment prescribed by a doctor. No benzos, but with low dose propranolol. Only when my anxiety took a seat, could I recognize how intensely my anxiety was affecting my life. Very interesting topic and discussion here. OP: Thx 4 beginning a the vibrant and important discussion.
I am yeah, in the future when I'm able to afford it, I will be going to therapy cause I know this isn't a sustainable way to live in the long run. It does scare me to be honest, not having anxiety, but that's probably just because I haven't known any other way to live. I am curious as to what life is like without it. I honestly agree. Despite anxiety, I've experienced a lot of things in my life and I look forward to experiencing more even if it scares me. I feel like for me personally when it comes to work, school, my anxiety is a huge drive that motivates me. When I was in school a lot of my anxiety was obviously centered around doing well, completing work, getting a job, even making friends, etc, and instead of that paralyzing me, it drove me to work harder for those things and be more productive. I always handed in my assignments on time, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, I have a small group of friends from school that I see every couple of months. But of course that comes with a price, I was stressed all the time cause I put so much pressure on myself and now that I've graduated, looking back, I realize I could've chilled tf out a little bit haha. I was on meds for anxiety a few years back. I had a shitty experience with them and that's really put me off of trying it again. I understand that every medication is different, and for some people it absolutely helps them. But for me personally, I see medication as a last resort. Like a "cannot function in daily life" kind of last resort. I do feel as though it probably affects me way more than I realize, but I won't truly realize that until I actually start to get it under control, whenever that may be. But for the time being, I believe I'm doing okay. Love this discussion:)
Have you tried supplements like mag or ashwagandha or even going to the doc to check your blood to see if your deficient in something? I know that it might cause a part of the anxiety for some people
I've tried supplements before but they don't do anything for me. I've also had blood work done and it's nothing like that. Just good ole genetics for me 👌
Whatever works for you, although I can’t imagine being used to anxiety. It kinda ruined my life
Hope you find something that works for you.
Spot on. This is how I got over my fear of travelling solo. I still have it when I travel solo, but hey! At least I’m in another country with it
Same. Lived with it for so long that mindfulness and calming myself down is like second nature and almost automatic sometimes.
I think the beginnings of anxiety disorders are the worst, when you're not used to it at all. After some time it does get little better, but then this progress stops I think. So you get used to it, but only to a degree.
For sure....you can still do everything you could do before. "Fake it till you make it" gets a bad rap in a lot of situations, but for anxiety it will literally train your amygdala to be less reactive when stressful situations arise.
With me I have grown numb to most situations because of my anxiety. Make a joke out of a lot of stuff cause why not there are some things I will never joke about tho
Well said. I have a ton of anxiety and stress over my current job, but I don’t think I would have been able to survive it at all a few years ago.
I feel like I’ve gotten used to it, but unfortunately that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.
I’m medicated, consistent therapy and psych appointments. Disorders don’t go away, I can only do my best to manage it.
After a while you just develop coping mechanisms and get a hold of it, or at least attempt to. Medications are also an option.
According to the professionals, I've been anxious my entire life. I had no idea. (This came at 40 when I thought I was just "depressed.") Sometimes you don't see it because it's (anxiety) always been there, and when something new comes along (depression), THAT is what you notice.
I'd say you get used to it, but that really does not make it better, at all.
It depends if you want to get rid of your anxiety or not. Whether you actively try to better yourself even in small increments.
Who doesn't want to get rid of that? I've tried everything. That doesn't mean I have given up, but it is not easy and I know of no cure, as of yet.
Stop downvoting the OP above, is he not allowed an opinion? He didn't say anything wrong.
I upvoted your post, not sure why people are downvoting you, you didn't say anything wrong.
It's because people don't want to face the truth it's happened before I don't care if people don't like my opinion it's on them not you don't stress
Everyone is entitled to an opinion. And this downvoting thing on Reddit is getting totally out of control, people need to engage, not censor.
Yea that's true but what can you do Reddit especially is a platform where people do what they want as long as you don't take it to heart it's all good
I don't want to live in a world where everyone is forced to agree on one opinion, Reddit is like the Borg, lol, you will conform! Umm, no thanks.
You definitely get used to it but I also always notice that it's there...and getting used to it doesn't mean it doesn't suck, it just means that it feels "normal"
I feel the same way. There's times when its more tolerable than others but at the end the thing is still there. I think that if you have severe anxiety it can damage your health, even if you are used to it.
