What it's Like Living With Anxiety Disorder

[Anonymous]

This myTake is about living with anxiety. And I don't mean day to day anxiety that people have sometimes I mean people with anxiety disorders. I have an anxiety disorder so I'm gonna tell you how it's like.

1. Always questioning the situation

If you have anxiety disorder you will often question a situation. And not in a normal way like I wonder how this meeting will go I haven't slept well. It's more like should I text hi or hey. Why hasn't he answered yet? Why did he just text hi back. Doesn't he wanna talk?

Or:

Should I say hi now or wait a couple of seconds when I walk by, did I look weird now. Did I do something wrong?

2. Over analyzing situations

This is something we do especially when it comes to people's behaviors. For example, why did she respond that way? Is he mad at me? Does he still want me? (Overthinking).

3. Panic attacks

Panic attacks are serious. And people can experience them differently for me I used to get really dizzy I couldn't see clearly and I couldn't breath. I started sweating and my heart was going up. I heard stuff more clearer. Kinda like this but not that mush movie stuff but mine was pretty similar:

(The first minute is enough)

There are many different types of panic attacks some people even black out and some just get sweaty with a heart that beats faster.

Now I used to get panic attacks for "no" reason I could be laying in bed and just get it without thinking of something that would worry me. People can get it from no where (darling with traumas you aren't aware of at the moment) or something that will happened or that you think about what IF this happens.

This is to clarify the difference between normal anxiety and people with anxiety disorders. Because many people don't know the difference and think they have anxiety because they just overthink sometimes. And of course this isn't for everyone and there are different levels and kinds of anxiety.

Anxiety usually comes from traumas but can probably come from other stuff too.

[Lovi87]

I had a panic disorder (still do which is now controlled by citalopram). I used to have attacks over nothing as well :( I would have an attack, minutes later I'd have another one, then an hour or so later another, then another an hour or minutes after that. It was a nightmare. I think I had like 6-7 a day, sometimes less. My hands curled up like as if I was having some kind of stroke, but I wasn't. It was because my heart was going ten thousand miles an hour while my breathing was all over the place. I used to cry, my bodies way of releasing it, but half the time crying didn't work.

I used to never want to be home alone encase they started again. I was terrified, and I'm still confined to my house as its caused agoraphobia.

I still have some attacks when I go outside, like to the doctors etc... but that's normal, I know that... but my body goes into attacks again and I panic. Soon as I'm back inside of my house my body is "safe" again.

I keep thinking I'll have a car accident, I'll be attacked, raped, murdered etc. I can't live like this, but I'm not giving up. I am existing right now and still living with my parents because I've been ill since I was 16.

I started having mine during my last year of high school as the bullying probably made it worse too. I almost had a nervous break down and thought a bout suicide a lot. Thank God I didn't let my bullies win.

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou for sharing! You should do a mytake about it. I'm so sorry you had/have to go through that. I hope it will get better:)

[Lovi87]

Thank you. I definitely will :) xx stay strong because everything will eventually getter easier/better.

[Lovi87]

Watching that video was actually very emotional for me because I knew exactly how he felt. Really good acting.

[myTake Owner]

I agree I can relate to his panic attack too. He is Dylan O'brien he is one of my favorite actors that clip was from "Teen Wolf". He is really good.

And thankyou I Will😊

[Lovi87]

I know :) I didn't watch the show, but from bits I saw it seemed good.

You're welcome :)

[AndreeaR]

Well said, people need to know the difference, it kind of upsets me when I tell people that I have an anxiety disorder and they tell me that they worry a lot too and it's not that big of a deal, it's not the same, you don't worry to the point where you pass out, you don't take medication for it, you don't live with the constant thought of" what if". Unfortunately I don't think people will ever really understand what's it like

[myTake Owner]

Exacly! I agree it needs to be talked about more.
And I hope it gets better:)

[Anonymous]

Anxiety is always about one thing: the unknown. You don't know what to expect, so a little bit of fear starts happening, and your mind starts racing so your heart follows suit, and before you know it, there are a dozen horrible worst-case scenarios playing out in your head all at once. When you make it a habit, it becomes a disorder, meaning that it interferes with everyday life. The solution is to push the horrible pictures away, focus on something good, and start making a habit of it.

