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Panic Attacks and Anxiety
Mon, 2011-03-28 15:57 | by Fred5567
Hi everyone,
My name is Haley, and I'm 18 years old. Clearly most of you think I am too young to have any sort of stress related problems. And honestly I'd have to agree, but sadly I do. I have been having panic attacks a lot lately, not full blown ones, but my heart pounds and I can hear it in my eyes and I can actually feel myself getting hotter as my heart races faster. I'm assuming that's an increase in my blood pressure. My life isn't so much stressful really, I am just from my understanding really depressed. I'm constantly thinking negatively, and anytime I think a happy thought a negative one comes along after it to take my euphoria away. I have xanax for my anxiety, but I rarely take it because it makes me sleepy and have that overall drugged feeling. I just want to calm down, and think more pleasant thoughts. I've had panic attacks for over a year now, I've been depressed since I was a child really. I'm not sure why honestly, I've had a nice life. Great family and parents. So why am I so negative, and why have I always been so negative
same here
I'm 19 years old and i feel almost exactly the same as you do. I've always been kinda depressed growing up but that was mainly due to my parents divorce. Every since senior year in highschool i've been having really bad panic attacks and a lot lately. i'm at the point to where i dont know what to do anymore. My day consists of negative thoughts almost constantly. I have taken xanax .25mg and it helped like the first couple times. I'm currently looking for people i can relate to since almost everyone around me makes me feel like theres something wrong with me. I'm so freakin negative too, it's almost ridiculous. i'm currently looking for support groups, i want to get better and i think if you have that in you, you can and will. start filling your life with positive people and things, and eventually you will become more positive. trust me i know it's not easy i'm currently working on it. i've been working on this for years now, deep down i know things will get better, but in the moment it just feels like everythings falling apart. keep working on it, we're both young, we've got plenty of time to figure stuff out so the rest of our lives can be more fulfilling and enjoyable. goodluck :)
same here
I'm 19 years old and i feel almost exactly the same as you do. I've always been kinda depressed growing up but that was mainly due to my parents divorce. Every since senior year in highschool i've been having really bad panic attacks and a lot lately. i'm at the point to where i dont know what to do anymore. My day consists of negative thoughts almost constantly. I have taken xanax .25mg and it helped like the first couple times. I'm currently looking for people i can relate to since almost everyone around me makes me feel like theres something wrong with me. I'm so freakin negative too, it's almost ridiculous. i'm currently looking for support groups, i want to get better and i think if you have that in you, you can and will. start filling your life with positive people and things, and eventually you will become more positive. trust me i know it's not easy i'm currently working on it. i've been working on this for years now, deep down i know things will get better, but in the moment it just feels like everythings falling apart. keep working on it, we're both young, we've got plenty of time to figure stuff out so the rest of our lives can be more fulfilling and enjoyable. goodluck :)
Hi Haley and
Hi Haley and Dontworrybehappy. I too have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since I was 14 years old. I am now 24 years old and still deal with the same issues I did 10 years ago. However, I have come such a long way to learn how to cope with these feelings of negativity and depression. My anxiety developed from a stressed home life. At the age of 13 my father was diagnosed with cancer and died 6 months later when I was 14. While he was sick I began to have trouble breathing and was a depressed person. I was always negative towards others because I could never see the up side of life. I knew I wanted to get better, so I was put on paxil at 14 along with talking to a counselor. I was able to wean myself off of paxil at the age of 18 once I started college. What helped me get there was creating a stable and supportive environment. At 18 I had more control of where I lived and who I was around. Surrounding myself with positive people and positive influences allowed me to cope with my anxiety attacks and my constant negativity. When I was 22 I lost all my coping skills due to dramatic changes in my life. I was again put on medication (Lexapro, Xanax, & Ambien) along with therapy. Again I was able to wean myself off at the age of 23. Now that I am 24 I am back on medication (Celexa, Klonopin, & Ambien)…again due to dramatic changes in my life. I have found that when life changes just a little bit I lose all my coping skills I once learned. I’m not saying that medication is the answer or that therapy is the answer, but I do strongly believe having a support system motivates you to help you. Because let’s all face it no one gets it but ourselves. Joining a forum and talking to others with the similar situations is the first step to building a positive surrounding. Sometimes all we need is someone to vent to or bounce ideas off of. I know once I say things out loud then they are out of my head and I feel just a step closer to being happy. I hope you both continue to follow this thread so that we may be able to help each other out.