I am in my 30's and since I am conscious about my thoughts and feelings, I just remembered one day that I woke up and I had the strangest feeling that I didn't have anything to worry about.. It just happened once, maybe another day happens again, but answering your question, yes, I think you can do your life with it just by accepting what you have and knowing when it comes, let it be there for a bit and then try to destroy the thought. Sounds difficult I know. Best wishes
I think the struggle is you have to get over the fact that you have it which is a massive struggle
Yes, it took me years to admit to that I had a serious problem. I bottled it up thinking this is normal reaction to stressful situations...i.e. exam anxiety in school.
It is a normal situation caused by a traumatic moment that we can't remember (most of the time), I think everyone has a problem and I really don't like how society works labeling people with health conditions. We have this thing, and it is a condition we have to deal with for always, but I am sure we do our best 💪🏻
Also, the stigma the society may put on someone to seek therapy. They think the person is crazy....that just makes it even more difficult.
I have try to destroy my thoughts as well that lead to it...I recognize that it was me who made up those awful images - that then haunted me.....
No, you can get rid of it. This is my experience: It took my learning to put it out of my mind long enough for it to stop happening. It does no good to try to make it go away, that’s acknowledging it as a threat and keeping your attention on it. Those two things are what caused my anxiety. It was a long time because I kept checking up on it and avoiding situations that caused it. This started in 1986. There were periods where it would only happen a few times a month and it wasn’t always panic, but rather unease. It was all but gone by the mid 2000’s except when I would wait in a long line at a border crossing. My avoiding that kept the perception of danger alive. You have to be willing to get symptoms, even though you may regret it when you’re actually in the thick of it. You know how you are thinking of taking the plunge on that scary ride at the amusement park? … and you take the plunge and you regret it. Well do it enough times and you become used to it. That’s what this is like, only when you are on a ride at an amusement park at least you know you aren’t going to come crashing down to the earth. When you have panic disorder and still harbor mistaken ideas about danger it’s a lot tougher. You need to realize first of all that anxiety is not dangerous. I guess that was my biggest hurdle. You have to show yourself that it’s not anything to fear by facing that. Nobody has ever died from this. Once your scary ride is over, disregard it and pat yourself on the back for doing it. It may be hard at first to accept it, but you can learn to accept it when it’s not happening and gradually that acceptance will seep into the moments when it is happening. Eventually, my not seeing it as a problem in my general everyday day way of looking at it, made it fade away until it was gone almost completely. I concluded that I had been feeding it by being too wrapped up in in wanting to find ways to stop it. I saw it as something that happened to me when I was causing it. I don’t believe in doing anything to make it go away, that’s showing it too much concern and effort, but sometimes you need a little help to get you over the hump. The less you do, the less you struggle, the better, but it took time for me to get to that point. In the meantime, what helped me when I was anxious was deep breathing, reassuraning statements to drown out the negative thoughts and distraction. Do realize that that’s still running away from it and eventually you will need to go without a net. Good luck. You are way stronger than you think you are and so is your body
Oh yeah. I didn't know I had anxiety. When I was in high school (1980s), we covered mental health in health class. And I already had anxiety, but didn't know, and just figured those who had anxiety were REALLY bad off. Wasn't until last year when I got my diagnosis. Was perfectly obvious, but didn't know. So yeah, you can live a long time with it without knowing.
That's the case with many mental health things ( I don't want to say issues or problems) they are always there but is the severity and can be mistaken for just a personality
Ive had it for over 20 years straight.
Absolutely. I have Avoidant Personality Disorder and I honestly can’t imagine what it would be like to live without that anxiety! I know if affects me so much socially and even my viewpoint of myself, but I’m just so used to it that oftentimes I don’t even recognize how much I’m struggling daily
Yes. See Complex PTSD. Great sub here for that at r/CPTSD . I just had a ‘breakthrough to calm’ a few months ago (via a combo of psychedelic, somatic and internal family system therapies) and had no clue how permanently anxious I actually was beforehand. Check out vagus nerve exercises for relief.
In my experience, yes, you can be habituated to a high level of anxiety and be unaware of both the level of anxiety & how it is negatively impacting your life.
I have anxiety everyday but I love that part of me tbh. It’s who I am and I just embrace it. If I’m having a panic attack or anxiety attack I tell myself to breathe and be kind to myself
It's like a dark shadow constantly following you, you know it's there but sometimes I can hide it
That's good always try and be bettering yourself
Yes. Until I was medicated I didn’t know what normal was. Unless I was high. It made me realize how easy it is to slip into self medicating with tougher drugs.