There are some methods that work really well. I'll share if you want. They take practice, but they almost always help immediately.

[myTake Owner]

Intressting, can you chare it?

[Opinion Owner]

The easiest way is to make it as ridiculous as it is. To use an example from above, "Should I say hi now or wait a couple of seconds when I walk by, did I look weird now. Did I do something wrong?"

Of course you did something wrong! You gave yourself away! Now he knows that you cast a spell on him to shrink his penis and give him horrible breath! He's gonna be a social outcast and never be able to please a woman... and all because you took an extra second to say hi. YOU. MONSTER.

Make a game out of it. Every time you feel that anxiety spinning up, make it a point to turn that uncertainty into the most outrageously ridiculous scenario you can imagine. You'll find that its impossible to have a panic attack when you're laughing at yourself, and it'll also give you some perspective.

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou! I Will try that, it seams fun

[Opinion Owner]

Its a ton of fun. I used to have anxiety attacks, and my best friend in school did, too. When one of us would get that panicked look and start breathing fast and shallow, the other would grab them by the shoulders and go "my god, what have you done?" and the game was on.

A few months later, we realised that neither of us had had an anxiety attack in a while because whenever one started, we thought about the game and started laughing.

[myTake Owner]

Thats really Nice. You should write a mytake about it

[Eryxx]

I suffered from anxiety too and I still has impacts on me. Though it's not that intense that it used to be. I tried on my own to get rid of it and I proved out to be helpful to an extent. And I can't say I am over it completely but yeah, I can say that it doesn't come in my to do/achieve things the way it used to be.

How to overcome anxiety ↗

[myTake Owner]

Well its good that it's gone better. Hopefully it will get better. Thankyou for the link😊👍🏻

[Eryxx]

Sure. You're welcome. Hope it helps ya 😄

[myTake Owner]

I'm sure it will😊

[ladygrinningsoul]

I'm suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is like a cocktail between anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolarity, combined with unusual sleep paterns, seeing situations only as black or white, without any grays, and a lot of other stuff...
What can I say is that all those feelings combined make me feel that I cannot get a grip on reality somethimes. It feels like I am falling inside myself, and that I cannot get out of the pit, it that makes sense...
I also feel very confused and insecure, so I had to develop throughout the years a "social mask", in order not to get more hurt by the people who don't understand my condition. But this causes people to believe, in many cases, that I am a bad person, so it goes on like a vicious circle, and in the end, I get even more hurt and confused.
There are times when I am crying or panicking because of things that didn't even happen yet, and that I am "playing" only in my head, as scenarios.
Long story short: it is like hell on earth! I really encourage people who go through this to actually go seek for professional support. It really does make a difference!

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou for sharing! I hope it gets better for you:)

[awaisali-zin]

everyone experiences stress and anxiety at some point in their lives. But people who are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder interpret these stressful feelings differently. That makes it hard for people who don’t have an anxiety disorder to understand why people who have anxiety act the way they do. With this in mind, and for Mental Health Awareness Month, HelloGiggles spoke to 17 women about what it’s like to live with an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are so much more than being stressed, and they can be associated with other mental illnesses, as some of the women who opened up to HelloGiggles demonstrate. (The Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that there is no evidence that anxiety leads to depression, but notes that many people do have both disorders.) Even without another mental illness, anxiety disorders — such as generalized anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and social anxiety disorders — can wreak havoc on a person’s life. As the National Institute of Mental Health notes:

"For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The feelings can interfere with daily activities, such as job performance, school work, and relationships."

In an effort to raise awareness and show how pervasive this mental illness can really be, these 17 women shared their stories of living with anxiety. They shared stories of pain, but also triumph: While the feelings associated with an anxiety disorder can be overwhelming, many of these women have found ways to cope as they work to improve their mental health.

