Living with Anxiety

When i was 15 i started suffering with anxiety It started off as just being a bit sensitive to having daily full blown panic attacks where my entire body would go numb and i couldnt see. I also started getting phobias,of eating too much for the fear of getting physically sick and then i became agrophobic and could not go past the front door of the house without feeling dizzy and extremely anxious. I also was quite young at the time and because my physical symptoms were so severe i thought i was going to die and so became quite depressed,crying every nite and being afraid to sleep.

It was an extremely difficult time for me and eventually i ended up in hospital for a month where they had me on medication for my condition and i also had to attend therapy. I was forced to face all my phobias and i had to toughen up massively as i was on my own. At the time i hated my parents for putting me through it but it was definately the best thing for me at the time. I left hospital after a month diagnosed with nothing but extreme anxiety

I have done so so well since that time but i know i am an anxoious person i do get panic attacks but can control them because i rationally know what is wrong and i deal with it but i have suffered a lot with this disorder. I still have mild fears of things like most people. Recently i suffered with a bad virus that made me quite unwell for a few months and i was extremely tired all the time, eventually i got overwhelmed with anxiety again and all my symptoms became worse, i was so upset and felt so unfortunate. My doc put me on beta blockers because my system went into a constant state of 5th gear where the adrenaline was being released uncontrollably i was shaking and unable to relax,i had dizzy spells and lost about 2 stone.

I was getting repeated infections too and was on my second course of anti biotics when i turned it around and said to myself “i am not sick i have a great strong immune system and i just need to believe in myself and control my anxiety.” i went back to my doctor who agreed with me and suggested i have GAD which i agreed.

i know am feeling better and getting stronger by the day it is very very hard to feel so unwell with genuine physical symptoms and be repeatedly told there is nothing wrong. The symptoms that anxiety can cause in the body are so widespread and once you can recognize that there is nothing medically wrong you can address the anxiety face on.

I am finding positive thinking, believing in my self, yoga, meditation and regular exercise a great help. There are thousands of people out there who might be going through an aweful time and feel alone but they are not alone.