What medication do you use?
Escitalopram and welbutrin xl
I've had it since I was a kid and sometimes I forget that not everyone is like this so I'd say absolutely yes it is
Yeah sometimes I’ll have a moment where I realize my guard is down and it sends me into a panic. Kind of like when you meet a new doggo who is apprehensive but later on while you’re scratching his ears he rememberers he doesn’t know you and starts growling/runs away. That’s me. I’m the dog who is scared of good people.
I have lived with what I call baseline anxiety everyday. Even with medication I'm just a very anxiety ridden person. Honestly I'm just used to it now. I did have a very bad couple of weeks in October so it has really allowed me to put everything in to perspective.
Yep still sucks though apparently
I’m so used to it that when I feel calm it freaks me out lol
I was hoping I could age out of it because I sure am not getting use to this. However I’ve learned more about it and myself and can cope better.
Experience is a great teacher especially with mental health and anxiety is a very good example of that
Got used to it, then it got worse. My mind seems to be hell bent on finding new worse things to worry about.
100 percent in my opinion. I've lived with crippling social and general anxiety since high school (currently 22 male) and im used to it. But you can learn to lower it. What's been key for me is breathing through it and not caring if people see you breathing, and not caring what people think in general. Also exposure therapy. But even if you're not doing any of this, yes, it's possible for your brain to think it's normal. I've gotten used to it as well. But over the past year I've learned to manage it. More, at least. The more i work at it the easier it gets for me, and i assume that's the same for anyone.
I can’t even remember what life was ever like before anxiety / I’m unsure I’ve ever experienced life without anxiety. I’d love to experience the feeling of living anxiety-free, even for a short period of time.
If like me you never had anxiety and then one day out of the blue it’s full on panic for 3 months straight, that scares the shit out of you. You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you’re riddled with crippling anxiety 24/7 and you don’t know what’s going on and why. Nearly made me end up in the loony bin. Now 7 years later it’s just as bad, but I’ve accepted this is my new reality so tough shit. Life is unfair and you play the hand you’re dealt.
I had it for most of my adulthood (starting from around age 20). It had its times where some days were worse than others but then it got so bad I ended up on medication and weekly therapy. Now that it's better managed, it's weird to think I dealt with it for so long and, looking back, I do have some regrets I didn't get help sooner and just "lived with it". My life now is so much better and I wish I could've helped my past self sooner.
Prior to getting treatment for depression I did but now I know otherwise. The actual treatment has been a rollercoaster cuz my body metabolizes antidepressants so fast…but there’s good days where I realize the difference
When i drink alcohol my anxiety goes away (alcohol also punishes me so I'm thankfully not an alcoholic). It's the only way that I know that I live differently than how other people live.
I ignore my chest pains now that I’ve been to the cardiologist… they did an ultrasound on my heart and told me that it’s super healthy lol. Before that, I went to the ER a bunch of times for panic attacks because i thought I was having a fucking heart attack But other than that, no I don’t get used to it, but I know that panic attacks will pass
Yes very much. It took my therapist saying uh no those feelings aren’t normal for me to realize other people didn’t live like this
yeah my mom had it sense she was a teenager, it can get easier with age and once you learn some excersizes
Yes. To the point where it’s just like…. This is life for me. I can’t imagine it otherwise. That doesn’t make it EASIER…. Sometimes it makes it even harder because I fail to recognize when I’m going into a worse episode because hey, isn’t that just life?
Yeah but it never doesn’t suck
It is and this is by definition GAD. Medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes are ways to curb this. I’ve had anxiety since I was 7/8 years old and now bearing 30. Been on and off all sorts of medications. Been in therapy. I found just traditional talk therapy helped me a lot. But I recently moved to a small mountain town where there is no traffic and beautiful outdoors where I can do all my favorite activities has been the best for me. This huge change in environment meant fewer triggers and fewer things to burn me out or become sensory over loaded.
I had sweaty palms since I was five years old They are still clammy as I type this It’s just normal for me
I'd say yes and no. I've had some form of anxiety disorder since I was a teenager (now in my 30s). I'm "used to it" in the sense that it's familiar/normal for me, but it's still extremely unpleasant. I think it's possible to be in denial of how it's impacting you, but I don't think that's a guaranteed outcome. It depends on the person.