[myTake Owner]

Yes I agree! We need to talk about it more so people understand it's not a small thing. And that's intressting

[alvincasey]

I've always been a more "uptight" person especially in social situations when there is not a formal activity, whenn we are supposed to mingle.
Then one night i had mild panic attack that left me thinking the next day "WTF was that?"
About three weeks later I was experiencing disorientation. I made a really stupid error while driving, then about an hour later I was heading to a basketball game and nothing looked familiar. I kept asking my passenger, "Where in the hell are we?" She thought I was joking around since we travel on this road all the time.

Anyway this disorientation was a prelude to the worst panic attack ever. It took two days before I felt normal again.

I was asking myself "Am I going crazy?"

I figured out what was causing them. Around this time period I was smoking synthetic marijuana, also known as spice.

[myTake Owner]

Oh that's awful, I'm glad you are better now! And it's good that you stop smoking that stuff:)

[lumos]

My anxiety just makes me worry, a lot, and often about pretty silly and pointless things. But sometimes about bigger things too, depends how much it spirals. I've only ever had one full panic attack. My hands went numb and I don't remember much of it, other than feeling really unwell and as if I was having a heart attack.
It can be pretty tough sometimes. Meditation and exercise has helped me a lot. Meditation helps me stop my thoughts from racing and exercising helps me not think at all, just focus on what I'm doing.

[myTake Owner]

Okay. Thankyou for sharing your experience with it. Hopefully it is better now

[lumos]

It is! I hope you're doing okay too.

[Factshurt90]

It’s pure hell. It’s like a lunatic telling you all his crazy conspiracy theories that end horribly day in day out on the loudest volume setting. Then after screaming holy shit shut the fuck up you realize he won’t/can’t. So you get up and leave the room slamming the door behind you. The trouble is when you leave the room you realize the screaming continues. Out of frustration you panic. Only then do you realize this conspiracy theory yelling, catastracizing lunatic lives in your fucking head.

[myTake Owner]

I know it's awful. I hope it gets better!

[ThisAndThat]

I know where you're coming from, been there done that too, panic attacks, paranoia, OCD and depression. Had a life of hell I guess that lead up to it, and then hell because I had it on top of hell and still having hell. With all this hell, where am I to go when I'm gone?

[myTake Owner]

I hope it gets better

[ThisAndThat]

Thank you and same to you if you're experiencing it, I know it's no fun.

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou:)

[ThisAndThat]

My pleasure, you're welcome and you're not alone :)

[ashleyb93]

My biggest issue is the fact I have absolutely no confidence in my own judgement. If someone tells me I'm wrong... even if I'm right I'll still second guess myself until I have no idea what to do. Its awful

[myTake Owner]

I hope it gets better

[courtney06]

Thanks for sharing this. I commend you for being open and honest about it, that takes courage. Admitting it and self-awareness as actually the first step to healing your anxiety. You're heading in the right direction.

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou:)

[courtney06]

Also, I overthink too so I totally hear and relate to what you're saying. Thankfully I've learned healthier ways to cope over the years.

[myTake Owner]

Well its good that you are better now:)

[MScifiwriter]

Hell, I didn't even have to read the MyTake, after all why read about anxiety Disorder's when you have one yourself. Though I've found vitamin supplements to help counter the anxiety so it's no where as bad forunately! :D

[myTake Owner]

It's good you find something good for you

[HouDeany]

I used to think I was just a normal teenager and everyone around me was simply better at dealing with things. I also didn't think I was having panic attacks because I wasn't blacking out.

Thanks for the interesting MyTake.

[myTake Owner]

Oh well I hope you are better now. And thankyou:)

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

That’s the other part of it. Your reality is distorted. You think of worst case scenarios and you know the absurdity of them, but can’t avoid it. Then you get the feeling that you’re overreacting and nothing is wrong. Kinda second guessing yourself. And it becomes a vicious cycle. All the while, you mentally abuse yourself once you make a mistake or remember something bad or unpleasant that’s happened in your life, even if it seems insignificant in the macro, or just something totally out of left field.

[myTake Owner]

@Other_Tommy_Wiseau Yes thats awful! Mine used to be way worth but it's a bit better now

[Gambit3]

I wish u strength dear 😊
I look forward to you overconing your anxiety 😊👍
You are a strong individual...