my anxiety
Hi, I always find it hard to talk about my anxiety. Actually, I've never really talked about it in a forum like this before, but I feel like my anxiety has gotten so bad that this is necessary. I remember having anxiety since I was very little, in fact, I remember my first anxiety/panic attack was when I was 5 years old. I was just sitting in a McDonalds eating a Happy Meal when all of sudden I felt panicked, thought that I was going to puke, and had no idea what was going on with me. I've had anxiety ever since, and for a while between the ages of about 8 and 14 it was difficult for me to go anywhere without having a panic attack, so I avoided going to restaurants, friends houses, and anywhere unfamiliar. What was worse about my situation was that I didn't understand what was going on with me. My family ignored it and tried to act like there was nothing wrong with me. Luckily, for a few years my anxiety subsided but once I started college my anxiety came back full blast, but at least I was in an environment where my friends would not ignore my situation and I started to learn exactly what was going on with me. Even after becoming informed about what exactly anxiety is and why it is happening to me, my anxiety won't go away. I am even starting to have panic attacks again all the time. Major ones at that. They occur before I go to bed, after any sort of conflict, when I go to restaurants,etc. But now I try not to avoid situations that make me feel anxious like I did when I was little. I now stay in the environment, control my breathing, and tell myself that nothing is going to go wrong. After all these years I'm just so tired of dealing with my anxiety. I feel like it's a constant struggle every day to deal with the worry, fear, and panic. It is almost a battle for me to try and act normal, do my school work, and keep up any sort of interaction with those around me. Because of this I've noticed that recently my relationships have started to suffer, no school grades are declining, and I feel I may even be depressed. With that being said I was wondering if any of you have any sort of suggestion as to what I can do to make this anxiety go away. I would like to go and talk to a psychologist but I am a college student and have practically no money. Also, the counselor at my school does not handle anxiety disorders. I am just at my wits end with this whole anxiety thing and don't know what to do. After 18 years of dealing with this I'm ready to feel normal.
Wow, reading your stories
Wow, reading your stories makes me feel like I'm not alone and that people out there understand what I am going through. I remember having my first panick attack around age 6. I can remember two specific attacks prior to being a teen. I remember my mom calling my aunt over and praying for me because I think they thought I was posessed...I just kept yelling that I was dying. I fumbled through my teens by self medicating so to speak. I became a mom at 17 and by the time I turned 19 my anxiety flared up like never before. Thinkgs got so bad I couldn't even drive or go to the store. I was a prisoner in my own home. No one understood. I have lost friendships and isolated myself because people don't believe anxiety is real. I took Xanax during the day and Ambien as soon as the sun went down and eventually anxiety passed. I carried a precription of Xanax in my purse for the past 10 years which on occassion when facing a very stressful situation I would take one but overall my anxiety seemed to have been gone. I thought I was healed. Now here I am at age 31 and it has returned with a vengence. I have not been able to go to work the past two days because Friday I had a panick attack at work. Now I am so afraid of having another attack that I am under constant fear. I don't know what to do. The physical symptoms are overwhelming. I feel sick and tired all day. I am now getting depressed and don't know where to turn. The resources are so hard to find. My doctor just wants to put me on medication and most therapist aren't trained to help with anxiety. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas please share. Honestly just knowing I am not alone has helped. My family has tried being supportive but they just don't understand....