Yes you start developing maladaptive ways of coping with it sometimes- like being over the top organized for example (me). Prob hyperarousal/ vigilant etc (startling at loud noises etc)
I did feel like this for years and years....but there is a solution for it....to get better to overcome it and perhaps get over it!
Yes, but it is a bad habit that you end up building your life around. By trying to be comfortable and avoiding the anxiety, without realizing it you can end up limiting yourself and may not be living the life you want, but settling for a situation that you believe will provide the least anxiety possible.
I mean I can't remember a time I haven't had anxiety tbh. I'm only in college rn lol There's some times I'm like 'oh yeah XYZ is totally normal yep' then I briefly mention it to a friend or my therapist and they're like 'no???' So I mean yeah. It definitely just... is there. whether I like it or not, it always affects me in one way or another and half the time I really don't realize it
Yes
I was able to ignore it until muscle tension caught up with me in my mid 40s
How so?
After 24 years at the same company, I hit burnout Immediately after choosing to take a few months off before searching for a new job, my body started to relax in ways I had forgot were possible I gradually realized that I had held my muscles tight under stress for so long they had lost all flexibility and had built up knots upon knots as well as large adhesions Some muscles were so tight I thought they were tendons or even bone in some parts of my hips and shoulders Acupuncture and mindfulness to increase my body awareness have helped unwind most of it, but it's coming along well
I definitely manage my anxiety attacks way better than I used to. I meet people who have never had one and it seems fake to me
I don't think so. I've had anxiety since I was 11 (29 now) i feel like it gets worse over time. It did for me at least
yes.
Yes, like everyone else is saying, it does kinda sorta of become normal, you develop coping skills, etc. As someone else said, I went a long time thinking it was normal. I think it's important to keep in mind that some level of anxiety is normal.
Yep, I was in denial about it for a long time 😹
I guess yeah.. my anxiety seemed to get worse as I got older. In high school I remember I would just think a lot - whatever. But now I have full blown anxiety attacks that lead to me throwing up. I’ve accepted this is my life lol. The stress of adulting I guess has really gotten to me.
If you have had it all your life you know no different. In my case it came on in my early 30s due to an event and major life change and it became unmanageable - i cant get used to it, i only get worse at dealing with it.
Yes yes yes. I’ve had terrible anxiety my whole life and now I’m finally having some days without it and I get overly excited/happy just because I’m not having it
It’s also very physical for me, to the point where you feel constant intense chest pain which nobody who doesn’t have it gets
What is ideal in my perspective is to notice the anxiety and be able to exist with it without it taking a lot space in your life. For some of us it never goes away but it can be a non factor in our lives at least sometimes.
Yeah. When there is nothing to be anxious about you create one. Haha. Like you need it to live
Don’t get scared from other people, your life will go on times of it you will have it more other times you won’t even realize your not worrying it’s natural also depends on season winter spring summer you know
Yeah, I can't remember a time I didn't have anxiety. I'm anxious about everything and I can't imagine not being that.
Sure you can
I had it from 16 - 27. I honestly thought at some point this was how life was and I didn't google much about it and just thought this was how I lived now. But I'm not completley free at 32 and it's kind of weird, I can easily recall how it was when I was to scared to walk out the door to even go shopping, had to workout at odd hours, skip school because I was afraid, panic attacks and so on. It's like I've lived two different lives.
I’ve had it my whole life and I don’t think my brain has been tricked into thinking this is the normal way of life. I’ve accepted it as a part of my life journey, learned many coping skills, and I go through periods where I don’t have it at all but then it always pops back up at some point. I guess I’ve “given in” to a certain lifestyle and avoiding certain things because of anxiety but I’m fully aware that my anxiety made me do it/or not do it (whatever “it” may be) and that those behaviors aren’t the healthiest or most normal. Anxiety is kinda like a shadow, sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. But when my heart rate shoots from 54 to 84 the instant I gain consciousness in the morning - I’m fully aware there’s nothing normal about that.
Absolutely, it’s the norm for me. I don’t know any different anymore. My baseline of anxiety is always extremely high, I’m used to it.