Great my take too 😊👌👌

[Gambit3]

Overcoming*

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou!😊

[Temporal_Ice]

Pretty accurate. I used to have anxiety about all shorts of things and it gets in the way of enjoying life. Apparently it can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. They gave me medication for that and it helps.

[Smegskull]

I black out from it sometimes, for some reason when I do my mind shuts off and some form of OCD kicks in, I "came too" once having spent 3 hours neatening supermarket shelves.

[myTake Owner]

That's horrible. I hope you are better now. Thanks for sharing:)

[Anonymous]

Dealing with it now and everyday that it’s giving me migraines.

[myTake Owner]

Yeah I get it. It isn't the best

[NathanL]

I have anxiety and MDD (depression) these are pretty accurate :/

[myTake Owner]

I hope it gets better

[NathanL]

Ty :)

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Been there... But I'm getting better. All I did is I trained myself doing things without second thoughts and to be prepared and deal with the problems instead of avoiding them. Anxiety itself is a disorder. Intelligent people get that often.

[myTake Owner]

Intelligent people get a lot of anxiety? Where did you hear that?

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Ok think about it. Why do you think you overthink? You're just too wise and have lots of ways to escape problems. Google it.

[myTake Owner]

That's an intressting thought. Thanks

[Aiko_E_Lara]

You have many things going on in your mind. You're just not confident to say it because you don't wanna sound stupid. Right? But no one exactly care. People makes mistakes.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

And no problem

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Once you'll be able to escape your anxiety, You'll be giving people ideas and you'll successful. So be strong and good luck.

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou:)

[Aiko_E_Lara]

One more tip. Instead of over thinking about ways to avoid problems, think of ways how to deal with problems. Problems can happen anytime and it is always present. Once you master training that, you'll be fine. But don't over do it and be arrogant and obnoxious hehe. Just be confident. There's a big difference and no problem homie.

[myTake Owner]

Okay👌👌

[Toldol2]

Maybe you can read "the subtle art of not giving a fuck" from Mark Manson ;)

[uravgguy]

This is insightful, thank you for sharing.

[myTake Owner]

Thankyou!

[stormbreaker06]

many people with anxiety disorders are weak and cowards and think giving up, being depressed and looking for sympathy is the answer.

i got news for you social anxious people the world does not revolve around you and sadly no one notices your little problem.

[myTake Owner]

You lack empathy. You don't understand. You need more empathy to understand. Because blaiming People for something that isn't their fault and are diagnoses by is diagusting and so low and immuture. Try to get some empathy/sympathy and grow up

[stormbreaker06]

i have anxiety. so how could i not understand.

i don't let it destroy me like you do.

[stormbreaker06]

don't be sensitive and weak.

[myTake Owner]

You don't have it like most people who actually suffer from it deeply do because then you would have more sympathy. Think whatever you want

[stormbreaker06]

oh please... no more excuses, no more illusions.

[Toldol2]

Well said. Only the People who face the truth about their weaknesses can decide to change. Anxiety is a mindset not a permanent decease or handicap

[myTake Owner]

@Toldol2 actually that's not true. You can't just change when you know you have it. Cute Said tho. You guys should really learn more before you judge cause that's just bullshit. Thats like saying someone who is deppressed can just stop being deppressed. It doesn't work that way. You need more sympathy to understand. But knowing the problem is great but that doesn't mean you can just solve it

[myTake Owner]

Its not a mindset at all same with depression. Its a disorder

[Toldol2]

A disorder coming from the wrong mindset and twisted philosophy about life. Your body is just reacting to it. I live in this world too and I suffered from it until I started to dig deeper, see life differently and have better habits. It is a long road but if you want to keep beeing a victim of it... Then keep what you call a disorder.

[myTake Owner]

@Toldol2 it doesn't work like that at all. Read about it more because you don't understand. Reaserches and psychologest would disagree with you. But Nice try

[danielmeegan]

Say Lord take my brain before i get ahold of it everyone on earth has this mental problem at one time or another relax lighten up

[myTake Owner]

Lol no you clearly don't get it. Try to read again or move on. This is everyday life for some people in a serioust way not the way you think.