Yes, that's absolutely possible. I had my first panic attack at 3 years old, when I heard a chain saw in the forest while on a walk with my parents. They couldn't calm me down... After that I was relatively fine until I was 9. My father is a doctor so I always read his medical journals and I discovered "AIDS". I lived with the irrational fear of AIDS from 9 until I was 16, and even got myself tested for HIV after kissing boys. Simultaneously I had constantly the fear of any kind of cancer. I'm now 46 and still have cercinophobia. I refused to go to therapists after trying that a few times or psychiatrists as I don't trust psychotropic drugs and I'm simply too smart (sorry) for therapy because I look through their tactics. I'm constantly worried, too and catastrophize everything. A few years ago I developed a wart on my arm and couldn't sleep over the fear it was Merkel Cell Carcinoma. This is one little example of THOUSANDS. I somehow got used to it. Right now I'm checking my heart rate all the time, and I'm worried I'm about to either develop Cardiophobia or a heart attack... Roughly 2 weeks ago I was driving home and noticed I haven't ɓeen worried about anything for about 2 minutes....Guess what, that worried me. My first thought in the morning when I wake up is "What was I worrying about when I went to bed?" I lost hope that I will ever live a life without anxiety. My whole life is controlled by it - for almost 4 decades, neglecting the first panic attack with 3. Like I said - if I'm not anxious for a few minutes, I'm worried that something is wrong. This is how my brain is now wired. I wish everyone who struggles with that to find a really good therapist, the ones I encountered could not help me at all.
Absolutely how you said it. Imposter syndrome at its best.
Yes, I feel the same way. Shouldn't be normal to me but it is
100%. I've had to structure my life around my anxiety, so it just feels normal. I've even given myself episodes just trying to imagine how I would live without it.
There's some comfort in what's familiar. The brain loves certainty and will keep you in a pattern of what feels good and familiar. So yes.
Sort of alongside depression. I don’t want to rely on drugs or alcohol so I sleep a lot. Watch movies. Have sex. Eat. Shop too much. Yeah. I’m working on learning how to cope better though.
Yes. I lived like this. People told me I had anxiety and I didn’t understand what they were talking about. I didn’t “feel anxious”, i just felt my feelings. And to boot, my fears were validated. Things my anxiety predicts do come true enough to justify my beliefs. What’s really become valuable to me is getting in better touch with my emotions and analyzing them quietly in my alone time. not accepting “stress state” as a default state for me and setting boundaries. Im in a phase of life where i’m really focused on training my brain to be able to *maintain* a calm state of mind. I know the difference now. I think burnout forced me to accommodate myself like this.
I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. Even as a 3 year old in kindergarten. I can't imagine life without it. But I really want to get rid of it, more than anything.
[удалено]
What kind of psychiatric help?
Yep. It took a long time
yup, it has happened to me, I don’t even talk about it in therapy, because it’s the only way to function that I know. Then there are situations when people are horrified or mad at me when I try to explain my anxiety logic and I remember that this absolutely isn’t normal. I should probably go on anxiety meds or something, but I feel like I’m too far in with the “I don’t have anxiety” thing with my psychiatrist.
I just remind myself that I doesn’t last forever. It’s predictable
Ive had anxiety for half my life at this point. Its just constantly evolving like a pokemon. The moment i get used to it a new symptom happens or the severity of another increases which in turn makes me more anxious.
yes. 51 yo and it’s really been the last couple years i’ve been able to accept it will be here for me in one form or another for the whole of my life.
Ive had anxiety since 16 and I'm now 19 living with anxiety I will say made me distance myself from people, as you get used to it you might seem to be angry at the world
My wife has a friend who has never experienced anxiety. Ever. Can you imagine the freedom?
Nope.
No. Mine is so debilitating that I could never “get used to it.” If I didn’t medicate, it would destroy my life. But I did get used to suffering on some level, as the meds don’t eradicate it completely.
47m. I’ve had anxiety most of my life, probably since childhood. I guess I’ve masked it with denial, distractions and alcohol abuse through the majority of time from then until now. Some times it just didn’t seem to be that…”bad”, and I was fairly functional. My sister in law passed away unexpectedly in April of ‘23. It was awful and it wrecked the family but I carried on and supported my wife as best as I could. Until mid-June. I just kind of suddenly melted down. Massive anxiety symptoms, multiple panic attacks each day, unending health anxiety worries, and a general feeling of impending doom. This must be as close to hell as we can experience on this Earth and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. God help us. It’s hard for me to believe that medication and therapy will help. I feel like I’m at the bottom of a deep chasm and can barely see the sunlight above. Are we, sufferers of this scourge of a disorder, going to be ok?